Fushigi Yuugi: The Next Chapter
by It's The Dee
Summary: Two young women stumble upon an ancient book - but wait! This isn't the ShiJiTenChiSho! What is this new book, and what do Tasuki & Chichiri have to do with it? Final Episode: "Till we meet again..."
1. Episode One: A New Book

**Disclaimer:** You know the drill. Konan, Suzaku and all characters and seishi pertaining to them are not mine. Kiori and Ritsuka are my own product, however, as are all other originals. The story is mine, too, naturally.

_**Rating:** _PG-13, for crude humour, language, and violence. But what would _Fushigi Yuugi_ be without it?

**Timeline and Spoilers:** Takes place two years after the "Oni" OVAs, so yeah, there are spoilers for the whole kit 'n' kaboodle, except "Eikou Den."

* * *

_**Fushigi Yuugi: The Next Chapter**_

**--Episode One: A New Book--**

The light tinkle of bells above the door alerted the visitors of the library to a new guest. A few heads turned, watching as a pair of college students entered the wide double doors of the National Library, both looking around cautiously. The other residents shrugged, ignoring the two young men and going back to their work. One of the pair, a student with light-brown hair and nervous eyes, breathed a sigh of relief. He glanced over at his friend, a dark-haired man wearing sunglasses, and gave him a small, reassuring smile. "Not too busy today, Tetsuya." He unconsciously tightened his grip on the ancient book tucked under his arm.

"Yeah yeah, that's great. Now let's get this done quick and make sure no one sees us," his friend whispered in his ear. He paused, then inquired: "But hey, are you sure it's safe to put it back in the library? If someone else finds it..."

"I already told you, since all four gods have been summoned it's perfectly safe," the young student assured his friend. "Now let's hurry; if the librarian catches us, we're dead."

The two walked quickly through the building, glancing a few times to either side to make sure no one was paying attention to them.

Someone was.

A pair of green eyes glanced up from a math book, watching the two college students with curious recognition in her gaze. She touched a hand to her companion's arm. "Ne, Ikido-san, who's that?"

"First of all, I told you to call me Ritsuka. And secondly..." The other young woman turned her red-haired head upwards, following the path of her companion's glance. "Which one?"

"The one with light-brown hair. I think I have a class with him but I can't remember his name."

"Oh, that blockhead is Yuki Keisuke."

"A friend of yours?"

"Mm." The girl named Ritsuka sneaked a peek at him over her math book. "Hm... I wonder what he's doing out here anyway? He never studies, not 'till the very last minute." She stood up, her long braid swishing behind her. "I can't let him just walk by without saying something, you know. I'll be right back."

The other girl smiled cheerfully, but there seemed to be a look of pain behind the grin. "Okay. Hurry back, though - you know how bad I am at math."

Ritsuka giggled a little and made her way over to her male friend. She tip-toed quietly behind the pair, making sure they didn't see her, then poked her head up between them and flashed her most cheerful grin. "Hiya, Keisuke, Tetsuya! Whatcha doin' out here? I thought you prided yourselves on being first-class procrastinators."

Keisuke turned chibi and jumped, whirling to face the friendly redhead. "Uh, oh, um, hi there Ritsuka-san! Who knew I'd see you here? Uh, so, what are you up to, hm?"

"I'm giving Sakamoto Kiori a little help with math. You know how wonderful I am when it comes to numbers," Ritsuka explained, jerking a thumb in the other girl's direction.

Keisuke looked to where she pointed. "Sakamoto Kiori, hm? Isn't she the transfer student?" A nod. He lowered his voice a little. "Are the rumors true, then?"

Another nod, this one not as perky as the last. "She's living in an apartment off campus. Doesn't have any other family, from what I understand."

"What's she like?"

Ritsuka looked over at Kiori, who waved and smiled that same cheerful, but somehow sorrowful, grin. "Well, she seems happy enough... and she's pretty nice and all, but..." the college student chewed on her lip. "You can still tell it bothers her. That kind of stuff takes a while to heal, I guess." Keisuke nodded sympathetically. "You wanna come over and meet her?"

"Yeah, I'd love-" the college boy took an elbow sharply to the ribs, courtesy of Tetsuya. Remembering his previous mission, Keisuke flashed Ritsuka a nervous smile and edged his way towards the back of the library. "Maybe some other time, I'm in a bit of a hurry, you see, and we really gotta get back to our apartment... mid-terms coming up and all—"

"So anyway," Tetsuya interrupted through gritted teeth. "We need to get going. Really nice talking to you, see you tomorrow at school and all."

Ritsuka glared at them suspiciously. Her blue eyes roved down to the book gripped in Keisuke's hand. "Hey, what's that? Are you returning it?" She squinted to read the title, but the only word she could clearly see was '_Universe_.' "Wow, it looks ancient. Where in the world did you find that thing?"

"Reference section," Tetsuya said briefly, nodding towards the area he had mentioned. "Now, we really do need to get going... and maybe Sakamoto-san would like that help you said you'd give her."

Ritsuka glanced over her shoulder at the new student – in her curiosity, she'd completely forgotten about Kiori. "Good point! I guess I'll just see the two of you..." the girl turned back and found that she was talking to air; the duo had already dashed off in a small cloud of dust. "...La... ter."

Kiori glanced up through her bangs as her study partner returned, noticing the look of puzzlement on the other girl's face. "What's wrong?"

"Keisuke and his friend Tetsuya are acting really strange." Ritsuka watched as the two scurried around the corner of the library and headed towards the back: _away _from the reference section. "Those liars. What're they up to?"

The young woman blinked. "Am I missing something?"

"Kiori," Ritsuka began, an almost dangerous glitter in her eye. "How would you like to do a little spying?"

"Spying?"

"I think Keisuke's messing around with something he doesn't want me to know about..."

"And you wanna know about it?" the brunette finished flatly.

"Exactly," Ritsuka stuffed her books into her bag and stood, slipping the satchel over one shoulder and turning to go. She looked back at her study partner. "You coming or what?"

Kiori sweatdropped. "Maybe there's a reason he doesn't want you to know about it. Don't you think we should stay out of other people's business?"

Ritsuka shot her an incredulous look, laughing as she did. "You're joking, right? Torturing the boys in this school is part of my job, plus it's a lot of fun! You don't have to come if you don't want to. I shouldn't be gone more than a few minutes..." the redhead trailed off, turning her attention back to the task at hand. She shifted her book bag into a more comfortable position, trotting between the shelves in the same direction the other college students had gone.

"But Ikido-san..." Kiori glanced at the homework that was due tomorrow, then back up at her only potential friend in this new school. She sighed. "Oh, for the love of... Matte (Wait up)! If you're going to get yourself in trouble, you at least need a partner in crime!"

Ritsuka and Kiori turned the same corner the two young men had disappeared around, only to find themselves facing a row of vending machines and a set of stairs. The redhead immediately darted towards the staircase, her companion following with a bit less enthusiasm. They reached the bottom just in time to see Keisuke and Tetsuya glance around nervously, open a door, and disappear inside.

"Well, there they go," Kiori said. "Now can _we _go?"

Ritsuka pursed her lips. "That little... what's he up to?" She stomped up the stairs and to the door, Kiori at her heels.

"What's the big-?" the new student stopped, reading aloud the sign next to the door. "'_Restricted.'_ Mm? What's in here, private records or something?"

"I wouldn't know. Obviously, I've never been allowed inside," Ritsuka explained with a shrug. She put her hands on her hips, frowning at the sign. "What in the world is Keisuke doing? And what's so special about that book?" She put her hand on the doorknob.

Kiori turned chibi, waving her arms in wild anxiety. "Hey wait a minute Ikido-san! If we aren't allowed in then maybe we shouldn't _go _in, you know? I'm new here, it's only my second month at school, and I'm _really _not interested in getting in trouble so quickly!"

"Then don't come." She paused, glaring at the other girl irritably. "And call me Ritsuka already, would'ja? Yeesh..."

The brunette woman watched, momentarily torn, as her tutor walked into the restricted room, leaving the door open in a silent invitation. She sighed in resignation. "If you get me arrested..."

"Relax, we'll be in and out in half a second," Ritsuka snapped her fingers to prove her point. "Now: sh, I don't want Keisuke knowing we tailed him."

The two girls tip-toed through the rows of books, following the sounds of the young men's voices. "Did it go here? Or here? No, maybe here..." Keisuke murmured to himself. The college girls peeked through a shelf and watched as he darted along the bookshelf, attempting to find the mysterious book's original location.

"Come _on_, just pick a place!" Tetsuya growled, one foot tapping impatiently.

"Here, here? No, no, um, maybe..."

Kiori and Ritsuka stifled giggles as Tetsuya snatched the book out of Keisuke's hands and randomly shoved it between two books on the third shelf up. "There!" he snapped, grabbing his friend's arm and practically dragging him from the darkened room. "Now let's split. I don't wanna risk getting caught."

Still arguing about the book's placement, Keisuke and Tetsuya disappeared around the corner and out of sight. As soon as they heard the door to the darkened room click shut, Ritsuka snuck up to the shelf and started to scan for an old, red book with the word '_Universe'_ in the title.

One of Kiori's eyebrows twitched just slightly as she watched the other girl's search. "Agh, Iki – I mean, Ritsuka, why do you have to _read _the stupid thing?"

"Well, whatever it is, it's obviously good. Why else would they restrict it?" Ritsuka reasoned with a crooked grin. "Besides, anything that Keisuke thinks is worth sneaking in and out of here definitely deserves a look."

Kiori watched the other girl for a moment, chewing on her lip and hopping from foot to foot. After a long moment she sighed and gave up, cursing her own curiosity. "Do you need any help?"

"Hai, find an old-looking book with an all-kanji title."

The two looked over the many hardbacks for a few long minutes, until Kiori cried: "Oh! I found a couple together! What's the title?"

"I couldn't read the whole thing. '_Universe'_ something," Ritsuka explained.

Silence filled the room, then: "Um."

"'Um' what?"

"Um... Ritsuka? There are two books with the word '_Universe'_ in them. Next to each other," Kiori told her, pointing at the pair.

Ritsuka trotted over, frowning at the other girl's discovery. The two books were entitled_ 'Universe of the Four Gods' _and '_Universe Reawakened_.' Both looked ancient, and the covers were almost identical in both size and shape.

"Which is it?" Kiori wondered. Even as she said it she unconsciously glanced over her shoulder, still convinced that the librarian would appear at any moment.

"I can't tell," the redhead admitted. She pulled the pair down, taking a seat and setting the books in front of her.

Kiori joined her on the floor and read the titles again. "'_Universe Reawakened'_ might be a sequel to the other one," she suggested after a moment.

"You think so?" Ritsuka murmured. She shrugged. "Well, it still doesn't help us much."

"Maybe not..." Kiori's head shot up. "But maybe it does! Since Yuki-san-"

"Oh, just call him Keisuke."

She sweatdropped, but decided not to argue. "_Hai_, _hai_. If he'd put back the _Four Gods_ one, he'd have gotten the sequel, right?" Kiori reasoned.

"I guess so..."

"Which means he was probably reading _Universe Reawakened_!" Kiori finished triumphantly, smacking the book for emphasis.

Ritsuka grinned, her head bobbing up and down in agreement. "_Sou yo_! Now, if I were as logical as you, I'd read the original before looking at the sequel." She grinned wolfishly. "Unfortunately, I'm not, plus I'm impatient. _Universe Reawakened _it is! Let's read, shall we?"

Kiori, spurred on by her deduction, forgot her caution and opened the tattered old book. She opened her mouth to read, but was knocked aside and cut off by the more loud-spoken redhead:

_"Within these pages lies a story unlike any other. At the turn of this page, you shall enter a world of mystery, treachery, and war. It is a world of powerful sorcerers, courageous warriors, and dark, arcane magic. It is a dangerous place, but fear not, brave souls, for wherever evil lies, good also dwells, holding its power in the strength of loyalty, honor, and above all, friendship. If you are brave and strong of heart, then you shall triumph._

_"So now, brave soul, will you turn the page? Will you have courage enough to begin an adventure far more wondrous than any other? Will you survive your quest? If your heart wavers, then be gone from here, for you will perish in the journey! But those brave few may continue on, become true heroes, and discover something new, something amazing... and, perhaps, discover themselves."_

"Wow," Kiori murmured. "Great beginning. Is this one of those 'choose your own adventure' stories?"

"Sounds like it." Ritsuka giggled and faced Kiori, a somber look on her cheerful face. "So, brave soul," she said in a melodramatic, deep voice, "are you ready to embark?"

The other young woman rolled her eyes at her friend's teasing actions. Overcome with interest, the brunette hurriedly flipped the page, ready to continue the story. What she found was anything but expected. Both pages were completely void of words, pictures, or even a copyright date. It may as well have been plain notebook paper. "It's blank?"

"No way!" The redhead leaned over her friend's shoulder, scowling as she saw the blank pages for herself. "What gives?" she yelled, hands hitting the ground in irritation.

"Sh, Ritsuka," Kiori warned. "Someone might hear you."

"I don't care! This doesn't make any sense!" she snapped. "Why would Keisuke steal a _blank _book?" She slapped the page, as if the action might will the words to appear.

oOo

Kiori was right when she said someone would hear them. Keisuke and Tetsuya – who had spent a good deal of time assuring themselves that no one had seen them enter the forbidden room – had just reached the bottom of the staircase and heard the redhead's angry call.

Keisuke's head jerked up. "Ritsuka?" Another muffled shout echoed down the hallway; his eyes widened as he recognized its location. "What is she doing...?"

"Ah, just let her mess with it," Tetsuya said with a laugh. "She'll read a nice little story about a Suzaku Priestess who found true love. It's a pretty good book, y'know."

"I guess you're right," Keisuke agreed. He paused thoughtfully, then sweatdropped. "The part with us in it might be a little hard to explain, though..."

oOo

The pages of the book began to glow an eerie, unnatural red.

"Wah!" Ritsuka yelped, eyes growing to the size of dinner plates. She jumped back from '_Universe Reawakened_,' practically clambering onto the bookshelf in her surprise. The redhead pointed wildly at the shining pages, stammering a moment before she found her voice. "Wha – wha – what'd I do? What'd I do, Kiori?"

"I don't know, but close the book!" the brunette ordered.

Both girls dove for the page, but never quite reached it. The red light engulfed them, and, with twin cries of surprise, they disappeared from the Tokyo Library.

oOo

Keisuke and Tetsuya, barely at the end of the vending machine hallway, jumped at the sound of two alarmed screams.

Tetsuya frowned, not recognizing the voices, though he could take a pretty good guess. "Ikido-san?"

Keisuke nodded. "Someone else, too..." he turned, jogging back towards the staircase and the door. "Sakamoto-san, probably. I should have warned her about hanging out with Ritsuka-san – that girl brings nothing but trouble."

"What coulda happened?" Tetsuya inquired, following his friend. "They couldn't go back into the book, now that all the prophecies have been fulfilled... could they?"

"Of course not. But..." the other college student shoved open the door and broke into a run. "Ritsuka-san! Sakamoto-san!" He slid around the corner, his eyes falling to the floor where an open book sat, its pages ruffling softly as if stirred by an unknown breeze. The girls were nowhere to be seen.

Tetsuya came around the corner so fast that he slammed into his friend. "Ow!" he rubbed an elbow and followed his companion's gaze. "Oh man..."

Keisuke sat down and picked up the book. His look of surprise quickly turned into a look of confusion. "Huh? Wait a minute, this isn't..." he checked the cover. "This isn't the_ Universe of the Four Gods_! It's some book called _Universe Reawakened_!"

"_Another_ magic book!?" Tetsuya groaned, grabbing his head in his hands. "For the love of... When do our lives get back to normal! I have _really _gotta stop hanging out with you, this stuff never happened to me before we met..."

But Keisuke wasn't listening; instead, he watched in growing surprise as Chinese characters began appearing in the book. He read out loud as they materialized, cutting off his friend's rants:

_"'It was another beautiful, peaceful day in the Konan Empire, as many days since the Emperor's death had been. Sitting by a lake were two young men, enjoying the tranquility of the afternoon and trying to catch some fish at the same time. One of the men had a mark upon his right arm, and the other a mark upon his left knee. They were the last surviving members of the Suzaku shichiseishi: Tasuki and Chichiri, respectfully. The two had expected to live relatively quiet lives now that Suzaku had been summoned and the war ended. Had they known how short-lived their peace would be, they might have enjoyed it more.'_

"Chichiri? Tasuki? The Konan Empire? Then that means..." Keisuke read the title again, confirming his theory. "This isn't a completely different book, Tetsuya! It's a sequel!"

"_Suge_ (Awesome)! Wait until Miaka finds out there's more going on in here!" the young man exclaimed, excitement rising in his voice.

Keisuke shot his comrade a forceful look. "She's not going to find out," he said sternly, tucking the book under his arm. "If I tell her, she'll want in. She and Taka are content. We should leave them that way." He stood up, ready to leave. "This is Ritsuka-san and Sakamoto-san's story, now."

"I guess you've got a good point." Tetsuya sighed. He stood as well, putting a hand to his head and rubbing at his temples. "Aw man, if this one ends with half of Tokyo getting destroyed..."

The other college student chuckled, shooting his friend a confident smile. "Yeah, but look on the bright side: if things go well, we might find ourselves in another book."

oOo

Safe inside their apartment, Keisuke took a careful seat on his couch. Tetsuya, carrying a pair of drinks, followed suit. "C'mon Keisuke," he urged. "Get to reading! If this is anything like the last story, it's gonna be quite the trip!"

The young man chuckled at his friend's excitement. He opened the book and began again, picking up where he had last left off: _"'Not too far from the last two seishi, a pair of young women – from a distant land, judging by their clothing – were just waking up...'"_

oOo

Ritsuka opened her eyes slowly, blinking as she gazed up into a thick canopy of varying shades of green. Sunlight shot down through gaps in the emerald foliage, forcing the half-asleep young woman to squint against the bright rays. She sat up and yawned, seemingly unaware of her surroundings, and stretched. "Wow, what a weird dream! I thought Kiori and I were sucked into a..." she trailed off, finally realizing that she was in the middle of a forest and sitting next to a sleeping Kiori, "book. Uh-huh."

Ritsuka popped her back, trying to get her bearings and figure things out. It was awful hard to believe they'd actually been sucked into a book, but what other explanation was there? "Maybe I'm still dreaming! Yeah, that's possible!" The redhead pinched herself, then winced and scowled. "That never works in movies, anyway." She stood up, frowning and glancing around. "Well, if it is a dream," she thought out loud, "I may as well enjoy—"

Ritsuka's stopped mid-sentence, catching the faint sounds of voices. Her ears perked up and she listened intently, hoping that the speakers weren't her imagination.

"Are we ever gonna eat?" someone complained.

"We'll eat when we catch something no da," another said.

The redhead dropped back to the ground and shook Kiori, trying to be gentle as she hissed, "Oi, Kiori, come on. We need to find out what's going on."

"Five more minutes..."

"Kiori!" she snapped, her voice rising a bit.

"No Dad, please, just a little longer..."

"Oh for heaven's sake!" Ritsuka gave up the tender act – she'd never been a very subtle person, anyway – and banged a gong in her friend's ear. "KIORI-CHAN! Rise and shine!"

A chibi Kiori jumped up, yelping in surprise. She glared up at the redhead, her green eyes flashing irritably as she rubbed at her smarting ears. "Itai..."

"_Gomen _(Sorry)," Ritsuka said sweetly. "But you were being lazy, and this is certainly no time for being lazy." She gestured to their surroundings. "Notice anything different?"

Kiori sat up and gaped at the forest. She rubbed at her eyes, expecting the mirage to clear, but if anything it only grew steadier. She shook her head, trying to remember what had happened before she'd blacked out. "That book started glowing, and we..." she paused, listening to one of the light-hearted male voices. "Who's that?"

"That's what I wanna know," Ritsuka said. "Follow me. Maybe we can ask for directions or something."

Kiori sweatdropped, but stood and followed her comrade anyway. "Directions to _where_?"

The pair of college girls moved cautiously through the undergrowth, drawing closer to the unknown speakers. They peered through the bushes, looking out across a small pond and at the faces of two young men, one about their age and the other a bit older. The youngest, a redhead, yawned and flashed a pair of fangs. "Man on man, am I ever bored," he grumbled, stretching one lanky arm high above his head. The other held tightly to a fishing pole, though from the looks of it he hadn't caught anything just yet.

The other, a cheerful-looking man with short cyan hair, smiled – but then again, he _always_ seemed to be smiling – at his friend. "You just gotta be patient no da."

"I been patient fer three hours, an' I been hungry fer four," he complained. "How d'you even know there _are_ fish here, na, Chichiri?"

"Hm..." he grinned. "Well, Tasuki, I guess I don't!"

The one called Tasuki grabbed his head and groaned, letting go of his pole in the process. "Ya mean we been sittin' here starvin' fer maybe no good reason!? Son of a–"

Chichiri glanced down at the water. "Your pole's sinking no da," he remarked matter-of-factly.

Tasuki's eyes turned to the still pond as well, watching as the pole gradually fell below the murky blue surface. "Ach!" He yelped and dove in without thinking, intent on saving the fishing rod. He realized his mistake a bit too late. The fanged young man's head burst from the water a moment later, arms waving wildly. "Oi! Oi! Chichiri! Tasukete (Help me), y'know I can't swim!"

The older one paused for a moment, his eyebrows scrunched in a thoughtful frown. "_Ano_... Tasuki?"

"_WHAT!?_"

"Stand up no da."

"Eh?" he stuck his feet out and touched bottom, his chin rising just above the water. The redhead blushed. "Oh." He paused for a moment, grimacing and reaching a hand into his coat. Seconds later he pulled out a wriggling fish. "Hey! I caught somethin', an' I think it might be a koi! _Koi ga koi suru yo_, heheh!" (1)

Chichiri winced at the gruesome pun. "How about _you_ catch dinner, and _I'll_ make the jokes no da."

Tasuki's fanged mouth turned downwards in a slight pout. "Well, _I_ thought it was pretty damn clever..." he trailed off, noticing his friend's suddenly thoughtful expression. "Oi... Somethin' wrong?"

The other young man stood, setting his fishing pole aside and grabbing at his nearby staff. He turned his eyes towards the girls' hiding spot, focusing intently on something he couldn't quite see, but could feel as if it were right in front of him. "I'm sensing a life force..." a pause, then a headshake, "correction: two life forces. Nearby no da."

Tasuki whirled, pulling out a fan and shaking it at the underbrush. "Jus' gimme th' word and they're toast!"

Ritsuka's eyes widened as she realized the pair were talking about she and Kiori. The female redhead shoved frantically at her friend, trying to push her back into the surrounding foliage. "Ah, Kiori, move! Let's split!"

"Ritsuka, I don't think they'll hurt us!"

"I don't wanna take that chance..."

In her haste, Ritsuka didn't notice as her foot landed a bit too close to the edge of the small cliff surrounding the pond. A chunk of earth loosened beneath her, and the redhead slid backwards into the pond, grabbing at Kiori for balance right as she tumbled over. With a yelp, Kiori found herself pulled in as well. The two girls landed with a squeak and a splash, submerging briefly as they tried to untangle themselves.

Chichiri tensed, pointing his staff at the spot where the two had disappeared. Tasuki held his fan above his head, waiting for them to resurface.

The girls popped up, both spitting out water.

"REKKA SHI-"

"Tasuki, wait!"

The young man had to turn his fan to the side at the last second, frying an unlucky tree. He whirled, facing his friend and waving his tessen wildly. "What gives?"

"I don't think they're dangerous no da."

"Well next time warn me ahead of time!" he snapped, slapping the water to emphasize his point. "I damn near started a forest fire, ya crazy monk, an'—"

"Excuse me!" Ritsuka cried, interrupting the small argument.

Tasuki's eyes turned back to the young women – or, at least, to their heads. The one who had spoken was glaring at him irritably, her bright red hair shining in the afternoon light; the other watched the pair cautiously, and perhaps with a bit of fear, as if she was afraid they really might roast her alive. The male redhead scowled, heaving an exasperated sigh. "Ah, jus' great. A couple-a girls t'cause trouble."

"And please explain to me what's wrong with a 'couple-a girls'!?" Ritsuka snapped right back, momentarily sprouting little fangs of her own and imitating his kansai accent almost perfectly.

"You'll have to excuse my friend," Chichiri interrupted, smiling apologetically and beckoning the trio towards the shore. "He can be a little _hot_-headed na no da."

Tasuki grimaced. "An' he said my pun was bad..."

Kiori smiled, breathing a small sigh of relief now that she realized they weren't in any danger. She flashed the man on the shore her cheerful, sad smile. "Daijoubu (It's all right). We were just surprised, that's all. No harm done."

Tasuki trudged over to the pond bank, followed by the two girls. He tossed the fish to his friend, who grabbed it and shoved it into a nearby net. The flame-throwing young man clambered onto dry land, wringing out his coat and muttering complaints and the occasional death threat to all members of womankind.

Chichiri held down his staff to help Kiori reach land. She took it, glad of the extra aid. "_Arigatou_, Chichiri-san."

"No problem no da. And just Chichiri is fine."

The blue-haired man shot his comrade a look. Tasuki, one eyebrow twitching in annoyance, grudgingly reached down a hand to offer to the redheaded young woman. "Ah, c'mon Red."

Ritsuka sniffed disdainfully. "I don't _need_ your help, Fang-boy." She scrambled onto the shore with little trouble, trying in vain to shake some of the water out of her jeans.

"You already seem to know our names no da. So what are yours?" Chichiri inquired, politely averting his eyes from the pair for some reason.

"I'm Ikido Ritsuka, and she's..." Ritsuka noticed that, while Chichiri looked away, Tasuki kept staring at them, blushing fiercely in the process. "Hm? Nani (What)...?" The redhead followed his gaze downwards, suddenly remembering that she and Kiori were wearing blouses that consisted of thin, white – and now wet – cloth. Ritsuka covered her chest and slapped Tasuki across the face. "Damn pervert!"

"Ow!" Tasuki yelped, jumping back and grabbing at his stinging cheek. "C'mon, I couldn't _see_ anything! You got a bra on! And it wasn't like I was staring straight at 'em or anything, I jus' couldn't help but notice 'cause the materials thin an' _yer_ boobs are pretty damn big, so—!"

Chichiri heaved a sigh as his friend received another fierce slap, followed by the command: "Next time trying being a gentleman and _look away_!"

"He never learns no da. Here," the cyan-haired man slipped his dark robe over his neck, still looking away as he handed it to Kiori. "Go ahead and wear my kesa 'till you dry out."

The young woman accepted the gift, wrapping the soft material around her soaking form. "Thanks again. Oh, and in answer to your earlier question, my name's Sakamoto Kiori."

Once again Chichiri shot Tasuki a meaningful look, and once again he scowled and obeyed the unspoken order. "Aw, here," the male redhead grumbled, handing over his maroon jacket. "It's not dry or anythin' but you c'n wear it."

Ritsuka snatched it from his hands, wrapping it around her shoulders and glaring daggers at the flame-throwing youth. "It's the _least_ you can do, pervert!"

"I ain't the one who ruined a perfectly peaceful afternoon!" Tasuki argued.

Chichiri sweatdropped. "Um, Ritsuka-san, why don't you and Kiori-san have dinner with us no da? I have some questions for you, and I'm sure you have some for us as well. Dinner will be a good time to do that, and it will give us a chance to get to know each other no da."

Tasuki gaped at his friend, pointing an accusing finger at the female redhead. "Ah, hell no Chichiri! I don't wanna eat with this she-devil!"

"She-devil?" Ritsuka growled, clenching her fists and moving dangerously towards the young man. "You take that back!"

The Suzaku warrior threw back his head and laughed. "Ya know what? I don't think I will!"

"You son of a—!"

"Come and catch me Red!"

"Get back here Fang-boy!"

Kiori sighed and joined Chichiri in sweatdropping. "Ritsuka's a bit of a, er, temperamental person, you could say."

"Maybe it comes with the hair color no da."

"But, uh, about dinner..." Kiori blushed as her stomach growled, "obviously I'd really like that. And answering those questions sounds like a good idea as well. We're not exactly sure where we are, or how we got here, or... well, it's just confusing, I guess." The young woman decided not to add that she was still fairly certain she was dreaming. It didn't seem polite to refer to him as a figment of her – apparently _very_ creative – imagination.

"I'd be happy to help no da." Chichiri glanced at the girl's knee-length maroon skirt and red-fringed blouse, his eyebrows scrunched together thoughtfully. "Hm... you wouldn't happen to be from Miaka's world, would you?"

"Mm? Who's that?"

He shook his head, waving a dismissive hand. "Never mind. I'll explain later no da." He turned his attention on the other two, watching with growing exasperation as Ritsuka chased Tasuki across the clearing, a small tree branch in her hands. "Daa, c'mon Tasuki, you were the one who wanted fish so badly no da!"

"REKKA SHIN'EN!" A blast of fire shot out of Tasuki's fan, aimed straight at his newest adversary. She managed to duck just in time.

"Tasuki, you shouldn't do that to a woman no da!" Chichiri cried, waving his arms in protest.

Kiori appealed to her friend as well, though she doubted it would do much good. "Ritsuka, can we _please_ get going?"

If either of the fighters heard their companions, they didn't show it. Ritsuka jumped up from the ground, shrieking across the clearing at the insolent young man: "Bakayarou! You singed my hair! Now you're gonna get it...!" she hurled the tree branch with perfect accuracy and smacked Tasuki in the forehead.

"ITAI!" The chibi seishi fell backwards, but sprang up almost immediately. He shook a fist threateningly at the college girl. "Watch it Red, I've been takin' it easy on you!"

"_THE NAME IS RITSUKA_! And I don't need _anyone_ to go easy on me!"

"All right then! REKKA SHIN'EN!"

"Ow, ow! My bum's on fire! Put it out put it ooooooooout!"

oOo

Ten minutes and five squabbles later, Ritsuka and Kiori found themselves sitting on a log in another part of the forest, watching as Tasuki prepared dinner. Chichiri had disappeared for the moment, off on some kind of errand.

"Aw crap," the young man grumbled, poking at their meager meal with his small cleaning knife, "this fish is way too small fer th' four of us t'share."

"I wouldn't trust your cooking anyway, Fang-boy," Ritsuka assured him. "Here; I think I've got some candy bars in my bag..." she stopped short, her blue eyes widening. "My bag! I left it back where we came into this world!" She grabbed at Kiori's collar, twin waterfalls of tears running down her chibi cheeks. "We have to save it! We have to! Who knows _what_ sort of wild animal is ripping my MP3 Player to shreds at this very moment!?"

"Aren't players banned from campus?" Kiori asked accusingly.

Ritsuka's tears dried up and she looked away, giggling nervously. "I wanted my friends to hear the new Gackt single. It's a good one!"

"Well, yes it is, but that's not the point..."

Tasuki blinked, watching the girls with open interest. "A Nuu-gakuto-shingaru?" he repeated, pronouncing it like it was one word. "What's a Nuu-gakuto-shingaru?"

The two young women sweatdropped, wondering how to explain it. Kiori turned eyes to the ground, chewing on her lip. "Hm, well, it's like..."

She never finished her sentence though, for at that moment a straw hat materialized in the ground below her feet. Kiori fell backwards off the log, covering her eyes with one hand and pointing wildly with the other. "Monster, monster!"

"That's not very nice no da."

The college woman paused, cautiously removing her fingers from her eyes. She looked up into the frowning face of her newest companion. He leaned over her, holding the same straw hat in his hands and watching her with a mixture of concern and hurt. Kiori breathed a sigh of relief, scrambling back onto the log and desperately trying to hide her blushing cheeks. "Oh Chichiri, you scared me."

"Gomen, Kiori-san! But it's a lot quicker than walking no da." Chichiri held up a net with two weakly squirming fish. "I set this up this morning and managed to catch something. And," he tossed two bags down in front of Ritsuka and Kiori. "I found these and figured they were yours na no da."

"D...domo (Thanks)."

Kiori set the bag down, shuffling through it to make sure everything was in order, and Chichiri moved to help Tasuki with dinner. All seemed oblivious to Ritsuka's wide-eyed look.

"He – didn't he – Chichiri just – the ground..." she pointed back and forth between the spot he'd appeared and the spot he now occupied, her brain working hard to catch up with her mouth and not quite making it. "Wasn't... and he..."

Tasuki glanced up from his task to roll his eyes in Ritsuka's direction. "Yeah. He popped outta th' ground. It ain't his most impressive trick."

"But – how'd he... no one can possibly..." Ritsuka picked up the hat that Chichiri had left nearby. She peered inside, but saw nothing but the underside of an ordinary straw kasa. "You... you..."

"Teleported," Chichiri finished with his usual smile. "It's one of my gifts from Suzaku no da. I have some others, too. Like this!" Chichiri held up two fingers, his eyebrows scrunching together in concentration. Seconds later a red bubble surrounded the four.

Kiori put a hand to it, whistling in admiration. Even though it was transparent, it felt as hard as a rock wall. "Wow. That's amazing."

"Weird is more like it," Ritsuka grumbled as the shield disappeared. "So who _is_ this Suzaku, and how can I beg him for some teleportation powers?"

"What."

"Excuse me?"

"Suzaku isn't so much a _who_ as a _what_," Tasuki explained around a mouthful of bread that he'd pulled out of his bag. "He's our god. Sorta like th' guardian of Konan, I guess ya c'd say. An' no one can just _ask _him fer powers, 'specially some loud-mouthed brat like you."

Ritsuka cocked her head, too confused to rebuke the redhead for his remark. Kiori mirrored the action. Chichiri skewered the three fish onto a stick, smiling apologetically at the bewildered young women. "Daa... we'll explain while we eat no da. In the meantime, why don't _you_ tell us how you wound up here?"

"You sure you don't need any help with the fish?" the brunette woman asked. "I'm not much of a cook, but I could get some wood for a fire or something."

"Why bother?" Tasuki replied with a shrug. "We got our own way of cookin'. Saves time, an' wood."

"Howzat?" Ritsuka wondered.

Tasuki and Chichiri didn't bother answering; their next actions spoke for them. Chichiri held out the trio of skewered fish, making sure to keep them far away from his body. Tasuki pulled out his enchanted fan and cracked his knuckles. "REKKA," his voice dropped to a whisper as he held the fan under the fish and finished the small spell, "shin'en."

A small flame burned brightly beneath the fish. Tasuki yawned as Chichiri turned the meal from side to side. "See, Red? Simple and easy," the flame-throwing man said with a grin.

Chichiri switched hands. "But it _is_ a little hard on the arms no da."

Kiori and Ritsuka sweatdropped.

"Ingenius or lazy?"

"Probably both."

"So Red, Kiori, you were gonna tell us a little about yerselves?" Tasuki reminded them. He lay down on his stomach, attempting to find a comfortable position on the hard-packed earth.

"Well," Kiori began. "The two of us are college students in Tokyo, Japan, and... um, Chichiri?"

"Mm-hm?"

"Your fish are on fire."

oOo

"So, you _are_ from Miaka's world no da!" Chichiri concluded. Nearly ten minutes had passed since the cooking had begun, and after a few minor fires the slightly crisped fish were ready to eat.

Kiori took a sip of tea – it was really fair to call it slightly bitter water, but she wasn't going to complain – and leaned out further on her makeshift chair. "You mentioned that name before. Who's Miaka?"

"The Suzaku no Miko, Yuki Miaka. She came from the same place you did, I think. Maybe ya've heard-a her," Tasuki explained.

Ritsuka nearly choked on her bread. "_YUKI_?"

"What is it?" Chichiri asked, leaning over and patting her back. "Someone you're familiar with no da?"

The girl coughed a couple times, chugging the "tea" and trying to find her voice again. "Keisuke..." she finally managed to gasp out. "His little sister... she came _here_?" Two nods. Ritsuka gripped her cup, lips set in a thoughtful line. "That's it, then." Noticing Kiori's confused expression, she added, "Keisuke didn't read this book, he read the one with his sister in it. That _Four Gods_ one."

"The medium used between our worlds _was_ a book no da," Chichiri agreed. "I don't know the exact title, but that sounds about right."

Kiori said nothing for a long while, preferring to eat her small meal in thoughtful silence. _If this is a dream, it certainly is a very elaborate one, _she thought with a sardonic smile. _And as hard as it is to swallow, it looks like I'll have to start taking all this seriously, at least for now._ She sipped pensively at her tea, setting her lips along the edge of the cup and gazing at the center of the clearing. "Hm."

Ritsuka chomped down on her fish. "'Hm' what?"

"Just thinking."

She grabbed another mouthful of her meal, attempting to speak around the bite. "A'out 'ut?" The redhead's attention wavered, however, when she noticed that Tasuki was shooting her funny looks. "'Ut 'ow Fang-'oy?"

"Oh, nothin'," he assured her. Ritsuka shrugged, dismissing the obnoxious young man and returning her attention to her meal. The bandit grinned viciously, fangs flashing in the evening light. "Y'know, I caught that fish..."

"Yeah?"

"In my pants."

Ritsuka's face turned a sickly shade of green. She spat the fish out on the ground, snatching up her teacup and frantically chugging as much of the bitter liquid as she could fit down her throat. She turned on Tasuki, flashing him a murderous glare. "You... you..."

"Red?"

"_What_?"

"Just kidding."

"Fang-boy, I oughta..." he held up his fan and waved it back and forth, as if to say, "remember last time." Ritsuka sighed and returned to her meal, but not before neatly tossing her teacup – still partially full – in her new adversary's face.

Tasuki spluttered wordlessly, trying to find his voice. He found his tessen quicker, however, and pointed it straight at the young woman. "REKKA-"

Chichiri, sick of the arguing, reached over and smacked his friend over the head with his staff. "You're going to start a forest fire if you keep this up no da."

Ritsuka stuck her tongue out at Tasuki, but Kiori pulled on the other woman's long braid, jerking her head back and away from their fiery companion. "C'mon, Ritsuka, you should at least _attempt_ to get along with these guys."

Tasuki whirled on Chichiri, jabbing at the air and bobbing up and down comically. "C'mon Chichiri, you wanna fight?"

A sweatdrop. "You're kidding, right?" the older man coolly took a sip of his tea.

Ritsuka blinked, really looking at Chichiri for the first time since she'd received her dinner. Her eyes widened. "Ch... Ch-Chichiri?"

"Yes?"

"Um... well... I'm not exactly sure how to tell you this... but... you see... your face is... eh... it's sorta kinda... peeling."

"Hm?" Chichiri felt along his chin until his smooth fingers felt the loosened flap. "Oh, guess so. It does that from time-to-time no da." He jerked on the loose flap, ripping it off to reveal a similar face underneath. "It's no problem, though; they wear out pretty easily, so I always keep extras no da."

Tasuki nodded. "Guess ya musta singed it in th' fire'r somethin'."

"I told you the flame was too big."

"Yeah, yeah."

Kiori interrupted their friendly banter, one trembling finger pointed at the "extra face" draped in Chichiri's hand. "His face... does that... often?"

"Relax, Kiori," Tasuki muttered through a bite of bread. "It's not his real face."

"It's not? Well what is it?"

"A mask."

"A mask?"

"Yeah, you know, somethin' ya put over yer face t'make it look different," Tasuki said, his voice dripping sarcasm.

"I _know_ what it is," she retorted. "It's just that I've never seen one that realistic-looking before. It moves with him perfectly." She paused, setting a thoughtful finger to her chin. "Why does he wear it, anyway?"

"Why do _you_ ask so many questions?" Tasuki countered.

"Why shouldn't she?" Ritsuka jumped to her softer spoken friend's defense. "You know plenty of things about us, but we hardly know anything about you!"

"She's right no da," Chichiri agreed with a smile, though he seemed only too glad to change the subject. "We should at least explain who we are no da."

Kiori nodded. "That's right. I wanted to ask how Miaka got here, and why she was here, and, well..." she trailed off, not wanting to hurt their feelings by saying she wanted to get home. She _did_ have mid-terms in a week, after all, and running through the forests of... wherever she was... didn't seem like the quickest way to study. "I guess I'd just like to know a little bit about everything, really."

Tasuki finished off his tea in a few gulps, situating himself on the hard-packed earth. "It's kind of a long story, but if y'got time we can tell ya."

"Tell away. It's not like we have anywhere else to go," Kiori urged, snuggling further into the robe Chichiri had loaned her for the evening. Though it didn't look like it would be very warm, it was really quite cozy, except for that strange lump in the front, the one that kept wriggling...

Wait a minute.

The college girl's body stiffened. "Eep."

"_Doushita no_?" Ritsuka asked, cocking an eyebrow at her friend's wide eyes.

"S-something in this robe, m-moved..." The lump, which Kiori had originally assumed was a fold in the material, started to crawl up from her lap to her shoulders. Before the brunette could stop herself she jumped up, squeaking a little and shaking the robe.

A ball of white and brown rolled out, letting out a disgruntled "Nya!" as it tumbled across the clearing and landed at Chichiri's feet.

The college woman blinked. The monk laughed. "Finally woke up, Tama-chan no da?"

"Nya," the small cat complained.

"_Gomen_, Kiori-san, I should have told you Tama takes naps in my kesa na no da." Chichiri reached out an arm, chuckling as Tama accepted the offer and jumped up, scrambling onto the monk's thin shoulder. "He's... well, I suppose he's _my_ cat, now."

Ritsuka checked the jacket that the seishi bandit had loaned her. "Any dogs hiding in here?"

"Nah, just a snake," Tasuki told her, cackling at Ritsuka's brief look of surprise.

The redhead scowled. "Haha, very funny."

"Nya!"

Tasuki winked. "Well, at least Tama thought so."

oOo

Ritsuka and Kiori sat in silence for a moment, allowing the Suzaku story to sink in. The tale – even with Chichiri and Tasuki telling the "abridged version" – had taken almost two hours. The blood-red sun had already sunk below the trees, and night in the strange land had arrived.

"So, _where_ are we again?" Kiori asked, rubbing at her temple and doing her very best to understand all the information she'd just received.

"On the outskirts of the Konan Empire," Tasuki replied with a yawn.

"In ancient times?" Ritsuka said it more as a question than a statement, since of course the two young men wouldn't think of their time period as ancient. "Of course. Ancient times, in a book, with a Suzaku Priestess. Makes _perfect_ sense." She sighed, voicing Kiori's unspoken wish as well. "Man, how are we ever gonna get out of this place?"

Chichiri shrugged. "I'm not sure no da. But Miaka was able to go back after she summoned Suzaku, so maybe you're here to fulfill some sort of task as well no da."

"Task? What kind of task?" Kiori queried. Silently, she added, _'Because if it's one that involves a guy like Nakago and almost all my friends getting killed, count me out. I've had enough death already...'_ She shivered and forced herself not to think about that.

The monk frowned, putting his chin in his hands. "I don't know no da," he admitted. "But the scholars in Konan might. We were on our way there to visit the Empress. If you wanted to..."

"You'd let us tag along?" Kiori interrupted, eyes shining. "Even though you just met us?"

"As long as we get to tie 'n' gag Red..." Tasuki earned a swift cuff to the head for his remark, courtesy of the woman in question.

Chichiri decided to ignore them for now, and instead turned his welcoming smile on the young brunette. "I can't promise you answers, but I can promise that they'll do their best to find a way to get you both back home. So how about it no da?"

"Hm... excuse us for a sec, okay?" Kiori turned to her friend, cupping a hand to her mouth so the pair could have a private conversation. "What do you think?" she whispered.

"Well, let's see...they're totally nuts – thought at this point, I'm thinking that we might be, too – and they're loaded with power... But they don't seem threatening, and they've been pretty nice to us so far," Ritsuka reasoned. She rubbed the singed ends of her hair, growling low in her throat. "Mostly, anyway. Besides, we don't have a better option."

"And what if there's some legend we have to fulfill?" Kiori hissed, her voice trembling a little at the thought.

Ritsuka snorted. "Yeah, right. There's a what? One out of three million chance of that? We got here because of some weird fluke. And, if there _is_ a legend, which I wouldn't mind at all..." the redhead grinned devilishly, snapping her fingers to emphasize her point. "Then we fulfill it, become heroes, and go home. I've met Miaka, and if she could do it, then we aren't going to have _any _problems. It'll be a piece of cake, right?"

"Sure, a piece of cake," Kiori muttered dryly. She turned back to the pair of seishi.

"Well?" both asked, though Chichiri said it with a bit more enthusiasm than his comrade.

The brunette smiled, doing her best to wipe away the fear in her smile, and the ever present sadness. "I guess... we're in."

oOo

"_A night bird overhead cried out through the sky, a witness to the temporary partnership of two Suzaku warriors and a pair of young women from a distant world_," Keisuke took a breath. "End Chapter One."

* * *

**End Notes  
**(1) _"Koi ga koi suru da yo!" _- Is a (not very good) pun on the word "koi," which is both a type of fish and a word for "love." This is a particularly bad joke as people generally didn't _eat_ koi, and the "koi" form of love usually refers to a more lustful or sensual kind of love. Clearly, Tasuki needs new material. (heheh)

**_Author's Mundane Ramblings: 12/31/04; 3:23 PM_**

Hao, minna-san!  
So here we are! After three long years I've finally begun the revamp-and-edit-job on my beloved FY:NC! To those who are visiting the world of "The Next Chapter" for the first time, I would like to extend the hand of welcome to you. I sincerely hope that you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. To returning fans who might worry that I'm pulling a George Lucas, rest assured that that is _not_ the case. The major story hasn't been changed, just... fixed. Here are some differences you might notice:

1. Fewer author's notes. (I received some complaints about those) I will use footnotes from time to time, like you saw in this chapter, but they'll only be "extras" that aren't absolutely necessary for you to understand the story.

2. I've tried to tone down the number of Japanese words and phrases, but when I use them I'll either translate them (in parantheses) or make it something that you'll be able to understand through context alone. Also, I kicked my FY dub-watching habits, so Chichiri says "no da" instead of "ya know."

3. Some basic touch-ups, such as spelling and grammar have been taken care of, but I've also done my best to add more detail to the battle scenes and so forth. "Show, don't tell" as my Creative Writing teacher would say. Fewer adverbs too, those little devils.

4. Since, when I first wrote this, a lot of it was written kind of on the spur of the moment, some events seemed to jump out of nowhere, screaming: "PLOT TWIST!" without any foreshadowing. I've tried to fix that as best as I can without changing the actual story.

5. You are now blessed with Author Free-Talk Sections! Don't you feel lucky?

Well, I want to keep these (relatively) short, so I'll wrap this up. Next time I'll give you a little crash-course in Japanese suffixes, since I'll be using a _lot_ of them. For now, just remember that "-san" is basic respect (like "Mr" or "Mrs") and "-sama" is extreme respect (like "Lord" or "Lady"). Looks like that's about it for this time! See you in the next installment!

Your Devoted Authoress,  
Dee


	2. Episode Two: A New Legend

**_Disclaimer_:** I still don't own Konan, Suzaku and all characters and seishi pertaining to them. Kiori and Ritsuka are and shall forever be mine, and that holds for all the other "originals" (you'll know 'em when they appear, trust me). Obviously the story is mine as well.

_**Rating:** _PG-13, for crude humour, moderate language, and violence.

* * *

**--Episode Two: A New Legend--**

Tetsuya grabbed the book out of his Keisuke's hands. "Okay, now I get to read some." He cleared his throat and began: _"'A bright sky and shining sun hung above the four travelers in what appeared to be a sign of good fortune. The Suzaku warriors had informed their new companions that they were only a few _li_ away from the actual city...'"_

oOo

"My feet hurt," Ritsuka complained.

"Shut up," Kiori and Tasuki both grumbled.

"I can't help it if they hurt! We've been walking for almost three days straight!"

Kiori attempted to check her watch, then remembered that it didn't seem to work right in this world. "We all have, and I in low heels, but you don't hear me whining."

"Not whining," Ritsuka retorted. "I was voicing my opinion. And my feet still hurt."

Tasuki heaved a sigh. In a motion so swift Ritsuka didn't see it coming, he lifted her up and tossed her over one shoulder. The seishi bandit resumed his quick stride, acting as if the college woman weighed nothing at all. "Girls are so helpless."

"Who's helpless?! Not me!" Ritsuka snapped, thumping a fist into his back. "I don't need your help or anyone else's! Now put me down Fang-boy!" But Tasuki just ignored her, and after a good five minutes of fruitless struggling Ritsuka finally gave up. That didn't stop her from muttering dire threats from time to time, though, which only seemed to amuse the bandit even more.

Just as the sun was reaching its peak, the quartet of travelers reached the top of a hill and found themselves staring down at a brilliant city. A high wall surrounded the structure, stretching all the way to the horizon on both sides. Smaller shops and inns just barely managed to poke their roofs above the protective wall, the polished red- and black-tiles winking in the sunlight. But it was the building in the center of the city that caught the two women's attention. Far larger and more elaborate than anything else the capital had to offer, it seemed to be watching over the city like a protective mother, its wide awnings and sloping rooftops acting as gentle coverings against any harm that might befall its children.

"Welcome to the capital of Konan," Chichiri announced needlessly. "We're headed for the palace, so we still have a small walk ahead of us no da."

Kiori's ears perked up at his words. Her aching feet momentarily forgotten, the brunette popped up at the monk's shoulder, gazing past him somewhat covetously. "A palace!? A real, honest-to-God palace!? It's like a dream come true!" She glanced up at her temporary guide, eyes shining. "Do you think we'll be waited on hand and foot?"

Chichiri sweatdropped. "Uh, Tasuki and I are honorary guests, and since you're with us... I suppose there's always a _chance_, no da."

Kiori sighed happily, small hearts popping up around her head. "If this is what it means to be a legend, I might be able to handle it."

The seishi chuckled. "And I thought you were the _calm_ one no da."

Kiori opened her mouth to answer, but Ritsuka's irritated tone cut her off. "Hey Fang-boy, turn around or something. I can't see the city."

The redhead pounded a demanding fist into Tasuki's back, which seemed to snap his patience. He dropped his arm and rolled his shoulder, causing her to tumble unceremoniously to the ground. The seishi bandit popped his back, watching the girl out of the corner of his eye. "Damn, yer heavy. Whadda they feed ya in Tokyo?"

"_Teeme_...!"

Kiori and Chichiri watched as Ritsuka chased Tasuki into the city. The monk sweatdropped. "On second thought, you're still the calm one no da."

"Those two are hopeless," Kiori sighed, rubbing at her temples with one hand. "You'd almost think they _liked_ tormenting each other."

Chichiri laughed. "Well, Tasuki has always loved a good fight, even if it's only a friendly one." His smile dropped a little. "He hasn't had one of those since Tamahome left and Nuriko passed away no da."

"The two of you seem to be pretty close, though."

"We are," Chichiri agreed, "but I'm more of a pacifist. I'll fight if I have to, but I'd rather just," he turned chibi for a moment, flashing the young woman a victory sign, "fool around no da!"

Kiori giggled. As strange as these seishi were, she was already pretty fond of them. "I guess I'm the same way." She turned her eyes away from the monk and towards the city. Tasuki and Ritsuka were already halfway down the hill, still taunting each other and exchanging insults, flames, and stones. Kiori giggled again, though this one had a nervous edge to it. "Maybe we should get down there before they kill each other."

Chichiri nodded. He held out his staff. "You might want to hang onto this Kiori-san. It's a little steep no da." Ritsuka proved his point by losing her balance and rolling into a patch of bushes. Tasuki laughed at her misfortune, until he too toppled over and slid a couple of meters on his head.

"Since we're being informal, you may as well just call me Kiori." The brunette smiled and accepted the offered staff. "And thanks, but won't you need...?"

She trailed off, watching as the monk marched easily down the slope, his slippers seeming to find all the right footholds. He turned around long enough to flash her a smile and a wave. "Being a wanderer, I've walked just about everywhere no da! A little hill like this shouldn't give me any problems." He turned back towards the hill, slipped on a rock, and fell with a "DA!" to the grassy ground. The monk chuckled. "Well, not _too_ many problems na no da."

Kiori shook her head and laughed, following her new companion towards the capital of Konan. "Has anyone ever told you how strange you are?"

"Of course no da!" he replied with another victory sign. The monk glanced over his shoulder just in time to see Ritsuka pull her eyelid down at Tasuki and receive a quick kick in the pants for her behavior. Chichiri smiled. "I think you two will fit right in."

oOo

"There they are, my Lady."

"I see them, Mizu-chan," a sweet, serene voice purred behind the young girl. "But _seeing_ them doesn't tell me anything." She paused for a moment, drumming her blood-red nails against the arm of her throne. "Tell me, Mizu-chan, can you name any of them?"

The small seeing-crystal panned to a brunette and a redheaded, angry-looking girl. Mizu's brow creased, and she paused for a moment before reporting: "I can't say, my Lady. I've never seen them before. But they look very unusual..."

"They should look unusual, Mizu-chan. They are not of this world," the woman explained, her cold silver eyes flashing with excitement. "Now we _are_ getting somewhere. What of the others?"

The crystal moved on to a taunting, redheaded man. Mizu nodded in recognition this time. "That's Tasuki, known to some as Genrou. He's one of the Suzaku shichiseishi." Her eyes widened a little as the young man pulled out a fan, screamed a spell and sent a blast of fire across the small clearing. "He's very strong, my Lady."

The woman's lips curled upwards into a vicious, humorless smile. "Tasuki. A tessen. And fire," she said thoughtfully. "Very interesting indeed."

"Something wrong, my Lady?"

The girl's mistress shook her head, her long, golden hair dancing around her slim face as she did. "Oh, it's nothing _you_ need to worry your young self about, Mizu-chan. I was only... musing. Now, the last one?"

The seeing-crystal slowly flashed to the cat-eyed man waiting at the bottom of the hill. He cupped his hands around his mouth and called to the brawlers, his high tenor ringing across the clearing. "C'mon Tasuki, Ritsuka, can't you stop fighting for half a second?" his eyebrows curled upwards in a look of moderate annoyance. "I want to get to the palace before noon no da."

Mizu gasped softly, clapping her hands to her mouth. Her mistress did not miss the gesture, nor the way her life force flared with hope. "Mizu-chan, is there a problem?" she inquired, placing a milky hand on the girl's robed shoulder. "Has something upset you?"

"Eh?" The woman's voice brought Mizu back to herself, and she shook her head hurriedly. "Oh, no, my Lady." She kept her head down so the woman could not see her troubled face, but couldn't stop herself from whispering quietly: "Ri Houjun, what are you _doing_ here?"

"Beg pardon?"

Mizu raised her voice again, wiping her life force of all uncertain emotions. "His name is Chichiri, another powerful Suzaku warrior."

"As I thought," the woman murmured, more to herself than the girl.

Mizu was silent for a moment, then remarked thoughtfully, "I heard that all the seishi were dead."

"All but two," her mistress said, a whiny note in her honey-sweet voice. "And unfortunately, they are both very brave and very powerful. But it's no matter." The woman's dangerous smile returned, almost curling into a sneer. One of her hands fell to her throat, stroking pensively at her glowing seven-jeweled necklace. "We have our own weapons, do we not?"

"Hai, my Lady."

The girl's mistress leaned forward, patting Mizu's shoulder affectionately. "Thank you, Mizu-chan. Your powers and company are always appreciated, but I think that's all I need for today." She nodded towards the sunlight filtering through the room's many windows. "It's quite lovely outside, isn't it? If you want, you can go play with Tsuchi for the rest of the afternoon. I'll call if I need you again."

Mizu nodded, standing from her perch at the woman's right side. She turned, offering her mistress a sharp bow and the use of her true name. "_Arigatou_, Setsuka-sama."

The Lady Setsuka waited until the young girl disappeared from the chamber. Once she'd vanished around the corner, the woman gestured towards one of the guards stationed at the corner of the room, barking out a short, simple order. "Call in my shogun."

The young man bowed and scurried off down the hallway. Setsuka drummed her long fingers impatiently against her throne, using the other hand to smooth down the folds of her robe. In a few moments she heard the thump of her general's boots against the fortress' hallway. The woman raised her head and flashed a cold smile at the older man. "Hataku," she greeted.

He touched his head to the cold stone floor, glancing up through a few stray wisps of brown hair but not daring to meet her eyes. "My Lady."

"I've seen the final sign, Hataku. My signal has arrived." The shogun tensed visibly but said nothing. Setsuka stroked her necklace again, glancing towards the sunlit courtyard as if they were having a pleasant conversation about the weather. "Prepare the army. My little group is fully prepared, so we march as soon as _you_ can be ready."

"_Hai_." He turned his eyes downwards again in a sign of respect, then stood to go. The shogun clipped out his words with perfect precision and sharpness, almost as if he had rehearsed these sentences. "I will not fail you. Victory will be ours, Setsuka-sama." Turning sharply on his heel, Hataku marched out.

The Lady Setsuka looked up at the legend inscribed upon the wall of her home, the legend which had waited so long, so patiently, to be fulfilled. Her glinting silver eyes curled upwards, flashing with greedy eagerness. "It's time."

oOo

Kiori and Ritsuka were led through the bustling streets of the capital, up the courtyard steps, and into the shining Konan palace. The two girls, wide-eyed and slack-jawed with wonder, were practically dragged through the halls and into the expansive throne room. Their eyes traveled across the gold-and-red tapestries, the wide windows flung open to let in the spring's sunlight, the soft crimson carpet under their feet, and finally to an ornate dais and throne at the far end of the room. Atop the enameled chair sat a woman in several layers of white and purple robes wearing a gem-tipped crown. Her gentle indigo eyes still held a hint of youth in them, and her long violet hair, piled intricately across her head, held no signs of graying hairs, but the lines around her soft mouth suggested a rough, stressful life. Nevertheless she smiled as the seishi, with their female friends in tow, knelt respectfully at the foot of the dais.

Kiori peeked up through her bangs, watching as this stately woman stood, clasping her hands in front of her and offering a small bow to her guests. "Chichiri, Tasuki, what a pleasure it is to have you back in Konan."

"The pleasure is all ours, Houki-sama," Chichiri said, lifting his head to meet her eyes. He slipped his mask off for a moment, smiling at the Empress with his true face. Ritsuka and Kiori exchanged looks, raising their eyebrows in confusion at the monk's lowered voice and the jagged scar that traced across his left eye. Chichiri didn't seem to notice as he added, "I trust things are going well no da?"

The Empress Houki frowned. "As best as can be expected, though I fear our time of peace may be short-lived." She shook her head and smiled again. "But where are my manners? Come, stand and introduce me to your companions."

Ritsuka and Kiori gratefully obeyed, stretching their knees out of the crouched position. "I don't think I would've liked Imperial Japan," Ritsuka murmured with a crooked smile. "It's too rough on the knees."

"Houki-sama," Chichiri announced, either not hearing or deciding to ignore the redhead's comment, "this is Ikido Ritsuka and Sakamoto Kiori no da. Ladies, this is Houki-sama." He slipped his mask back on, nodding politely at the girls before turning to face the Empress again. "They're from Miaka's world no da."

Her eyebrows rose. "Indeed? That _is_ a surprising bit of news. Fortunate too, perhaps."

"Fortunate? How so?" Tasuki asked.

Houki opened her mouth to explain, but one of the doors to the main room slammed open, causing guests and hostess alike to whirl around. "Mama!" a boy of about three cried, skidding across the room and latching on to his mother's skirts. "Mama, Tai-san said we had guests—"

A female servant dashed in after him and snatched the child up in her arms. She wagged a finger in his small face. "Boshin-sama, what have I told you about running through the palace? Especially when there's company. Is that any way for the Emperor to act?" She turned her tired eyes towards the Empress, ducking her head over and over in a desperate apology. "I'm very sorry Houki-sama, I only took my eyes off of him for a moment and he—"

Houki hid a laugh behind her sleeve, waving her other hand at the woman. "That is quite all right, Tai. He is only a child, after all." Tai grudgingly released Boshin, who immediately clutched his mother's dress again. The Empress looked down at the boy, smiling and gesturing towards Tasuki and Chichiri. "Boshin-chan. We have company. Do you remember your uncles?"

Boshin whirled, his eyes lighting up at the sight of the two seishi. "Uncle Chichiri!" He scurried down the dais as fast as his small legs would go and threw himself into the monk's waiting arms. "Uncle Chichiri, where'dja been? I missed you! You been gone forever!"

Chichiri grinned and crouched down a bit so they could see eye to eye. "Boshin-chan, it's great to see you no da. You look more and more like your dad all the time." The child beamed with pride. "You're going to be as brave and beautiful as your father, ne Boshin-chan na no da?"

Ritsuka sweatdropped. "Don't you mean handsome?"

"You didn't know Hotohori," Tasuki muttered dryly. He coughed. "Ah-hem! Boshin-chan, am I gonna get ignored over here or what?"

Boshin looked up. "Um..." his face registered confusion for a moment, then he smiled and waved. "Hi Uncle Scaryface!"

Tasuki face-vaulted. "Tasuki! My name is Tasuki!"

He nodded solemnly. "Gomen. Hi Uncle Tasuki-Scaryface! Have you and Uncle Chichiri been fightin' bad guys, is that why you've been away Uncle Tasuki-Scaryface?"

Chichiri smothered a laugh. "As a matter of fact, we have been beating up some bad guys no da."

"Will ya take me witcha next time?"

"Maybe when you're a little older no da."

Kiori's eyes shifted towards Tasuki, who had recovered from his small meeting with the floor. The bandit, teeth gritted, had a distinctly bluer complexion. He clenched and unclenched his hands helplessly, muttering to anyone who cared to listen. "Tasuki. It's _just_ Tasuki. It's ain't that hard t'figure out, is it?"

"I'd say Boshin-chan's a smart kid!" Ritsuka interjected.

Tasuki shifted his gaze and his words to the smirking young woman. "Say that again, Red?"

"Why? Will you pull out your big fan and fry me? Or maybe you'll just look at me with your scary face?" Ritsuka taunted.

"It's not a fan, it's a tessen. And my face isn't scary!"

"Is too."

"Is not."

"Too."

"Not."

Kiori grabbed Ritsuka by her long red braid again, dragging her away from Tasuki and another potentially violent conflict. "Such an intelligent conversation, but maybe you can continue it later?"

"Preferably not in the Empress' presence na no da."

Houki ducked her head but couldn't stop her laughter from echoing across the throne room. "Oh, how I _have_ missed the two of you. I had forgotten how much more, ah, exciting it becomes around here." She nodded to Kiori and Ritsuka. "I am sure I shall enjoy friends' your company as well."

"We're not friends," Ritsuka and Tasuki growled.

"Why would I like some fiery troublemaker?"

"Who would _I_ like a Fang-boy pyromaniac?"

Sparks flew between their eyes.

A chibi Chichiri stepped between them, waving his arms wildly. "Can't you two just get along no da?"

"NO!"

The monk sweatdropped and sighed. "Well, it was worth a try no da."

Houki smiled at her son, who was giggling at Tasuki and Ritsuka's fierce response. "Boshin-chan, why don't you go back with Tai? Mama has to talk to Uncle Chichiri and Uncle Tasuki, but maybe they can play with you later."

"Okay Mama." He smiled up at his unofficial uncles, waving one chubby hand in farewell. "_Bai-bai_, Uncle Chichiri. Bai-bai Uncle Scaryface."

Tasuki searched wildly about the room as the child made his exit. The girls watched him curiously, then Kiori finally asked: "What exactly... are you looking for?"

"My dignity. Have you seen it around?"

The two college women couldn't help but snicker at the miffed bandit, but before he could retaliate Houki interrupted. "You look tired." Ritsuka jerked her attention towards the Empress and nodded wildly in agreement. Houki motioned to a nearby servant. "Could you please take these ladies to the baths? See they are properly bathed, clothed, and fed, then given one of the best rooms."

Kiori and Ritsuka were quickly led off. They just managed a startled "_Doumo arigatou_!" as the door closed behind them, leaving the two seishi alone with the Empress.

"What about us?" Tasuki asked with a hopeful smile. "Do we get the works too?"

"In time," Houki promised. She gazed solemnly at the two young men, her mouth parted in a small frown. "For the moment, though, I must speak to you about some pressing matters."

"What sort of matters na no da?" Chichiri wondered.

The Empress' eyes fell on a tapestry on the nearby wall, and for the first time that afternoon she truly looked like a busy, overworked ruler of one of the world's four great Empires. She spoke only one quiet word to the crisp spring air, but it was enough. "War."

oOo

The Lady Setsuka glared at the boy standing before her. He was rather short and scrawny, as if just on the verge of adolescence, with lightly tanned skin and hair the color of pine needles. He looked up meekly with wide golden eyes, though he kept glancing to the side as if afraid to meet her irritated gaze. She tapped her fingers impatiently on the arms of her chair, silver orbs narrowing in his direction. "Tsuchi-kun, what have I told you and the others about coming up here uninvited?"

The young boy winced, glancing down at the floor and squeaking out a response. "_Sumimasen_, Setsuka-sama, but Hataku-sama wanted me to inform you that the army is ready for battle. All you have to do is say the word."

The Lady's serene voice held only the slightest bit of anger, but Tsuchi could sense her displeasure. "Will you not bow when speaking to me?"

"Mizu-chan isn't made to—"

She snapped her reply through gritted teeth and her silver life force flared around her body. "Mizu-chan is a special girl, Tsuchi-kun, and is not always subject to the same rules that the rest of my people follow. See that you don't forget that." The Lady's rebuke, though small, still managed to slice him to the bone. The boy looked down, fighting against the tears filling his eyes. Setsuka sighed, her tone once again returning to honey-sweet normality. "Ah, no matter. You are forgiven. After all, you are still a child."

"Thank you, Setsuka-sama," he said with a touch of both frustration and gratitude, kneeling to the floor and keeping his head down. "I'll remember that."

He relaxed visibly as both her body and tone slowed to a smooth purr, radiating the soothing, goddess-like quality that always captivated the boy. "Now, Tsuchi-kun, whatever are _you_ – one of my seven – doing delivering Hataku's news?"

"He is my elder, my Lady."

She pursed her lips. "You may be a child," his fists clenched at his sides, "but that is no reason for you to act as Hataku's messenger boy. Tell him that, Tsuchi-kun. I will not have my warriors ordered around by inferiors."

"_Hai_, my Lady." He paused, then asked, "Setsuka-sama, what should I tell Hataku-sama?"

She fiddled with her seven-jeweled necklace, pretending to have lost interest in the conversation. "Tell him..." Setsuka smirked, showing her pearl-white teeth. "Tell him to come to his Lady when he wishes to speak to his Lady."

"I... I don't wanna make him mad," Tsuchi objected quietly. "Hataku-sama's very busy right now, so..."

Setsuka's eyes blazed and her voice once again snapped like a whip. "If he hurts you, it will be his head, my young fighter." Tsuchi wondered how a voice could be so comforting yet send such a chill down one's spine. She chuckled. "You can tell him that, too."

"_Ha_... _hai_, my Lady."

"Oh, and Tsuchi-kun?"

He stood, reluctantly meeting her cold gaze. But once their eyes met they wouldn't let go, and the boy seemed to go almost slack, like a puppet awaiting its master to pull the strings. His eyes practically glazed over as all resistance slipped from his young body, for he had only one will, and that was the will of his Lady. "_Hai_, Setsuka-sama?"

"Please, send this message to the Two," if Setsuka realized the irony in her asking _him_ to deliver news, she didn't let it show, "tell them their time will come soon. They should be glad to hear that."

"The Two?" A confirming nod. He fidgeted nervously; he disliked any conversation he had to have with that pair, but didn't disagree. He wouldn't dare. He _couldn't_ dare, not when she looked at him like that. "A-all right. Your will is ours, my Lady."

Setsuka released her hold on the boy and dropped her gaze to her hands. "Of course it is, Tsuchi-kun," she said in an offhand manner, studying a bit of nonexistent dirt under one fingernail. "Let's hope, for your sakes, it stays that way."

oOo

"War? In a peaceful place like this?" Tasuki queried.

He and Chichiri had been led to Houki's private quarters and served a delicious – though, in Tasuki's opinion, somewhat small – lunch. They now sat at Hotohori's old writing desk, the Empress positioned directly across from them.

The seishi monk, laced fingers placed thoughtfully on his chin, nodded his agreement. "It doesn't seem very likely no da."

Houki sighed, leaning back in her chair and meeting their concerned eyes with her own. "Normally I would agree, but there have been some tensions building between Konan and Takkan, a small neighboring nation to the north. I sent some of my better spies to research the situation, and—"

"Eh, pardon me fer interruptin'..." Tasuki shot the Empress an accusing look, "but is it proper fer a peaceful nation's Empress t'even _have_ spies?"

Houki smiled innocently, turning her gaze towards the ceiling. "It is not illegal, anyway." The two seishi sweatdropped. "At any rate, the reports explained that, under the rule of Lady Setsuka, Takkan has quite suddenly begun recruiting soldiers and stockpiling weaponry. Worse still, the shogun and his captains have been holding many secret meetings within the nation's fortress walls. Tongues in the region's cities are whispering news of war."

"And all th' news points t'Konan, right?" Tasuki assumed.

"Exactly," Houki agreed. She clenched her fists against the desk. "We are not in a favorable position, I am afraid to say, for though our army could by some small chance be larger, we do not have the same experience as Takkan warriors."

"Those guys always out pickin' fights?" Tasuki asked. Houki nodded and the bandit scowled. "Man, I hate people like that!" Chichiri nearly fell over.

"But why would they suddenly want to go to war with you?" the seishi monk queried. "Nations, especially the smaller ones like Takkan, don't just attack Empires unless they have a very good reason no da."

Houki frowned. "That is hard to say. They may wish to obtain more territory or better trade rights. Both are plausible answers, but neither seems to fit, does it? There is admittedly little interaction between us, but Konan has always been on fairly decent terms with Takkan... until recently... " she sighed, her head drooping in a mixture of exhaustion and frustration. "Perhaps those old wives' tales have some truth in them, after all."

"Hm?" Chichiri and Tasuki jerked upright.

Houki glanced up again, waving a dismissive hand in the two young men's direction. "Oh, ignore me. As I said, it is nothing but a ridiculous prophecy, little more than a myth, really."

"Every myth has some truth behind it," Chichiri reminded her quietly. "What is it, Houki-sama?"

The Empress bit her lip, but decided not to argue anymore. "I hear it behind closed doors all the time, these days. It goes, if I remember correctly: _'When the seven are gathered, Konan shall fall; the Elements' lady shall rule over all.'_"

"Odd sort of prophecy no da," Chichiri said. He rested his chin in his hands, mouth pinched in a thoughtful frown. "That's how they are, though."

The seishi bandit jumped up. "Well, Houki-sama!" he assured her with a grin. "You don't have anythin' t'worry about! The seven _can't_ be gathered! After all, Tamahome's with Miaka an' Hotohori 'n' the others're dead—" Chichiri whacked him over the head with his staff. "Ow! What was that for!?" The monk pointed towards Houki, whose face clouded over at the mention of the deceased Emperor. "Ah!" Tasuki clapped his hands in front of him and executed several small, apologetic bows. "Sorry 'bout that Houki-sama, I really didn't _mean_ t'mention Hotohori's death... an' I just did it again." Both seishi sweatdropped and sighed.

The Empress looked up, forcing a smile. "That is quite all right, Tasuki. Three years is a long time... I should... I should move on..." Houki shook her head and continued. "But as I was saying, I do not believe the seven mentioned are the Suzaku warriors."

"Why not?"

"There is more. It continues: _'If the seven should fail to be joined, Konan still may not rest; for even if fire should waver, water shall finish the quest.'_"

"Which means...?" Tasuki demanded. Houki offered him an apologetic smile and a shrug. He grabbed his head. "Man, I _hate_ legends that don't make sense! Why couldn't they have jus' said it plain 'n' simple like ours?"

Chichiri ignored his friend's complaints and turned to the Empress. "I don't see why this would have any meaning right now, Houki-sama, but I do understand your concerns no da. You might want to have the palace scholars look around and see if they can learn anything else about this." He tilted his head to the side, smiling crookedly at his friend and Empress. "But I don't think you called us in here to talk about old wives' tales no da. You want Tasuki and I to help out if there's a war, right no da?"

"Quite true, and astute as always," she agreed, keeping her eyes on the old writing desk. "I do hate to put this on your shoulders, but two warriors of Suzaku would certainly give our side the advantage." Houki looked up through her bangs and smiled winningly at the pair. "Especially ones as powerful and as brave as you."

Chichiri and Tasuki both blushed and rubbed the backs of their heads.

"Well, yeah, that's true I guess."

"We just do what we can no da."

"Then would it be possible for you handsome, strong seishi to assist your Empire in its hour of need?" Houki asked, ducking her head in absolute respect.

"Aw, I guess so..."

"It's the least we can do no da..."

The Empress leapt to her feet, clapping her hands together happily. "Wonderful!" She bowed low to the pair, bouncing right back up as if on springs. "Arigatou gozaimashita! This means so much to me! Now, we shall hold a council of war tomorrow. In the meantime, how about you two get cleaned up for dinner?" She was on her way out the door, but turned to smile at them once more. "After all, you cannot lead an army on an empty stomach."

The seishi's eyes nearly popped out of their heads. They jumped up, whirling to face the Empress and nearly knocking over their chairs in the process. "Lead a _what_?"

But before either could argue, the door slid shut on two very chibi, wide-eyed Suzaku warriors.

"I get the feeling we've been roped into this no da."

"Dragged in by our fat egos is more like it."

Their heads hit the writing desk with a resounding _clunk_. "We're in trouble."

oOo

While the seishi discussed legends with Houki, the two college girls had been shoved around the palace by a pair of very forceful serving girls: first into the baths, then into simple but well-made robes (though Ritsuka had insisted on a pair of breeches instead of a dress), then into a private room for lunch, and finally to a small bedroom where they were asked to stay until the Empress summoned them. With nothing better to do, the young women pulled out their math homework and attempted to finish what they had started at the library.

Ritsuka leaned over her schoolmate's notebook, scribbling several extra notes into the margins as she dictated her instructions out loud. "Okay Kiori, see, you have to use the sigma notation on this part, otherwise you won't be able to integrate the formula. So, what does 'x' equal?" The brunette glanced up and stared at her friend blankly. The redhead sighed. "Okay, I'll go through it again..."

Kiori echoed the other woman's sigh, though hers was uttered from within the pages of a fat Calculus book. "Ritsuka, I think I'm a hopeless cause."

The redhead smiled and patted Kiori's head. "You are, but with a little luck you might still pass mid-terms."

"Ikido-san? Sakamoto-san?"

The two looked up to see a servant standing in the doorway of their temporary room. Kiori closed the textbook and stood, still not entirely sure how she should act around servants. "Um, what's up?"

The serving girl bowed hastily. "The Empress requests your presence at dinner this evening."

"Oh? And here I thought she'd forgotten all about us," Ritsuka remarked, hands placed somewhat irritably on her hips. "But you know, I'm _really_ not in the mood to see that fanged flame-boy again tonight and listen to her Majesty talk politics about a place I'm fairly certain only exists in some strange dream I'm having, so—"

Kiori smacked her over the head with the hard math book. "Ritsuka, you have absolutely no tact whatsoever!" She pivoted sharply on her foot and smiled at the servant. "Please, tell her we have a lot of homework and are very tired, so if we could just have the food brought to us..."

"That may be difficult to do," the servant interrupted. "Her Majesty ordered a full spread, and I doubt we can fit all those dishes into your room."

Kiori's mood performed another turnaround. "Ah... excuse me, but did you say 'full spread'?" The servant nodded. She and Ritsuka exchanged hungry looks, wiped the drool from their mouths, and grinned at the confused serving girl. "We've changed our minds!" Kiori grabbed her long skirts in one hand and her friend's arm in the other and dashed out the door. "Homework can _definitely _wait!"

"Amen!"

They dashed down the palace's outer walkways, following their noses (and the servant's shouted directions) towards the Empress' private dining hall. The pair of girls burst through the doors, their eyes trailing across a table of Konan delicacies.

Tasuki and Chichiri stood by the door to greet them.

"_Konban wa_ (Good evening) no da."

"C'mon in an' have a seat..."

The two were ignored as Ritsuka and Kiori ran right past them, grabbed plates and chopsticks, and began collecting every steaming item they could get their hands on.

"Mm-mm, I just love Chinese food!"

"Konan food, Kiori dear – 'Konan food.' Oh, and look! Dumplings!"

"Yay!"

"That's mine!"

"No, give it here!"

"I saw it first! Grr!"

Chichiri and Tasuki face-vaulted as the chibi girls fought over a plate of fried noodles.

"What _is_ it with earth girls and food?"

"Maybe there's a shortage in their world no da?"

The doors at the far side of the dining hall opened with a quiet swish, and all eyes fell on the Empress. Though she had discarded her formal attire for a double-layered set of summer robes, her serene presence still commanded respect. Her four guests grew quite and bowed respectfully. Houki smiled, nodding her head in a return greeting. "Konban wa, minna-san everyone." She glanced at Kiori and Ritsuka, whose plates were as full of food as they could get. She smiled. "Is there anything else you might need?"

They blushed and quickly sat down.

Tasuki snacked on some spiced shrimp, watching as Ritsuka began devouring her enormous meal. He poked her in the shoulder with his chopsticks. "Yer gonna get fatter," he warned.

"Shut—" she turned on him, eyes blazing. "Fat_ter_!?" Tasuki was sent crashing into the wall with one swift punch.

"You should know never to mention a girl's weight," Kiori remarked as she unpeeled him from the wall.

"I'll make a mental note-a that."

For once, Chichiri didn't join in the conversation. Instead he ate quietly, seemingly lost in his own thoughts, before finally shaking his head with a frown and setting down his half-finished plate. "Houki-sama, I'm sorry to interrupt the meal, but I know you didn't call this private dinner just because you wanted to enjoy our company no da." His voice lowered like it had when they first arrived, somehow drawing everyone's attention. "This is about the war, isn't it no da?"

Ritsuka and Kiori looked up, chopsticks halfway to their mouths. "War?"

"As I said before, you are astute as usual," Houki remarked calmly. She took a long, slow sip of her tea, then set her cup down and turned to meet the monk's inquiring gaze. "This is a small council of war, I suppose you could say. I thought I should let my captains know a bit more about the riddles."

Tasuki choked on his sake. "Houki-sama, when we agreed t'help ya out, we didn't exactly mean as captains!"

"Oh? Would you prefer the title of shogun?"

Tasuki coughed, turned blue and fell over, twitching slightly. Kiori leaned over the motionless bandit. "_Ano_..." She looked up at Houki. "I think you killed him."

Ritsuka hopped over as well, bent down, and oh-so-gently poked the seishi with a stick. "Fang-boy? Tasuki? Taaaaaaaasuki-chan?" She stabbed him hard in the eye.

"OW! RED!"

While the two tussled, Kiori and Chichiri turned their attention back to the Empress. The monk spoke slowly, putting careful emphasis on each word. "After we finished our meeting, I kept thinking about that riddle you mentioned. I couldn't understand why you would bring it up, since it didn't seem to have anything to do with Takkan no da. Unless..." he cocked an eyebrow at the Empress, his hands once again laced thoughtfully before his mouth, "unless you already _knew_ more about it no da." Houki never let her indigo eyes drop from his slanted ones, even as she nodded slowly. The seishi frowned. "Houki-sama... why did you wait to tell us this? Couldn't you just as easily have explained it earlier, without the girls around no da?"

She smiled weakly. "You should not ask questions whose answers you already know." Houki reached calmly into her soft golden robes, pulling a slim scroll from the folds and handing it to Chichiri. "But, if you must be certain..."

The monk opened the scroll, skimming the ancient text. After a moment he nodded, face surprisingly grave. "I thought so."

"Chichiri..." Kiori began.

He cut her off. "You wanted to know if your coming here was an accident or not, right?" A small nod. "Do you still want to know no da?"

There was a slight tremor – excitement or fear? – in the girl's voice. "_H-hai_."

Ritsuka and Tasuki froze with Tasuki's teeth still firmly attached to Ritsuka's arm.

"Mph?"

"What is it, Kiori?"

Chichiri heaved a sigh, then picked up the scroll and read aloud: _  
'All is not lost for Konan  
For brave hearts can defeat danger that looms  
A new seven must now be assembled  
To save a nation from doom.  
Two worlds shall collide once again  
Enlist help from the Priestess' kind  
But to take on the northern insurgence,  
More than one may be needed this time.'_"

Ritsuka giggled nervously. "Wait a second! You're trying to tell me that that scroll says Kiori and I are here to... to f-fight... in a war...?" She shook her head violently. "That can't be possible! You must be reading it wrong! We're here because of a fluke, and any minute now the great god of practical jokes is going to sail down and carry us back to where we belong, and..." she trailed off as she watched Kiori, who was now reading the rhyme over the monk's shoulder. "I'm right, aren't I, Kiori? Ki... Kiori?"

oOo

_"'...The young woman read the rhyme through once more, but the words remained the same. They had been summoned to help save the Empire from a powerful enemy, and would be unable to return to their own country until the deed had been completed.'"_ Tetsuya handed the book over to Keisuke, his eyebrows scrunched together in a thoughtful frown. "End Chapter Two."

* * *

**_Author's Mundane Ramblings: Jan. 23 2005; 3:50 PM_**

Hao, minna-san!  
I can't believe I forgot to mention this in the first chapter! For those of you who were in the middle of reading this for the first time (or re-reading this, as the case may be), please don't feel like you have to start all the way back at the beginning! Just send me an e-mail telling me what the last chapter you read was called, and I'll send you the off-site links to those chapters (I have them saved on my personal homepage as sort of a back-up file). A huge apology for not mentioning that earlier, but sometimes my wandering mind forgets important details like that, and...

Oh, look, a bunny!

See? I rest my case.

Like I promised last time, here's a crash course in Japanese suffixes (or at least the ones you'll see in my fic). Chances are you already know these (manga are good about that these days), but just in case...

_No suffix: _Depicts familiarity, or sometimes disrespect.  
_-san: _Respectful. "Mr" "Miss" "Mrs"  
_-sama:_ Uber-respectful. "Lord," "Lady" "Master"  
_-chan_: Endearing. Usually used on close friends, animals, and little kids.  
_-kun: _Respectful/affectionate. Used on younger people, typically boys, or people who rank below you.  
_-sensei_: Teacher. It can also be used on doctors and other figures of that nature.  
_-senpai_: Senior. Typically used on older classmates.

I hope I didn't forget any. As I've mentioned before, I can be a little forgetf – Hey, another bunny!

Your Authoress – Dee


	3. Episode Three: New Allies

**_Disclaimer_:** I still don't own Konan, Suzaku and all characters and seishi pertaining to them. Kiori and Ritsuka are and shall forever be mine, and that holds for all the other "originals" (you'll know 'em when they appear, trust me). Obviously the story is mine as well.

_**Rating:** _PG-13, for crude humour, moderate language, and violence.

_**Translation Notes:  
**_Taiyou – Sun  
Tsuki – Moon  
Akai – Red

* * *

**--Episode Three: New Allies--**

"Keisuke, I was thinking."

"Well for God's sake stop it, you don't wanna hurt yourself."

"C'mon, I'm trying to be serious!" Tetsuya snapped. He held up the book, smacking the cover with his index finger every so often to make a point. "Okay, so Ritsuka and Kiori have been drawn into this book to help Konan fight this 'Setsuka-sama.'" Keisuke nodded in a somewhat patronizing manner; Tetsuya shot him a look but continued. "Well, all right, that's great and all... but tell me this: how could they get into the Universe of the Four Gods anyway? The gods were all summoned and there don't seem to be any 'godly forces' meddling in _this_ battle, so..."

"You mean you haven't figured it out yet?"

Tetsuya shook his head, setting the hardbound book down for a moment. "I can't seem to make any sense of it."

Keisuke put his chin in his hands. "Well, I can't be certain, but it seems to me that this is sort of like..." But before he could explain what it "seemed sort of like" the door to their apartment creaked open and a girl's voice cut across the apartment.

"Tetsuya! You're here, aren't you?" A feminine face framed with long blonde hair poked its way around the door. The young woman's eyes fell on the dark-haired college student and a smile lit up her face. "Hah, _there_ you are! Oh, hi Keisuke."

Keisuke leaped forward and snatched at the book, clutching it close to his chest and covering the title with his arms. "Yui! Hey! What're you doin' here at this hour, huh?"

The young woman raised an eyebrow. "It's only six o'clock."

"Yeah, but still, don't you need your beauty sleep? I mean, not to say that you aren't beautiful enough already of course, it's just I wouldn't want you to be too tired for school or anything..."

"Might I suggest cutting back on the coffee?" Yui said with a chuckle. "And in answer to your earlier question, Tetsuya's taking me out tonight."

"Oh, guess I am," he muttered into his hands.

The high school student frowned, taking a light seat on the arm of the couch. Her voice quivered and her eyes filled with tears, but the tiny smirk on her lips gave away her game. "You didn't... _forget_ me... did you?"

"Heheh, of course not," Tetsuya assured her, rising reluctantly to his feet. "I'd never forget you."

"I know you wouldn't," she replied with a giggle. Yui stood to leave. Her eyes slid across the room and happened to land on Keisuke, who was now attempting to sneak away while hiding the book behind his back. "Um, Keisuke... what is that?"

"What's what?" he yelped.

"The book you're doing a really bad job at hiding." Yui tried to look over his shoulder, but Keisuke wriggled just out of reach.

"Oh, it's nothing, I promise!" Keisuke put on what he hoped was his very best "innocent" face, but Yui didn't seem to buy it. She advanced suspiciously on the young man, still attempting to snatch a glance at the ancient text. Every time she tried to get a look at it, he would move sideways just enough to hide it again.

Just watching the two was starting to make Tetsuya dizzy. He put a hand on Yui's arm. "Aw, relax Yui; it's one of those _things_ some _guys_ like 'reading.'"

Her eyes widened. "Oh? Keisuke's into _that_?"

Tetsuya nodded and sighed. "Sad, isn't it? The poor guy's so desperate."

Keisuke turned a brilliant red and glared at his roommate. Yui noticed the look, misunderstood it, and giggled. "Oh, don't worry about it Keisuke – lots of guys your age do that sort of thing. Really, I promise it doesn't bother me." She turned to her boyfriend, still trying and failing to hide her amusement. "Well, then, I guess you and I ought to leave him 'alone.'" She snickered again and headed for the door.

"Tell me what happens," Tetsuya whispered in his friend's ear.

"I'm gonna kill you," Keisuke growled.

"Aw, I love you too buddy."

"Tetsuya?"

"Coming Yui-chan!"

Once the door had shut behind them, Keisuke breathed a sigh of relief and sat back down with the book.

oOo

"So there isn't any way for us to get back home until we help out with this so-called prophecy?" Ritsuka demanded. The redhead was leaning so far over the table that she had practically mounted it, and was currently nose-to-nose with the Empress.

Houki sweatdropped and pulled back. "I am afraid so, Ritsuka-san. And, if I may be completely honest, I am uncertain as to _how_ you will be returning home even after this war is over." Ritsuka's head hit the table in frustration.

"Maybe the ones they're talking about aren't us," Kiori remarked, a desperate plea in her voice.

Tasuki snorted. "Yeah, girls from other worlds pop up around here all th' time, fer no reason at all."

Houki was a bit kinder but no less truthful. "That is always a possibility, but it is a rather small one."

"You wouldn't happen to have any other clues, would you na no da?" Chichiri inquired. "That might help us clear this up a bit."

"As a matter of fact, once I had my servants look around we discovered quite a few scrolls – all riddles, I am afraid – that might be of use. Some are so old they can barely be read. I'm having my scholars rewrite those, but in the meantime..." the Empress pulled a parchment from the folds of her dress, offering the two young women a small smile. "I expected a situation like this, so I brought this along to help us end the suspense before morning."

"I guess wishing that that scroll tells us exactly how t'beat our new enemy is askin' too much," Tasuki muttered into his teacup.

"Much too much, I would say. Though this should help us discover the identities of our 'Priestess' kind'." Houki unrolled the ancient parchment. "They are clues to our chosen warriors. The first two are quite simple:

_"Power that hides behind a smile  
Bold and burning flame,  
Your allies shall be different  
But your numbers shall be the same."_

"Hey, that's us no da!" Chichiri cried, his cheerful smile once more in place.

"_Oryaa_! Time fer us t'kick some Seiryuu—" Chichiri coughed and Tasuki blushed, "uh, Elemental ass!"

Tasuki began punching at the air as if "practicing" for his upcoming battles, with Chichiri just barely ducking his moves. They watched the college girls out of the corners of their eyes, pleased to see a tiny smile tracing Kiori's features. There was nothing carefree or entertaining about war, both seishi knew that perfectly well and had no desire to partake in another bloody battle – but there was also no reason for their companions to know that just yet.

Ritsuka seemed immune to the seishi's antics, however, and immediately snapped: "Where's the part about the girls from another world?"

"It comes next. You will have to tell me if this describes the two of you:

_"A quiet soul with a need for peace  
Shall come into the land  
And a stubborn one with a lust for battle  
To lend aid to Konan."_

Ritsuka threw up her arms. "Oops, see, that's not us, guess we'll just have to find a way home—"

Tasuki tossed his chopsticks at the redhead, grinning as they plunked into the side of her head with a satisfying _thwack_. "_Aho _(Moron). How c'd that second one _not_ be you? It couldn't be _more_ you unless it said right there in th' scroll: '_an' they shall call her Red the Terrible, an' she shall bring a blight across the land of Konan_'..."

Ritsuka jumped across the table and tackled the fire-throwing seishi. For once, Kiori didn't try to intervene in the spat, but merely looked at her hands and nodded. "It's us. It has to be us. How could it _not_ be us? Oh, it's actually _us_..."

"Hey, cheer up no da!" a chibi Chichiri popped up next to the young woman, throwing an arm around her shoulder. "I'm sure everything'll work out all right, no da!"

Tasuki looked up from where he had Ritsuka in a leg lock, nodding and waving his tessen with vigor. "We watch out fer our seven. Anyone tries anythin' and it's REKKA SHIN'EN! – they're fried!"

"So don't look so sad, okay? You'll be fine so long as we're around no da," Chichiri said, flashing his most reassuring smile.

Kiori managed a weak giggle and the tiniest of nods. Houki smiled. "I do apologize for your involvement, but it seems that you have a pair of very capable warriors to protect you."

Ritsuka glared up at the Empress from her position on the floor. "_Protecting_?" her eyes blazed with the fires of a challenge. "Let's get one thing straight: I don't _need_ protecting, and I _especially_ don't need it from Fang-boy over here."

Tasuki glared right back, too annoyed to stop her from wriggling free of his current stranglehold. "C'mon, I was tryin' t'cheer you up! It's not my fault yer afraid t'go into battle!"

"I'm not afraid!" Ritsuka snapped, waving a hand towards the door. "Bring on the army! I'll take 'em one by one or all at once, doesn't matter to me so long as I can do it without _your _help!"

"Right, this comin' from some little girl who's never even _seen_ a sword!"

"You wanna _test_ that theory?"

Sparks flew between their eyes.

Kiori sighed, her tiny smile turning back into a frustrated frown. She set her head in her hands and massaged slowly at her temples, wondering if that might decrease the headache that was exploding at the back of her eyes. "Well, that half second of camaraderie was nice while it lasted, I guess."

Houki blinked, thoroughly confused by the sudden mood change. "Did I say something wrong?"

"No, no, Ritsuka's just one of those 'anything you can do, I can do better' kind of people," Kiori explained. "The riddle wasn't kidding about the stubbornness either."

"Are there any clues about the other members?" Chichiri interjected. "We should figure those out soon, so we can track down the rest of the warriors."

"They are waiting in my study," Houki assured him. She stood slowly, hiding a yawn behind one of her wide sleeves and flashing the monk a tired smile. "But it is rather late. Perhaps we should all get some sleep before we try to undertake anything too difficult. We can work on the riddles first thing tomorrow, if you like."

"Good idea," Kiori agreed. She opened her mouth to speak, changed her mind at the last moment, watched as the Empress turned to exit, then changed her mind again and blurted out, "Houki-sama!" The Empress turned, looking startled. Kiori blushed and lowered her voice, saying somewhat timidly, "May I ask a question?"

"Certainly."

"When will this war begin? I mean, I've never been on a kendo or archery team before, so I don't really know what I'm doing, and I've certainly never..." she nearly choked on the next words, "_killed_ anyone. I'll need practice if I'm to help _at all_, or at least some kind of guidebook, or... oh, I don't know." The college girl put her head in her hands again, muttering her next words into the table. "I guess I'm just a little nervous about the whole thing."

Houki frowned, uncertain of how to comfort the other woman. After a moment she gave up and decided to just answer the question. "I could not tell you, Kiori. Sometime within the next few weeks, I suppose. Everything I know comes from my spies."

"Try not to think too much about it no da," Chichiri advised. "Worrying about the future is a lot like worrying about the past: you won't find many answers, but you're bound to find a couple of good headaches." He smiled, helping the young woman from her chair and preparing to walk her back to her room. "Focus on a good night's sleep instead, and on solving those riddles in the morning no da."

"Mm," Kiori agreed. Despite the monk's words, she still knew she wouldn't rest easy that night. She doubted she would rest easy until she was home in Tokyo, where she belonged. "Ritsuka, let's go back to our room. Ritsuka...?"

She glanced over, sweatdropping at what she saw. Her redheaded friend was still fighting viciously with Tasuki, trying to wrestle the tessen out of his hand. Somehow she managed to taunt him even as she battled tooth and claw, and she never seemed to run out of ways to provoke the fiery seishi. "Hey Fang-boy, the scroll said you were flaming."

"What are you implyin'?"

"Do you have a girlfriend?"

"No, but... stop laughin'! Yer pushin' it, Red!"

"Oh, I'm scared! The flaming Tasuki's gonna get me!"

"At close range this thing stings!"

"So do my kicks when they're aimed at your shins!"

"Ow! Ow! RED!"

Kiori rubbed at her temples again and noticed Chichiri was mirroring the action. "I'm tempted to just leave them here to kill each other," she grumbled under her breath.

"Hai, but who knows what they might do if they go unchecked?" the monk replied with a sigh. "We wouldn't want them to burn down the entire palace... no da..."

"Shall we, then?"

"I suppose so na no da."

The pair literally tackled their friends and pulled them away from each other, berating the young brawlers as they dragged them back to their separate rooms.

"Your temper is going to get you killed someday no da."

"Can't you behave in front of the Empress? You're making Japanese women look bad."

"Hey, c'mon Chichiri, don't pull on my coat so hard!"

"Aw, Kiori, we were only play-fighting. And don't – ouch – tug on my hair like that – oof!"

oOo

The boy Tsuchi opened the door to the spacious, lavish room he and two of his companions shared. His soft golden eyes swept the room slowly. In the corner sat a pair of comfortable plush chairs and a polished mahogany desk, along with a shelf lined with reading material for the young residents. Above the messy bed in the far right corner hung a series of bags and several unknown herbs and spices, along with a pair of knives and a slim sword. Directly across from that sat a tidy bed; a simple wall scroll hung above this, depicting the four gods and their corresponding star symbols. Positioned at a slight angle from this bed sat Tsuchi's own living quarters; his walls were bare, but scattered across his bed lay a variety of potions and potential mixtures. At the back of the room hung a gold-gilded black curtain, an ominous reminder of the other pair of young warriors who occupied the living quarters.

A tall, golden-eyed boy with messy white hair threw his legs over the side of one of the chairs, waving at his companion. "Oi, Tsuchi, yer back! What's the word from," he rolled his eyes and waved his arms in a mock bow, "her _Royal Highness_?"

"You shouldn't say things like that, Kaze," Tsuchi hissed, glancing about nervously. "What if Setsuka-sama's listening?"

"What, y'mean like she's got one-a Mizu-chan's seein' crystals on us?" he asked with a confident grin. "Well, what do I care about _that_? I'm not afraid of Setsuka's pet," he tossed a small pellet into the air, leapt to his feet and caught it all in one fluid motion. "She tries somethin' an' I'll-"

"You wouldn't dare," a commanding female voice ordered. A girl in shades of dark blue and black looked up from a scroll she was studying – she blended so perfectly with the shadows that Tsuchi hadn't even noticed her presence. The older girl frowned at the white-haired boy, speaking slowly as she rolled the scroll back up. "Mizu-chan is one of us, Kaze, no matter what sort of relationship she holds with the Lady. We do not attack our own, not unless we are given orders, and _she_ would do the same thing."

Kaze snorted, snatching the scroll from the girl and tossing it back onto the narrow shelf. "Ch! Always gotta stick up fer the kid, eh, Sora?"

"I stick up for no one but myself," she replied in an offhand manner, brushing a stray wisp of midnight blue hair from her face. "I'm telling the truth, is all. Mizu-chan is our ally and friend – she would only spy if she was ordered to, like the rest of us would."

"'Like the rest of us would,' eh? Good t'know I've got such a loyal group-a allies," Kaze grumbled. He noticed Sora's eyes narrowing further and decided to avoid an argument for the moment. "Ah, but whatever," he ended with a shrug, flopping down onto his nearby unmade bed. "So Tsuchi, what's the word from upstairs?"

"The army marches soon. The war's about to begin," Tsuchi reported. "We're supposed to stay here with Setsuka-sama until we're called into action."

Sora's golden eyes lit up. She kept her face as smooth as a river, like all good warriors were supposed to do, but her voice was visibly excited. "And just when might that be...?"

"I, um, I'm not entirely sure, Sora-senpai, but..." Tsuchi fidgeted unhappily, playing with his headband. "She... she wants me to tell, um..." he looked down at the ground and muttered the rest out in one quick breath, "she wants me to tell The Two to get ready."

"She _what_?" Kaze stood again, eyes blazing and voice filled with rage. "Why's the Lady want that pair-a antisocial brothers t'draw first blood? What's wrong with me 'n' Sora?"

Tsuchi's voice trembled under his friend's hard glare. "I-I'm just telling you what she told me, Kaze. How should I—"

Kaze grabbed the younger boy's collar, golden eyes alight and aching for violence. "Well, _messenger boy_, how 'bout _you_ go tell yer precious Lady that if she doesn't plan on lettin' me get some action sometime soon then she can find another Element t'play in her little war game!"

The youth opened his mouth to stammer a frightened reply, but Sora's cool voice cut him off. "Oh, leave him alone, Kaze. He's only a child." Tsuchi's eyes blazed for a moment, but he said nothing. "At this point, our greater concern should be finding the Seventh. How can Setsuka-sama expect to beat a great empire like Konan without the full Seven? What about Kaji?"

"_What about Kaji, what about Kaji_?" the hot-tempered Element mimicked. He released Tsuchi, spitting to show his contempt. "I don't give a rat's ass about Kaji. When's our turn, Sora? When do I get t'prove myself?"

"Patience, Kaze."

The teen whirled around just in time to see two boys appear in the center of the room, landing lightly on their feet. The shorter of the two was a well-muscled youth with hard golden eyes and matching hair. He held a short staff in one hand, gripping it just below the honey-colored globe at its tip and swinging it lazily from side to side. The action seemed almost challenging, and there was no mistaking the malice behind his wolfish smile. "You will fight, Kaze, when the Lady deems you ready, and not a second sooner. And until you _are_ ready, we more experienced Elements will take care of the war-work."

Kaze met the young man stare for stare. "One blast from one-a those seishi is all it's gonna take t'finish you off, Taiyou. And I'll be right there, ready t'spit on yer grave an' take yer place." He spat again to prove his point.

"Arrogant little brat, aren't you?" the older boy remarked with a sneer. He gripped his staff tighter, pointing the globe at his rival. "Someday that mouth of yours might get you killed. Let's not forget which of us the Lady called the 'most impressive' and which of us she called the 'most brash, undisciplined, and'... oh, what was that last one she said about you? Was it weak or just inexperienced? I always forget..."

"You wanna find out just how weak I am, you cocky son of a—"

"_Enough_, Kaze!" Sora cut in, grabbing at her comrade's arm and pulling him roughly away from the brothers. "You'd be better off focusing that energy on the army in Konan. Taiyou is _not_ your enemy."

"Not right now, anyway," Taiyou agreed. He marched across the room towards the hanging curtain which led to his private quarters, but turned at the last minute to offer the white-haired youth one last threat. "Once we've won this war, you might want to sleep with one eye open, _comrade_."

"Make sure y'live through it first, _friend_," Kaze shot right back.

Taiyou snorted and disappeared behind the flowing black curtain. A moment of silence passed, and then the tallest of the pair spoke. He looked out at the trio from beneath two long bangs of silver hair, though perhaps it would be fairer to say he looked _through_ them. The boy's eyes were nearly lifeless – a weak reflection of life, really – and if he paid attention to anything besides his brother and fighting, no one else had discovered that "anything" yet. He rarely spoke, but when he did it was in a quiet tone, the kind that made you strain to listen. "Ani-ue (Elder brother) is a dangerous enemy to gain, Kaze-kun. I do not wish to see a battle break out among allies, nor do I relish the idea of making you _my_ enemy, but if Taiyou truly despises you that much..."

"Ch! You really are nothin' but a reflection of the sun's light. Just like the real moon, huh Tsuki?" Kaze jeered.

He shrugged. "Forget I said anything, then." His cold, golden eyes passed over the trio. "_Oyasuminasai _(Good night)." He closed his eyes and concentrated on the room he and his brother shared. When he opened his eyes again a moment later he found himself staring at the darkened wall above his bed. Teleportation was a useful skill. Tsuki took a seat on his bed, staring across the dim room at his brother. "I understand that Kaze-kun is a bit troublesome, but he is one of our own. Should we not at least _try_ to reach a truce with him, Ani-ue?"

"Kaze's a snot-nosed brat," Taiyou snapped, his eyes flashing through the darkness. "He doesn't know the first thing about fighting, or about discipline, _or_ about respect." He ran a hand along the top of his weapon, grinning at the thought of the future. "Don't worry though, I won't kill him quite yet. Not until Setsuka-sama doesn't need him anymore. But that's as far as our 'camaraderie' goes. I'm obligated to obey Her Ladyship and no one else. As far as I – or any of those other 'Element friends' of ours – am concerned, allies are utterly useless."

oOo

Kiori and Ritsuka, once again dressed in their own clothing, met up with their seishi companions at breakfast around mid-morning. Both girls muffled yawns behind their sleeves, but their slight sleepiness didn't prevent them from piling their plates with food. Tasuki shot the redhead several murderous looks while she made it a point to completely ignore him, but Chichiri greeted the pair with a friendly smile and a wave of his chopsticks.

"How did you sleep?" Chichiri asked after noting their stifled yawns. "I hope you weren't up all night worrying about the war no da."

Kiori smiled as she piled rice higher into her bowl. "Actually, I slept really well. The palace beds are fantastic – it's almost like sleeping on air."

"Thanks to all those mutterings about war last night, I couldn't _stop_ thinking about it," Ritsuka grumbled. "And it didn't help that Kiori made _me_ sleep on the floor." She covered a huge yawn and rubbed at her half-open eyes for emphasis.

"We'll switch off tonight," Kiori reasoned. Her friend shoved some food into her mouth, mumbling something that sounded rude. The brunette rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to the pair of seishi. "Did you sleep okay?"

"Like a rock no da!"

Tasuki grinned. "As well as I could, what with Chichiri snorin' in the room next door." He jerked a thumb at his friend and snickered. "He doesn't look it, but those roars of his could wake a den of bears – an', if I remember some of our little 'adventures' around Konan correctly, they have."

"Actually," Chichiri remarked coolly, slurping on some noodles drenched in a pale brown sauce, "I think it was you lighting a fire on the father's back that really set them off. And I don't snore, no da."

Tasuki ignored the jab and continued, countering deftly, "How would _you_ know if ya don't snore? I think _I_ oughta know pretty well, though. Luckily I'm used to it by now; otherwise I never woulda fallen asleep."

The monk glowered, his smile slipping into a look of mild annoyance. "I don't snore, no da."

"You snore like a—" Tasuki found himself face-to-face with a floating Taiitsukun. He yelped and dove for cover under the table, practically shrieking, "AH! Monster!"

The transformed seishi smiled. "Now, what _don't_ I do no da?"

"Snore, snore!" A puff of smoke later, Chichiri was back to his normal form. Tasuki poked his head out from his hiding place, glaring daggers at his seishi friend. "Dammit, don't do that! Ya damn near gave me a heart attack! Lucky thing I didn't pass out!"

"I'd hardly call that luck..." Ritsuka looked up to see Tasuki holding his bowl of soup above her head. "Wah! _Gomen gomen_, I was just kidding!"

Kiori cocked her head, watching Chichiri curiously. "You changed... is that another one of those Suzaku gifts?"

"Hai! It's a piece of cake to change my appearance, no da!" he agreed.

"So, like, you could turn into anyone? Even me, or Ritsuka, or Tasuki..." Kiori began.

Ritsuka leapt from her seat, clasping her hands together and turning her big blue eyes pleadingly on the monk. "Oh, please promise me you won't _ever_ do that! One ugly fang-boy is too many as it is! If I had to stare at _two_ of him I'd die of shock, I just know it!"

Tasuki raised his bowl again and looked ready to really toss the rice onto the redhead this time, but just as he was about to fling his bowl Houki entered, holding a scroll in one hand. "_Ohayou gozaimasu_. It's good to see you all again." She cocked an eyebrow at Tasuki's raised arm; the bandit muttered something and, much to Ritsuka's relief, hurriedly lowered the bowl. Chichiri and Kiori did their best to stifle giggles as the Empress took her seat.

Ritsuka was not one to beat about the bush. She pointed towards the scroll, asking around a mouthful of rice, "So, is that the scroll with the riddles to the rest of our seven?"

Houki nodded. "If you would like, I can read the rest to you while you eat."

"Please do," the redhead agreed. "I couldn't stop thinking about it while I lay awake on that cold, hard floor last night." Kiori groaned into her tea.

"Very well, then." The Empress unrolled the paper and continued where she had left off:

_"The fifth, a resemblance to a friend gone away.  
Do not underestimate this leader, I say!  
A blood-colored youth will become the sixth one.  
Heed not her age, she shall get the job done.  
For the seventh, from an old life comes a chief.  
A solitary flame shall find this thief.  
Will Konan prevail? Only time shall tell.  
The answer lies within love's well."_

Silence filled the room. Finally, Tasuki's impatient voice demanded: "And?"

"And that is all," Houki finished. She redid the ribbon the scroll, flashing a weak smile at her companions. "Not much, I know, and all in riddles. I believe I may know the identities of the fifth and sixth, though."

Chichiri said nothing for a moment, running the rhyme over in his mind. "Resembling a dead friend, a leader who can't be underestimated..." he laughed and nodded. "Of course! That makes sense, no da!"

"It does?" Ritsuka asked.

Chichiri nodded. "There's only one person I know who fits that description." He pointed triumphantly at the Empress. "Nuriko's look-alike, the leader of Konan, and you can't underestimate an Empress with spies... Houki-sama, it can only be you no da!"

Instead of looking surprised Houki blushed a deep red. "_Must_ you keep bringing up that spies business?"

"So it _is_ you?" Kiori queried.

"Mm. Or, at least, I am under the belief that it is me. As Chichiri said, there does not seem to be anyone else who fits the description."

"Ya gotta point there," Tasuki agreed. "Man, these legends sure do like puttin' Konan's leader in danger, don't they?"

Chichiri tapped an index finger against his forever-smiling mouth, eyebrows scrunched together in thought. "Now, about that 'blood-colored youth'... I'm sorry Houki-sama, but I can't think of anyone off the top of my head no da."

The Empress smiled. "_That_ is where I may be able to help you. I believe the girl the scroll speaks of is our Palace Warrior."

"You have one-a those?" Tasuki asked. He shook his head, chuckling slightly. "Man, I'm outta touch. We really haven't visited in a while, have we?"

"It has been far too long, my friend." Houki stood, gesturing for the others to follow her outside. "We decided such a warrior was necessary, since Boshin-chan is so young and I am most certainly not a warrior. Shortly after your last visit we held a tournament to determine our new 'guardian,' I suppose you could say. She is the greatest fighter Konan possesses, as well as the protector of the Holy Sword that once belonged to my husband."

"So why didn't you have _her_ lead the army?" Tasuki grumbled.

"I doubt the soldiers would have treated her with much respect." Houki noticed the curious looks, but offered them nothing but a small smile. "You will see what I mean."

The Empress led them down the palace's outer walkway, around the corners of many ornately carved buildings and verandas, past a pair of well-tended gardens, along the edge of a glistening pond, and finally to a wide wooden path that led to a set of buildings slightly to the right of the rest of the palace. "This is where the army – and our private warriors – trains."

Tasuki and Chichiri had been to the complex many times before and paid little attention to it. Kiori and Ritsuka, however, craned their heads around to get a good look at the long wooden building. It was built simply, unlike the rest of the palace, and divided by a narrow partition into two segments. The whole thing was painted a plain white with a set of double doors in the center. The right building possessed a gently sloping red-tiled roof, but the building to the left appeared to be open to the elements. Inside, the clash of metal and twang of bows could be heard. Kiori took in the scene with a sort of resignation, knowing that she'd have to spend some time in here before long, but Ritsuka looked about almost hungrily, as if relishing the inevitable training sessions.

Houki gestured to a man standing just outside the buildings. "Excuse me, Kaito-san?"

The middle-aged man bowed low, peering up at the Empress through his short black bangs. "Dowager Empress. How may I serve you?"

"Is our Palace Warrior training inside?" He nodded. "Could you fetch her, please?"

"_Hai_, Houki-sama." He disappeared within the building, shouting as he went. "Oi, oi! Anyone seen Akai?"

Tasuki grinned. "Hey, she's got the same name as you, Red."

Ritsuka sweatdropped. "How witty of you," she drawled.

Kiori punched her fist into her open palm. "Oh, I get it! 'Blood-colored warrior!' _Akai _(red) for blood!"

"You make it sound like such a violent name. I prefer to think of it as 'Akai' for strawberry, or 'Akai' for a summer's sunset," a female voice called jokingly from nearby. All eyes turned to see a short girl slip out of the training ring's main doors. She stepped into the sunlight and offered the cluster of companions a low bow. "Houki-sama, you wanted to speak with me?"

The young women blinked. Chichiri's eyebrows shot up. Tasuki's mouth fell open. Wide violet-red eyes stared up at them from a face still round from childhood, though there was a certain maturity in those innocent orbs that was hard to deny. Her face was framed by a head of dark violet hair, which she kept pulled back with a tightly-wrapped handkerchief. She was clad in the simple warrior's garb of a red tunic trimmed with gold, pants a deep crimson, and black slippers that would make it easier to move quickly. She looked every bit the Palace Champion, except for one tiny fact: she was barely in her teens.

"Akai, it is a pleasure to see you. You are over here training so much these days that I am rarely granted the pleasure of your company," Houki greeted.

The disbelieving question burst from four mouths at once. "_She's_ Akai?"

"The pleasure is all mine, Houki-sama," Akai said. She rose from her bow and turned her eyes to the others. "Oh! Who are your guests, Majesty?"

The Empress stepped back and swept a hand towards the two young women. "Akai, I'd like you to meet Sakamoto Kiori and Ikido Ritsuka. They are young women from the Priestess' world." Akai's eyes widened just slightly, but she retained her composure in a hurry and bowed low to the pair. "And these men I believe you may already know, though it is unlikely that you realize it. Akai, I am pleased to introduce Chichiri and Tasuki, Suzaku shichiseishi."

The girl's head snapped up and for the first time that afternoon her cool eyes flashed with shock. She stumbled over her words for a moment but finally found her tongue and cried: "_The_ Tasuki and Chichiri? _The_ Suzaku shichiseishi?"

"Are there any other seishi I should know about?" Tasuki muttered.

Akai all but flew across the short distance to stand at the seishi's sides, staring up into their surprised faces and practically oozing with excitement and joy. "Oh, Suzaku! Oh, Suzaku, this can't possibly be happening, I – I'm actually meeting you! I've heard so many stories... I never thought I'd... it doesn't possi... I became a fighter because of you, because of all the wonderful things I heard, and all the heroic deeds you've accomplished! I want to be just like you, just as tough and courageous and noble and... oh, oh, _oh_! This is a dream come true!"

Chichiri shifted from foot to foot and blushed. "Oh, we're not that great no da."

"But you are! If I could become _half_ the warriors you are, I'd be content!"

"Huh. Who knew they were so awe-inspiring?" Ritsuka remarked to no one in particular.

Akai heard the remark. Her ears turned a deep pink and she whirled on the redhead. In spite of her age the two were almost the same height, and the young warrior did her best to stare down the foreign woman. "_Everyone_ knows, that's who! Chichiri-sama and Tasuki-sama, are, are... words can't describe it! You couldn't count the number of great deeds they've done, even if you had a whole lifetime to do the counting! They're positively, absolutely, and undeniably indestructible!"

"Are they that powerful?" Kiori asked.

"You better believe it," Akai ordered. She turned back to the seishi, clasping her hands under her chin and gushing uncontrollably. "Tasuki-sama the Brave, Chichiri-sama the Poised... oh, wait'll the people in my village hear about this! They'll never believe it – even _I _hardly believe it!" In one fluid motion she tore the empty scabbard from her waist and a hairpin from her violet head and presented them to the young men. "If it's not too much trouble, um, that is, if you wouldn't mind... it's just... may I have an autograph, O Seishi?" She glanced up through her bangs, watching the pair with hopeful young eyes.

Tasuki chuckled. "Sure, why not?" He took the offered hairpin and scrawled his short, choppy signature onto the leather scabbard.

"Anything for a fan, I guess," Chichiri agreed.

Houki smothered a laugh. "I suppose word of your deeds travels fast. Even I was unaware that each of you had been given names of valor." The Empress noted that, while Tasuki seemed to be soaking up this praise, Chichiri's face had turned a slight pink and he couldn't quite meet anyone's eyes. She hid a smile behind her sleeve and decided to spare the monk any further embarrassment. "Akai, I have some important matters I must discuss with you. Do you have a free moment?"

The young warrior turned her attention to Houki and immediately switched back to her calm, formal attitude. "For the Empress, I have all the time in the world."

oOo

"A prophecy, hm?" Akai said after hearing the story. "And I'm a part of it?"

"Hai," Chichiri agreed, "along with the five of us no da."

The young warrior put her chin in her hands. "Sounds like some tough business. I know about Takkan's forces pretty well after hearing the reconnaissance reports, but they've never mentioned anything about these warriors. So do we know anything about these 'Elements'? Their strengths, their weaknesses, exactly _where_ their alliances lie or where their powers originate... anything like that at all?"

"Nothing at the moment," Houki admitted.

"Hm," Akai stared at the table for a moment, chewing pensively on her lip. "That's no good. We need as much information as we can get. I imagine they'll be marching soon, judging by the latest report... if we can spare someone Your Majesty, please try to send out another spy within the next few days. Fighting an enemy you know nothing about is like throwing rocks into a dark well – you haven't the faintest idea _what_ you'll hit."

Tasuki chuckled. "I never figgered you fer a campaigner, but yer pretty war wise fer a kid."

Her eyes narrowed. "I'm the Palace Champion for a reason, you know. I may not have a lot of experience but I _do_ have a duty to uphold, so I have to be prepared at all times. And kid or not, I could still take you-" she stopped, drawing in a horrified breath. Akai dove from her chair and threw herself to the ground, touching her forehead to the floor over and over again. "Oh I'm so sorry Tasuki-sama, I didn't mean to speak so disrespectfully! There's absolutely no way I could _ever_ defeat you, not in a thousand years! I spoke out of turn, I wasn't thinking, I just got carried away – oh, please don't smite me!"

"Smite you?" Tasuki stared at her for a moment, then burst into laughter. "Hah! Trust me Akai, you don't gotta worry about that. I like t'see people with some confidence in their abilities." He jerked a thumb at the other redhead. "An' I'd rather torture Red here any day of th' week."

"_Doumo arigatou gozaimashita_, Tasuki-sama!"

"At any rate," Chichiri said, sweatdropping at the infatuated girl, "we don't know very much at all, and if they're arriving within the next week it's unlikely that we'll be able to learn anything before the first attack no da. I imagine they're pretty powerful, though, otherwise a small nation like Takkan would never think of starting this war."

"At this point our best move would probably be to find the last member of our group," Kiori interjected timidly. She looked to Chichiri for confirmation; he nodded in agreement. Encouraged by the monk's reaction, the young woman continued. "How does that last rhyme go again?"

Chichiri recited what he could remember. "A Chief from an old life, and a flame knows where to find them no da."

Tasuki opened his mouth thoughtfully, but Houki missed the silent gesture and stood. "There is no need to strain ourselves with that right now." She glanced around the table, smiling at her new comrades. "Why not have a bit of lunch, and then move to the training yards again? I am certain that Kiori and Ritsuka would like a bit of practice if they plan on fighting, and perhaps if there is time some of our tougher warriors could lose to Akai."

"Is this kid really that good?" Tasuki wondered aloud, his previous remark forgotten at the thought of a good lunch and an upcoming weapons session.

The girl's violet-red eyes narrowed. "Call me a kid again and I'll show you how good I am by—" Akai clapped a hand over her mouth. Her forehead hit the ground again in an almost spasmodic bow. "Oh, I'm so terribly sorry, Tasuki-sama, I am _so_ _terribly sorry_!"

oOo

Kiori whistled appreciatively as Akai's sword sailed in a graceful arc. The bamboo of the bokken practice sword almost shone in the waning afternoon light, but neither Akai nor her opponent noticed its perfect beauty. All they saw was her bokken sail down and slam into the young man's weapon. They stood locked for a moment, then Akai smiled and flicked her wrist, twisting his bokken and sending it skittering harmlessly to the side. "Six in a row," she said with a confident nod. Akai turned away from the soldier. "Okay, so who's next?"

Several Konan trainees mumbled excuses and hurried out of the training court. Tasuki glanced around, chuckling. "Heh, no more takers from th' masses? Well, I guess if they wanna save their pride, then _I_ may's well take ya on."

Akai's cheeks glowed with embarrassment. "Oh Tasuki-sama, you honor me, but I wouldn't have a chance against a seishi. You deserve competition that is worthy of your blade."

"Competition?" Tasuki waved his hand at the deserted court. "You whipped any other competition I mighta had! Ya got talent Akai, no mistake about that, an' I need th' practice. C'mon, you c'n compete."

"I couldn't Tasuki-sama! I absolutely couldn't! It'd be a disgrace to your skills!" Akai insisted.

The seishi opened his mouth to continue the argument, but before he could a voice behind said, "Well if you don't wanna take him on, then what if I do?"

All eyes turned, and all mouths dropped. Kiori managed to find her voice first, and yelped in disbelief. "Ritsuka!"

The redhead leaned against the rail and smiled across at her friend. In one athletic motion she leapt over the rail and stood next to the bandit, flashing the onlooker's a victory sign. "Bing-o! I figure I should warm up for the war, and this guy," she jerked a thumb at the bandit, "might be the closest thing to competition around here."

The mention of his fighting skills seemed to snap Tasuki out of his momentary shock. He faced the redhead, pointing a skeptical index finger at the woman. "Me? Fight _you_?" She nodded. Tasuki blinked, stood silent for a moment... then slapped his knee and burst out laughing. "Hah! Me! Fight you! Aww, Red, that's th' best one I've heard in a long time!" He wiped a tear from his eye and tried to still his laughter. "Haha... Yer pretty damn funny when ya wanna be, y'know that?"

"Tasuki-sama would blast you into ashes," Akai agreed. "Even someone from the Priestess' world is no match for a Suzaku shichiseishi."

Ritsuka widened her eyes to allow maximum innocence and chewed coyly on a hangnail. "Oh, pwease Tasuki-chan? I know I'm just a wittle girl, but won't you wet me fight you wiff the pointy sticks?" As quickly as her eyes had widened they narrowed again, and for a brief second Tasuki almost wondered if she wasn't joking after all. "Or are you afraid of losing to a girl, Tasuki-chan?"

"'Course I'm not scared," he retorted. "An' don't call me Tasuki-chan!"

"Then what's the problem... Tasuki-chan?"

His teeth ground together so tightly Ritsuka thought he might break them. "Are you blind, or just unbelievably stupid? I've been trainin' with this thing," he held up his _bokken_, "fer t' past five years, an' you've never even _touched_ a sword. I ain't wastin' my time on some city-born, stupid, arrogant little girl."

Ritsuka's eyes flashed at his closing remarks, but she held her ground and kept her cool. "Well, I think you're afraid of me, Tasuki-_chan_." She taunted. The redhead placed her hands behind her head and made as if to exit the courts. "Huh, too chicken to fight a city-born, stupid, arrogant little girl. Some seishi."

The bandit's entire body flared with his crimson life force. He grabbed at the back of Ritsuka's tank top, stopping her in her tracks. His voice grated with barely concealed loathing as he snapped out between gritted teeth, "In the ring, Red."

The redheaded woman said nothing, but her victorious smile could be seen from space. She skipped over to the nearby weapons wall, which housed a variety of bokken of different size and weight. She skimmed over the rack, testing a few out in her hand, then picked out one of the smaller swords and joined Tasuki in the middle ring. The girl held the weapon awkwardly in one hand and turned to face her opponent, looking thoroughly confused at the strange instrument in her arms.

"Take her out, Tasuki-sama!" Akai cheered from the sidelines.

Kiori sighed. "Obviously my money's on Tasuki, but who should we cheer for?"

"Neither of them," Chichiri muttered. "Whoever one wins will just gloat about it, which will make the other angry-"

"Which will result in us cleaning up the mess (no da)," they said simultaneously.

Houki banged a small gong: the signal to begin. Tasuki snickered and imitated Ritsuka's awkward one-handed style, twirling his _bokken _in an overly-elaborate fashion. "Yer in way over yer head, Red. But see, I'm actually a pretty nice guy when ya don't piss me off, and I don't wanna hurt ya, so I promise that I'll go easy on—"

Ritsuka set her jaw and jerked her other hand up to hold the weapon. Tasuki blinked in surprise, momentarily frozen as he watched the girl change in a matter of milliseconds from an awkward suburban woman to a skilled fighter. She pivoted sharply on one foot and brought her sword around in a short horizontal snap, slamming the middle of her wooden blade directly into Tasuki's hilt. His grip was still loose and awkward; the blade fumbled from his hand, and before he could get a good grasp on it Ritsuka's _bokken _struck again, disarming him in two short moves.

The bandit's weapon spun twice through the air and landed point-first in the dirt. Ritsuka set her own blade at the side of his neck, right next to his gaping mouth. Her eyes blazed, but her mouth was all smiles. "I don't really think you need to take it easy on me. But then again I'm just a city-born, stupid, arrogant little girl, so I don't really know much. What do _you_ think, Tasuki-chan?"

A profound silence filled the courts.

Houki jerked from her stupor and banged the gong to end the match. "Ah... it would seem that Ritsuka is the... is the victor..."

The redhead immediately dropped her sword, jumping back a few steps and flashing her look of pure innocence again. "Oh, Tasuki-chan, did I forget to mention that I've been on a Kendo team since I was five?" He nodded blankly. Ritsuka giggled. "Oops. Then I guess that I _also_ forgot to tell you I'm a three-time gold medalist at the Intercollegiate Tokyo Kendo Tourney?" Tasuki could do nothing but nod again. Ritsuka giggled, but it was anything but innocent. "Silly me."

A startled chuckle slipped from Kiori's lips. "Huh. I can't believe she never mentioned that to me. Who knew Ritsuka was that talented?"

"I guess Tasuki found out the hard way no da," Chichiri remarked with a dazed smile. "She caught him off-guard, but that was still a nice display. What do you think, Akai?"

The two glanced over to see Akai staring at Ritsuka, eyes wide and sparkling. Miniature hearts were practically popping off her head as she clasped her hands and exclaimed, "Ritsuka-san is... so cool!"

Chichiri and Kiori face-vaulted.

Ritsuka offered another toothy grin in Tasuki's direction, who hadn't moved from his shocked position in the battle ring. She picked up the two bokken and set them back in their proper spots, then threw a wink in the bandit's direction. "You know, I think I like 'Tasuki-chan' better than 'Fang-boy.' What do you think?"

"I think the boys on Mount Reikaku would laugh me out of the gang if they heard about this."

"That is so charming, Tasuki-chan!"

oOo

Hataku knelt before the Lady Setsuka. Her patience was limited and her interest in war tactics almost nonexistent, so he wasted no time in his report. "The army is assembled and ready to move out at your command."

"You didn't send one of the seven as a messenger this time," Setsuka remarked. Her eyes trailed across the long, welted lash that Hataku carried from right eye to cheek: his punishment for using an Element as a servant. "I'm glad my 'reminder' has sunk in so effectively."

He did not bother to glance up or respond to her remarks, but his brown eyes blazed with anger and hurt. "When shall we move out?"

She smiled, staring down at the shogun with her cold, excited eyes. Hataku stifled the wave of fear that slithered down his spine at the sight of those glinting silver orbs. "March at daybreak, as soon as you are able, on the double. That's a four-day march, correct?"

"_Hai_, Setsuka-sama."

She sunk her blood-red nails into the arms of her throne, intoxicated by the thought of conquest. "Perfect. Absolutely perfect. I shall watch your progress, so do not dawdle or I will know without fail. Once you reach the outer walls, set up camp. I will use Tsuki's abilities to meet you there and give further instructions."

Hataku stood, nodding with much more surety than he had so far. A battle was something he could understand and grasp in his hands, unlike his Lady's strange mood swings and violent tendencies. "_Hai_, Setsuka-sama."

"Oh, and Hataku?" their eyes met across the room. "My orders will be followed. What I say may not always make sense to you, but it is not your place to judge your Lady's wishes. Remember that, and do not disobey."

The shogun's voice remained respectfully void of emotion, despite the disgusted look that flashed across his features for the smallest of moments. "_Wakarimashita _(Understood)."

oOo

_"...'Once he departed, Setsuka leaned back in her chair. Her eyes trailed across the room towards the legend carved upon the wall at the far end, the legend written in the foreign script that only she could read. She smiled thinly, whispering only one word: "Soon."'"_ Keisuke looked up at the clock: it was already seven. "End Chapter Three."

* * *

**_Ye Olde Mundane Ramblings: May 15, 2005; 8:30 AM_**

Ni-hao! (Apparently I'm Chinese today)  
I know it's been a while since the last update, but don't blame me – blame my vicious teachers and their mountains of evil, evil homework. But have no fear, because in two short weeks I shall be freed from the jaws of the school system for an entire three months, and in that time I intend to edit as many FY:NC (and RFS, my other FY fic) chapters as possible!

I can't think of anything direly important to prattle on about in this chapter. I changed up a lot more in here than I did in the others, primarily making Ritsuka a student of Kendo instead of Fencing (it seemed more fitting for the sword style of ancient China). I "detailed up" buildings, people, and certain situations as well, though probably the biggest changes came in the Ritsuka-Tasuki fight scene at the end. This is really the way I intended it from day one, only when I first wrote it I didn't have the "detail skills" to explain the battle scene just right. So hooray for edits!

Hm... guess that's everything for now. Episode Four isn't extremely long (not right now anyway, though after the edits, who knows?) so with luck I'll have that finished up before the month is out. Thank you all for your incredible patience with my erratic updates, and I hope to see you in the next installment!

Your Authoress – Dee


	4. Episode Four: New Friendships

**_Disclaimer_:** I still don't own Konan, Suzaku and all characters and seishi pertaining to them. Kiori and Ritsuka are and shall forever be mine, and that holds for all the other "originals" (you'll know 'em when they appear, trust me). Obviously the story is mine as well.

_**Rating:** _PG-13, for moderate language and violence.

* * *

**--Episode Four: New Friendships--**

Keisuke took the slight lull in action to help himself to a beer and a bag of chips out of the kitchen. True, Tetsuya had bought the food and drinks, but Keisuke figured that, since Tetsuya had abandoned his dearest friend for a date, it entitled him to free snacks. He made himself comfortable on their dilapidated couch, taking care to avoid the broken springs under the right-side cushion. He snatched up the thick book and sighed a little: he still had a long way to go. "Oh well, better get started on Chapter Four." He snickered. "Heh, by the time Tetsuya gets back, I'll probably be so far into this thing that he'll be completely lost trying to figure out what happened. Serves him right though, ditching me for a girl. The poor guy's probably sitting in that freezing theatre with Yui, sharing some popcorn... whispering in her ear... holding her hand... and I'm here... at home... reading a book..." Keisuke sighed. "I really hope that isn't as pathetic as it sounds."

oOo

The twang of bowstrings and soft smack of arrows into sawdust greeted the ears of the palace dwellers that happened to pass by the training complex that morning. It was a usual sound and sight for most, but some still stopped to watch on that particular day, because word had traveled around the courtyards that a pair of young women from another world were taking part in the training as well. The complex soon gained a medium-sized crowd, including the two seishi, who came to cheer on their female companions and, in Tasuki's case, possibly heckle them into embarrassing themselves.

Kiori did her best to remain composed under the eyes of the cluster of courtiers and pages, but she couldn't help but smile as one of her arrows hit the second ring from the center of the target. "Hm. I guess I'm improving after all," she remarked aloud with just a tiny hint of pride.

"Kiori's comin' along pretty well," Tasuki said to Chichiri. "She may not have much experience, but she's got a good eye an' a steady hand – got more talent than some-a my boys back on Reikaku, really."

"Mm. We've only been here four days and she's already competing with the novices no da," the monk agreed.

Tasuki chuckled. "Still, she's no match fer—"

"Haha! I win again!" the seishi looked over to see Ritsuka collecting money from about ten archers – all of whom had lost to the quick shooting skills of the redhead. "C'mon, pay up, every last yen, or whatever you call money. The only thing I like better than beating the boys is taking their cash, so you can be sure I'll count to make sure no one cheated!"

"I _told_ you there was no way you could beat Ritsuka-san!" cooed Akai, the founder and only member of Ritsuka's new fan club.

"Little Miss Three-time Gold Medalist at the Tokyo Archery Tourney," Tasuki grumbled. "Who'd-a thought such a loud-mouthed, smartass brat could have that kinda talent?"

"I HEARD THAT TASUKI-CHAN!"

The bandit jumped about a mile high at the sound of Ritsuka's shout, and with good reason – the young woman was nearly five meters away, and he had kept his voice lowered. "Gyah! Are you even _human_? How'd ya manage t'hear me?" he paused for a moment, then added as a heated afterthought, "And don't call me Tasuki-chan!"

"I have the sharpest ears in Tokyo, not that I need them when your big mouth doesn't even know _how_ to whisper... Tasuki-_chan_!"

The bandit stared incredulously at his friend. "Am I really that loud?"

"Your whisper is more like a shout," Chichiri answered with a smile.

Tasuki slumped down on the railing that surrounded the archery arena and actually managed a sardonic chuckle. "Heh, guess I'll have t'work on that, then." He watched the redhead with a frown, but couldn't mask the respect in his eyes. "That one's full-a surprises, all right. I dunno 'bout Kiori, but I really think Red'll hold her own if we ever get around t'fightin'."

"Mm, but I think Kiori will prove valuable in her own way no da," Chichiri said. "She wouldn't have been picked as a Konan Warrior if she couldn't."

"Oh, speaking of the Konan Warriors..."

Tasuki leaped into the air again, surprised by a feminine voice for the second time that morning. Chichiri, who had been granted the Suzaku-given luxury of sensing life forces, turned around in a much more amiable fashion to meet Kiori's wide green eyes. "Oh, I'm sorry Tasuki, I didn't mean to scare you. Are you okay?"

"Oh, fine, jus' fine," Tasuki said, patting his chest. "I always thought havin' a beatin' heart was kinda annoyin', anyway."

Kiori smothered a giggle. "I'm glad to know it was nothing serious, then." She turned her attention towards the monk. "But like I was saying about the Konan Warriors: what about the seventh member? That seems like the most important thing right now, so shouldn't we try to figure that out?"

"I'm working on it when I get the chance no da," Chichiri assured her. "While finding the seventh might seem like _our_ number one priority, Konan is more interested in preparing itself for an attack." The monk sighed, remembering the myriad meetings he'd attended in the past couple days. "There's a lot to do before we start solving riddles na no da."

The young woman's eyebrows tightened. "You're right. I keep forgetting that Houki-sama has you and Tasuki dealing with all the specifics on the war, too. If there's anything I can do to help..."

"For now, just try to survive your training, and I'll try to survive the politicians no da," Chichiri assured her with a smile. "At any rate, I'm sure we'll find time for riddles once all the defenses are in position."

"Oh yeah, about that riddle," Tasuki interjected. "I meant t'tell ya, I think—"

"Taaaaaaaaaaasuki-chan!" Ritsuka flew out of nowhere and threw her arms and legs around the bandit, piggy-back style. She poked her head over his shoulder and grinned devilishly. "Hiya, Tasuki-chan! Whatcha doin' out here? You aren't slacking off again, are you?"

"Yer one t'talk about slackin', Miss I-Can-Do-Everything-So-I'm-Allowed-T'sit-On-My-Ass-All-Day," he retorted. "An' get off my back, will ya? An' don't call me Tasuki-chan!"

"Demanding, ain't we?" Ritsuka shifted her arms and nuzzled her cheek into his fluffy orange hair. "But you're so comfy Tasuki-chan, and it totally beats walking."

"Yer heavy! An' _don't_ call me _that_!"

Ritsuka's eyes narrowed. "Heavy?" Her arms tightened into a stranglehold around the bandit's neck. "Is that any way to treat the girl who kicked your butt in kendo?"

"Do ya have t'bring that up again? I already told ya it was a fluke – fight me again and ya won't be so lucky!" the bandit struggled against her hold, but the chibi woman's grip was surprisingly tight, and it was only growing tighter by the second. "Ack! Leggo! Yer cuttin' off my air!"

The two continued to scuffle and Kiori and Chichiri did their best to ignore them, but the nearby crowd was only too eager to turn their attention to a new attraction. Eventually the huddle around the miniature brawl grew so immense that even Akai left her training to investigate. She watched the two fighters with wide-eyed concern before weaving her way out of the crowd and towards the archery ring, where Kiori was trying to continue her training while Chichiri encouraged her from the sideline. "Kiori-san, Chichiri-sama, did you see—?"

"We saw."

"And do they—?"

"Like clockwork."

"But don't you think we should—?"

"Try and stop them?" Kiori sighed and allowed her bow to slacken in her hand. "Don't bother. You'll just wind up getting hurt in the process."

"Chichiri."

All eyes turned to the Empress, and more than a few necks turned red at being caught shirking their duties. The small crowd dispersed like lightning, leaving the five Konan warriors – including the squabbling Ritsuka and Tasuki – alone with Konan's leader. Chichiri bowed at the waist. "_Hai_, Houki-sama?"

Houki glanced over at Ritsuka, who still had her hands locked on Tasuki's throat. The Empress fought to feign ignorance, but she couldn't quite keep the corners of her mouth from twitching into a smile. "Oh, dear, I am not interrupting some type of training, am I?"

Ritsuka giggled and patted Tasuki's head with a force that made it look more like a slap. "Nah, we're just, uh... just playing a game, is all."

Tasuki bowed low to the Empress, causing Ritsuka to lose her balance and tumble forward, flat on her face. "We can't spend every minute workin' after all. Gotta stick in s'me time fer, uh, 'after-training activities,' y'know."

She abandoned her composure at the sight of Ritsuka's smashed nose, but managed to bring up a long violet sleeve to cover her smile. "Whatever you call it, please try not to kill each other in the process."

"Houki-sama, you wanted to see me no da?" Chichiri asked, already preparing himself for the arguments he'd have to endure with Houki's advisors.

The Empress' expression grew grim with surprising speed. "Mm. May I see you in my private quarters for a moment?"

oOo

"I apologize for dragging you away from the others, but I wanted to speak with you about our defenses," Houki explained once they were in her personal study. She offered the monk a seat across from her husband's former desk, which he accepted, and a small glass of rice wine, which he politely refused. "You understand that this is not the sort of business I am used to, and even my most seasoned advisers are not experts when it comes to war. I am in desperate need of counsel."

Chichiri set his chin in his hands. "We've discussed this to death at the meetings, Houki-sama. I've already told you where I stand no da."

"But do you truly think we should not strike—"

"Your Majesty is the one who said our forces are inexperienced and outnumbered, and that's the information I'm following no da," he said, tone light and respectful and always. "We could leave the safety of the city walls and fight Takkan on an open field, but if your sources are right then doing that would be like a death sentence for thousands of Konan soldiers. I'm not a shogun, Houki-sama. I'm barely a fighter. But over the years I've tried to teach myself something about protecting others. That's what I'm trying to do now no da." He glanced up, smiling cheerfully. "But Tasuki _is_ something of a shogun, and something of a hothead, and he still agrees with me no da! So maybe that's worth something."

"So you both think we shall win if we take the defensive?"

"I'm not promising anything, but I do know that taking the defensive will give us some extra time and safety. You'd have to talk to Tasuki or Akai about the details, I'm not much of a campaigner, but I think the wall around Konan should hold against most attacks from normal weapons..." his eyebrows scrunched together in a thoughtful frown, "but I can't begin to guess what sort of powers the Elements have. Average materials might not hold against a magical attack na no da."

Houki nodded. "Do you suppose they have a sorcerer in their midst?"

"I wouldn't be surprised no da."

"More powerful than you?" He shrugged. Houki sighed. "Oh, heavens. The situation only seems to grow more difficult as time passes. And there is not much 'legend advice' I can give until we find the last member."

Chichiri sat up straight. "Hm?"

"My scholars informed me that the next part is meant for all seven. While we _could_ read it now, it would be almost pointless – like trying to put together a puzzle while some of the pieces are missing," Houki explained. "Have you had any luck with the riddle?"

"I haven't had much time to think about it no da. And even when I do get a chance, I keep thinking about that last line: _The answer lies within love's well._ It feels important for some reason, only I can't make any sense of it."

"Perhaps," Houki said, but she sounded unsure. These days she always sounded uncertain, as if she had difficulty convincing herself that the sun would even rise – because, in many ways, it might not. "I only wish I knew more about such matters... riddles and wars and Elements... the Empress' power should not be so limited. If only..."

Chichiri knew the unspoken words, because he had thought them as well. _If only Hotohori-sama were still alive. _But he wasn't, and neither were the other Suzaku seishi, the fighters and the intellectuals who could properly run a council of war. There was only a hotheaded bandit, a peace-loving monk, and an Empress desperate to keep her people safe.

So he'd just have to work that much harder to ensure victory, wouldn't he?

The monk brushed aside his hatred for battle and his disinterest in politics and set his mind on keeping his beloved country and companions safe. There was no question about it now. It was simply what he had to do. Chichiri stood. "Listen, Houki-sama, how about if I put up a protection barrier around the city no da?"

The Empress' troubled head shot up. "Beg pardon? A barrier?"

"Mm-hm," Chichiri said, exercising a poise that he didn't feel. But he was used to that, by now – and anyway, the Empress was counting on him. "I can set up a magical barrier no da. No one will be able to enter or exit the capital using magical powers. It'll keep any sort of sorcerer-spies from listening in on our conversations and discovering our war plans no da." Oh, why not? He might as well go the extra mile. "If you'd like, I can set up a force field that'll keep enemy life forces from entering, too."

Houki's eyes widened. "Could you really do all that?"

Chichiri nodded. "It would take me a good part of the day, and sap my _ki _for a little while." And leave him stiff and sore for two weeks, he added silently. "But I'd say it's worth it no da. It won't stop arrows, you know..."

"But it would help immensely," Houki finished. "When can you start?"

"Right away na no da."

Houki flashed the monk a look of pure admiration. Confidence shone from her violet eyes once again, for how could Konan ever fail, with powerful seishi on its side? Sometimes Chichiri wished he had that kind of blind faith in himself, too. "I cannot thank you enough. Suzaku truly smiled on Konan when he brought you and Tasuki into this country."

Chichiri blushed, rubbing the back of his head. "I'm just glad to help no da."

oOo

"The one called Chichiri is very powerful, isn't he, Mizu-chan?"

"I... I think so, my Lady."

"There are few who know about magical barriers, and scarcer still are those who can build a good one," Setsuka nodded respectfully, but even as she admired the monk's work she was planning ways to tear his powers to shreds. "Very impressive indeed..."

"Having second thoughts, my Lady?"

A light, tinkling laugh tore its way from the Lady's throat. "Certainly not, my dear! Just because this little monk can build a force field doesn't mean he can hold his own against my Elements." She sat forward in her chair. "Now Mizu-chan, I have no doubt that you shall be able to push through that barrier, correct?"

"You mean spy after the field's up?"

"Exactly."

The young Element watched through her crystal as Chichiri exited Houki's private quarters. She pursed her lips. "Yes, I can manage it. Except..."

Around Setsuka's neck hung a silver chain adorned with seven multicolored jewels. The light blue one pulsed slightly, though Setsuka didn't need the necklace to tell her that Mizu was troubled. "Whatever is the matter?"

"It's just, trying to break a barrier takes a lot of work, and it'll really drain my _ki_," Mizu explained. "And I wouldn't mind the strain if it helped our cause, I really wouldn't, except... I'm sorry, my Lady, but I don't feel right spying on the private lives of anyone, even our enemies." She looked down, watching as one of her crystals hummed lightly near her clenched hands. "I was taught not to do that kind of thing, from someone I love from a long time ago... so, I..."

Setsuka placed a slender hand on the child's shoulder. Her voice oozed sympathy and kindness, and everything she said seemed to make such perfect sense when she used that voice. "Mizu-chan, I understand how you must feel." She touched the girl's chin with one of her soft hands, and turned her head until they were looking into each other's faces: Setsuka's sweet and compassionate, Mizu's intrigued and confused. "But _you_ must understand that this is war. Spying is not wrong if it is used to defeat evil. Konan is the enemy, and in order for the good of Takkan to reign, the enemy must be defeated. Am I right?"

Her cold silver eyes pierced into Mizu's golden ones, until Mizu felt they were brushing at her very soul. She looked away, ashamed that she'd ever thought to contradict her mistress. "_Hai_, my Lady."

"Thank you, Mizu-chan." Setsuka stroked the girl's hair and assumed her most motherly smile, though she couldn't quite hide the hint of malicious victory behind that charming look. "I can see all this talk of war has troubled you. I shan't need your limitless talents for another day or so – in the meantime, please try to have some fun and forget this dreadful business."

"_Hai_, my Lady." Mizu stepped from her cushion at the Lady's right side and onto the cold wooden floor. She wrapped her triangle-patterned robe tightly around her shoulders and hurried down the hall.

_'Maybe I will forget about this horrible war, for a little bit,'_ she thought once she had departed from the Lady's chamber. _'But how can I _ever _forget that my enemy is now...?'_

oOo

Tasuki threw a rock into the palace lake and watched it skip five times before sinking beneath the clear, smooth surface. The sun, which had just begun its downward plunge into the west, sent rays of light flashing off the water, causing the entire area to glitter in a myriad of blue and white sparkles. It would all have been very scenic if Tasuki had been the scenery-viewing type. Instead, he sighed and leaned against the promenade's railing. "Where the hell's Chichiri? It's no fun skippin' rocks if ya don't have anyone t'compete against."

"Taaaaaaaaaaaaasuki-chan!" Tasuki nearly toppled over the rail as Ritsuka flew out of nowhere, hopping onto his back and wrapping her arms around his neck. "_Ni-hao_! That's Chinese for 'hi' – oh, but I guess you'd already know that, huh?" she used the bandit's head as a pillow and made herself comfortable, totally ignoring the tiny growling noises coming from the man's throat. "So how's my Tasuki-chan doing on this lovely spring afternoon?"

"Fine until you showed up."

"You are _so _charming! I can't believe you don't have a girlfriend."

Tasuki decided to use Ritsuka's own medicine against her. "Aw, Red, ya came all th' way out here just t'see me? I'm touched."

"Ha! I don't think my life has become _that_ boring just yet!" the redhead said with a snort. She leaned over his shoulder so she could see his face and poked him in the cheek. "Have you seen Kiori? I lost her somewhere between the training complex and our room."

Tasuki shook his head. "You wouldn't happen t'have seen Chichiri, either?"

"Nope, no sign of—" she stopped short and snapped her fingers. "Oh, wait, that's right! I saw him right after the morning's training session. He said," and here she turned her eyes upwards and said in a high-pitched voice, "I've got some work to do setting up a barrier around the city, so I prob'ly won't see you till tomorrow no da!" She poked his cheek again and reverted to her normal tone. "So what do people in Konan do to keep busy? I imagine it's a little hard to go clubbing or visit the arcade around here."

"I ain't sure what those are, so I'd say we don't have 'em." Tasuki, tired of Ritsuka's finger stabbing at his cheek, snapped his fangs down hard on the first digit.

"OW!" She whacked him over the head. "Tasuki-chan, that was a cheap shot!"

"All's fair in love, war, and pissin' you off," he countered. "Now get off my back, will ya?"

oOo

Chichiri strode back to his room, in good spirits despite his physical exhaustion. He had spent the majority of the afternoon traveling from one corner of the capital to the other and setting up magical charms where the corners of the city's high walls intersected. The real work wouldn't begin until later, though; now that he could mentally grasp the four corners of the city, he had to build and strengthen the barrier that would protect it. The monk's stomach grumbled, and he changed his course just slightly. Working was all well and good, but first he'd need some dinner.

"Uncle Chichiri!" as the monk turned a corner of the palace a small something threw its arms around his legs, nearly tripping him. "Hi Uncle Chichiri! You didn't forget 'bout me, did'ja?"

Chichiri chuckled. Once he'd untangled himself from the boy's grasp, he turned around to address him. "How could I forget you na no da?" The monk knelt beside Boshin, poking his nose teasingly. "What's up?"

Boshin grinned. "Tai, that's my nurse, she says I gots free-time now. An' I 'membered that Mama said you and Uncle Scaryface would play with me later." His smile widened. "Is it later yet?"

The monk laughed. "I guess it is no da. But Boshin-chan, I'm pretty hungry, plus I have a lot of important work to do..."

The young Emperor's lower lip quivered and his eyes filled with tears. "More 'portant than me?"

He sighed. His mind told him the barrier came first, and his stomach ordered food, but his heart had a nasty tendency of ignoring them both, and he had a nasty tendency of listening to it. He patted Boshin on the head. "Never. Let's find a small room to go to, and we'll play for a while. How's that sound no da?"

Immediately the boy's tears vanished. "Hooray!" He grabbed the monk by the hand and dragged him towards a nearby, empty sitting room. "Can we play the one game with the staff, huh can we Uncle Chichiri?"

"You have a good memory, Boshin-chan," Chichiri remarked. "You've gotten a lot bigger since the last time we played, but I guess I can try no da."

"I'm sure you can do it Uncle Chichiri! I bet you can do just about anything, huh?"

"I don't know about that..."

"Could you disappeared right now, or shoot a hole through that wall over there, or turn yourself into my nurse Tai, or lift those flowers right outta the ground?"

"Of course no—" the monk paused and sweatdropped. "Actually, I can do those things. But—"

"Then I was right, Uncle Chichiri! You _can_ do anything!"

oOo

"Oi, Tasuki?" Ritsuka said as she leaned over the rail and gazed out at the shimmering pond.

"Mm?"

"What'd you and Chichiri do before you became seishi?" she asked. "I know you told us that story about the Priestess and all, but I still don't feel like I really know anything about the two of you."

"Well, I..." Tasuki grinned at the memories. "I was in a gang up on Mount Reikaku."

"I figured as much. You smell like a thief."

The bandit scowled and whacked her over the head with his tessen. "Reikaku ain't like that! We only rob rich travelers, an' we protect all th' farmlands in our territory. We're champions-a th' weak!"

"Glorified thieves, then," Ritsuka said with a shrug and a grin. "But please, Robin Hood-san, do continue."

"Anyway, I joined th' gang about five years back, 'cause I'd heard about their work an' I thought it'd be a good excuse t'get away from home an' really prove myself. Y'know, become a man an' all that."

"Still working on that part, I see."

The bandit scowled but went on. "I was gonna be the next leader, but because th' Priestess showed up, my pal Koji took temporary control an' I came t'Konan." He lowered his voice and scratched his chin, speaking more to himself than the redhead: "An' speakin' of Koji, I wonder—"

"Ever wanted to go back?"

He nodded. "Every six months 'r so I start gettin' homesick, an' 'Chiri 'n' I go up t'visit th' gang. Eventually I'll prob'ly settle down there fer good an' become th' leader, like th' old boss wanted, but fer th' moment I'd jus' like t'travel, see a little bit-a th' world, y'know. After that mess with Tenkou, Chichiri asked if I wanted t'come with him fer a while, an' I figured I'd give it a chance."

"How's that working out for you?"

Tasuki laughed. "Y'know, I had my doubts about it at first, but it's workin' out really great. We're always helpin' some village or kickin' somebody's ass. I like it."

"You and Chichiri are pretty close, huh?"

"Depends on how ya look at it," Tasuki attempted to explain. "We're more-or-less total opposites, an' we're always arguin' over how t'handle things or where t'go next or even what to eat fer dinner... but I don't think I'd want it any other way." He chuckled. "I kick someone's ass, an' he makes peace with th' losers. I deal with a gang-a murderers while he helps th' orphaned kids find families. It shouldn't work, but somehow it always does." Tasuki shrugged. "But you oughta understand that. You 'n' Kiori are like that, too."

"Hm. I guess so." Ritsuka snatched up a rock and tossed it across the water, counting the skips. "Seven, I win again." The seishi muttered something rude and handed over a gold piece. "So what about Chichiri? What'd he do before this Priestess business?"

"Mostly led a normal life, up until he was eighteen or so," Tasuki answered shortly.

"Oh? What happened then?" Ritsuka waited, but he said nothing. "Is that when he got that scar or something?" Total silence greeted her question. Ritsuka scowled. "Tasuki-chan, don't act like you don't know!"

The bandit met her angry look with a sidelong glance. "Even if I did know th' whole story, I wouldn't tell you, _especially_ when ya call me Tasuki-chan."

She grumbled a curse and looked away. "Just an honest question, no need to take my head off." Another period of silence fell on the pair, before Ritsuka's curiosity overwhelmed her temper. "So... the mask doesn't have power or anything, does it? He just wears it to hide that scar?" Tasuki nodded. "But _why_?" No answer. "Tasuki-chaaaaaan…"

"Its jus' one-a th' things that makes Chichiri, Chichiri."

Ritsuka frowned. "You wanna know what I think?"

"Nope."

She ignored him. "_I_ think he wears it to hide his real face."

"Nah, really?" Tasuki drawled. "That's one helluva deduction Red, did it take ya all night t'come up with that one, 'r did'ja theorize it on th' spur-a th' moment?"

"That isn't what I mean!" Ritsuka snapped, and punctuated her shout with a sharp thwack to the back of Tasuki's head. "I _mean_ that I don't think he wants people to see the real him."

"An' I think yer lookin' way too deep inta things," the bandit shot back. "Wouldn't you get tired of explainin' t'everyone how you got a scar, then hearin' 'em say 'Oh, I'm so sorry' an' sneaking looks at it all the time? I don't think there's anythin' wrong with hidin' somethin' that's gonna be a nuisance like that."

"Well, I think it's weird. And unhealthy. You shouldn't keep stuff like that hidden. You should say," and here she raised her fist and proclaimed to the skies, "'This is who I am and it's how I'm gonna stay, so get used to it!' Hiding behind a smile and a 'no da' is so juvenile."

The bandit looked away, liking the conversation less and less. "You jus' don't get it. An' when was th' last time _you_ weren't immature?"

"I'll answer after you do," she countered.

Sparks flew briefly between their eyes, then they both humphed and looked away. "Don't talk to me."

oOo

Kiori, after attempting (and failing) to study for her Calculus midterm, made her way to the kitchens for an evening snack. She was passing one of the small sitting rooms on the way back to her private study zone when she heard muted giggles behind the closed door. "Hm, that must be Boshin-chan," she thought aloud with a smile. "I bet that kid gets so bored around here. I was always pretty good with the kids I babysat –maybe I should go in and see if he wants someone to play with." Kiori slid the door open quietly, unnoticed by the two playmates within. She held back a chuckle, watching as Chichiri and Boshin played one of the strangest games she had ever seen.

Chichiri glowed slightly with red power – his life force, Kiori realized suddenly, though she'd only seen it in anime before – and appeared to be in deep concentration. Boshin hung nearby, suspended in the air by another crimson bubble of energy and giggling happily. The monk lifted his staff and up Boshin went, almost to the low ceiling of the room. Then, just when Kiori thought Chichiri's control would snap for certain, the staff would drop and so would the boy, the monk pulling up just in time to keep Boshin from hitting the ground.

"Can ya make me go any higher, Uncle Chichiri?"

"Any higher and you'll fly through the roof no da," he argued with a chuckle.

Kiori couldn't contain her amusement anymore and let out a laugh. "Well after you fly him through the roof, do you think _I_ could have a ride?"

Chichiri, caught off-guard, jumped and jerked his head to look at the college woman. The red ki around him disappeared and Boshin plummeted to the floor with a happy squeal. The monk whirled back around just in time to see what was happening; with a startled "Da!" he dove forward and caught the child right before he slammed into the hard wooden floor.

Boshin, ignorant to his near-accident, laughed and patted the monk's head. "Wow that was fun! Can we do that last one again, please Uncle Chichiri?"

He panted, glancing back over his shoulder at Kiori. "I'll have to take a rain check on that one, Boshin-chan. Somehow I don't think your Mama – not to mention the entire country – would appreciate me playing games like that with their future Emperor no da."

The brunette winced. "Did I do something wrong?"

"Not exactly," he said with just a touch of exasperation. He set the boy down and stood. "When I'm working magic like that, I don't sense life forces as well. You caught me completely off-guard, and the surprise snapped my concentration no da."

Kiori looked down and played with her hands. "I'm sorry, I didn't—"

"You didn't know, of course," Chichiri flashed a friendly smile and waved a dismissive hand in her direction. "_Daijoubu _(It's all right)," he assured her. "No harm done no da. Just try not to sneak up on me in the future." He looked over her shoulder and out the open door of the room, noticing the low position of the sun in the sky. "Ne, Kiori, what time is it?"

"Uh, around seven, I guess."

"Da…!" Chichiri turned to the young Emperor. "Uh, Boshin-chan, why don't you go find your mama no da? I have some things I need to do."

"'Kay Uncle Chichiri. Thanks for the game." He hugged the monk warmly, waved at Kiori, and trotted out of the room.

The college girl watched him go, smiling. "You're pretty fond of Boshin-chan, ne Chichiri?"

Chichiri had his back to Kiori as he spread his kesa out on the floor, but she could hear the affection in his words. "He's a good kid. Besides, Tasuki and I are the closest things to a father that he has no da. I figure we should try to play the part whenever we can."

"You're pretty good with kids. Ever think of having a family of your own?"

Kiori noticed that his back stiffened. "At one time, yes, no da," he said quietly.

"Oh? Did something change your mind?" the young woman held up her hands, surprised at her own forwardness. "Uh, not that it's any of my business and all..."

"_Daijoubu _no da. It's natural to be curious." He turned around, smiling, but his heart didn't seem to be in it, and Kiori didn't miss the way he neatly avoided her question. "Anyway, I have some work to do no da. Was there something you needed?"

"Oh, no," Kiori held up her math book. "Just on my way back to my room to study." She glanced back through the door at the setting sun, then to the monk again. "Um... do you mind if I stay in here? It's a little lonely in my room, what with Ritsuka running around the palace."

"That's fine no da," he assured her. The monk smoothed out his robe on the floor and took a seat in the middle, legs crossed and back perfectly straight. His words were preoccupied, but polite as always. "Just close the door, so no one can walk by and break my concentration no da."

Kiori did as he said. She took a seat next to him, right next to the spread-out robe, and tried not to look _too_ intrigued by his "work." The young woman didn't want to disturb him, but before long her curiosity got the better of her. "May I ask what you're doing?"

"Making a magical barrier to encircle the city. It'll keep enemies out no da," he explained briefly, his voice already taking on a somewhat faraway tone.

"Wow," Kiori murmured, impressed with the growing list of the monk's skills. "Is... I know it sounds kinda silly, but is there anything I can do to help?"

Chichiri opened his mouth to decline the offer, then stopped as an idea crossed his mind. "Actually, there might be no da."

"What is it?"

He held out his hand, palm up. "Give me your hand na no da." Kiori blinked at the request, but did as he said without much hesitation. Chichiri wasn't the type to flirt – though she couldn't help but blush a little as his fingers closed over hers. "Now, I want you to open your mind to me. Can you do that no da?"

"Um, I guess so," Kiori closed her eyes and attempted to do what he said, though she really had no idea what he meant, and hoped that she'd done it right. "I, uh, I think I'm ready."

"Okay no da."

Silence filled the room for a few seconds, and then, quite suddenly, Kiori felt a sharp shock race through her hand. "Ow!"

Both pulled away, rubbing their palms. Chichiri shook his head. "No, it isn't just a matter of relaxing – you have to trust me no da. Opening your mind to me is the only way that I can borrow your _ki_."

"My _ki_?" The image of a monkey-tailed boy running around collecting Dragon Balls darted across her mind. Kiori fought to erase the childhood memory and pay attention as Chiichii – ack, _Chichiri_ – explained.

"Yes, your life force. That's the power all of us rely on, you know – I've just been given some abilities that let me use it differently no da. Making a barrier is a lot of work, and it can really take a lot out of me. It wouldn't drain me nearly as much – and make the field stronger – if I could use some of your _ki _as well no da."

"You can do that? Even though I'm not a seishi?"

Chichiri smiled. "That's right no da! Anyone can transfer their _ki _into someone else if they know how no da."

Kiori nodded thoughtfully. She gave her hand back to Chichiri and once more she tried to do what he said: open her mind, and trust him. After a moment's thought she realized that that wouldn't be a difficult task at all – she did trust the monk, even if they barely knew each other – she felt that she could trust him with her life. _'That's unusual for me... but then again, why shouldn't I trust him? He's stronger than anyone I've ever met,'_ she reasoned. Kiori closed her eyes and took deep, even breaths. She dropped a few mental walls – not all of them of course, just the ones that protected her physical well-being – and focused on her trust in her new friend. She thought she felt something inside her gather and draw out through her hand. It was a funny, ticklish feeling, but it didn't really hurt.

_'So this is a '_ki _transfer,' huh? It isn't so hard at all,'_ Kiori remarked to herself. After another few seconds passed, she realized with a start that she could almost feel the monk's consciousness brushing at the edge of her – well, her soul, she supposed – and that they were breathing in perfect unison. _'It's a little strange, though, feeling him there like that. Like giving blood straight from one person to another.'_

Chichiri opened his eye. "Kiori?"

She roused herself from her half-asleep musings. "Mm?"

"Could you not think so loud no da?"

Her eyes snapped open. "Ex... excuse me?"

"When we're connected like this, if you project your thoughts then _I_ can hear them too no da," he explained. "I'm having a hard time focusing."

"Gomen," Kiori paused, then asked, "Is that going to last for a while, or just until you're done?"

"Just until I'm done no da. For the next few days – as long as some of your _ki _lingers with mine – we'll have a connection similar to the one Tasuki and I have, where I can tell if you're hurt or troubled, but nothing too extreme."

"Okay." She let him get back to his work and tried to think quietly – whatever that meant. She wrinkled her nose as she felt, more than heard, Chichiri's incoming thought. "Chichiri?"

"Yes?"

"If you're _that_ hungry, why don't you go get dinner?"

oOo

Ritsuka and Tasuki watched in silence as the sun dipped toward Konan's outer wall, before finally starting its descent into the horizon. Rays of crimson and violet light lit up the western sky, painting the few lingering clouds with a soft, warm glow, and turning the palace pond a deep azure blue.

Tasuki sighed. "The setting sun sinks again. As it embraced its passion, it reaches its inward rest."

"What?"

"Nothin'."

Ritsuka hesitated. "You still mad at me?"

"Yep," was the short reply.

She looked away and scowled. "Good. Me too."

A bird called out across the evening sky. The leaves of a nearby tree rustled in the light spring breeze. The sun sank a little bit further behind the wall. And Tasuki collapsed against the railing, groaning to the painted skies, "Where _the hell_ is Chichiri?"

oOo

Kiori felt the ticklish feeling in her hand recede. Little by little she awoke from her light doze and opened her eyes to find the room almost completely covered in shadows. She rose, cracking her back as she did. "That took a lot longer than it felt."

"It always does no da," Chichiri agreed. He rubbed at his masked eye, yawning wide. "I'm almost as tired as I am hungry. Building those is exhausting, but at least it's done for good no da. Thanks for the help."

"No problem," Kiori said, and fought to stifle a yawn of her own. "That wore me out a little, too. Plus I think I'm hungry again. Do you think the cooks would deliver something to our room?"

"I think there's only one way to find out no da."

oOo

"I'm bored," Tasuki complained.

"Join the club," Ritsuka muttered.

"Tasuki-sama! Ritsuka-san!"

The landscape was draped in shadows, but they recognized the young voice immediately. The pair rose from their seats with an effort and waved to the advancing girl, all-too-ready for a change of pace and a little excitement. "Akai, we're over here!"

The warrior jogged up, offering a quick bow to her seniors. "_Konban wa_, Tasuki-sama, Ritsuka-san. I've been looking for you for hours. Are the others around?"

Ritsuka shook her head and rolled her eyes in mock disgust. "Kiori's probably attempting to do her Calc homework, like the workaholic she is, and she's probably doing it all wrong, like the journalism major she is."

"And Chichiri's buildin' a barrier or somethin'," Tasuki added.

"Not that they'd bother to tell _me_!" both growled.

Akai shook her head. "I don't think Chichiri-sama's still working on that." She leaned out over the promenade's railing and pointed to the dimly lit horizon. "See how, when you look at the far wall in just the right way, there's a sort of reddish shimmer around it? That wasn't there before, so I'm pretty sure that's the barrier he was supposed to set up." She hopped up on the rail's edge, and the others followed suit. "I haven't seen him all day, though... D'you think he went into town, maybe?"

"Whaaa? Y'mean he's at some bar an' didn't invite me?" Tasuki demanded, eyes wide and arms flailing.

"I never said _that_!" Akai pursed her lips. "And a seishi shouldn't concern themselves with alcohol, especially at a time like this, _right_ Tasuki-sama?"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Tasuki rubbed his chin and smiled wolfishly. "But those pretty waitresses are a different story."

Akai raised her fist and slammed it into the back of Tasuki's skull. "I _do_ apologize, Tasuki-sama, but if you don't get your head out of the gutter a Takkan soldier is going to put an arrow through it!"

"C'mon, I was jus' kiddin'!" Tasuki snapped, rubbing his hair and making a big show of grimacing at the punch. "Besides," he added with a snicker, "bar girls ain't my type. Now, a cute little innkeeper's daughter—"

This time Akai's sword hilt left its mark on Tasuki's head, with such a force that he nearly fell over the rail. "Can't you be serious? There's a war starting soon Tasuki-sama, _not to __mention_ you're completely ruining my childhood ideas about the nobility of the seishi!"

Ritsuka was laughing so hard she had to grip the rail for support. "Y'know, Akai, I think I could really get to like you."

oOo

"C'mon Mizu-chan, haven't ya found our army _yet_?"

The young Element stared into her shimmering blue crystal, mouth pursed in concentration. "They've swept a lot of territory a lot faster than I thought they would. It's taking me a while to find them..."

"Jus' follow th' trail-a burned Konan villages," Kaze snapped. "Back home, durin' the wars, that's how we always knew where th' Kutou army was headin'."

Tsuchi shook his head. "Hataku-sama would never do that. He has his faults, but he's too honorable to murder innocents."

"Honor has nothing to do with it," Sora called from her seat on the nearby couch. She was determined to look as uninterested as possible, though her curiosity was almost as insatiable as Kaze's. "If word gets around that the Takkan army is blasting its way through Konan, the common people will start to hate us. And, once we've conquered Konan, those same people may attempt to revolt. Of course it would be no trouble for an army like ours to subdue a few peasant rebellions, but it would cause unnecessary damage and loss of life." She stuffed her head back into her scroll, though her eyes kept peeking over the edge to glance at Mizu's crystal. "It's a simple matter of strategy, Tsuchi-kun."

"Then why didn't Kutou do that during _its_ invasion?"

"Because Kutou was an Empire, not a small nation, and they had both the land mass and the population size to withstand whatever sort of damage a few pockets of rebellion might produce." She shrugged. "It isn't the course of action _I_ would have taken..."

"Especially since it kinda resulted in th' destruction of our hometown," Kaze grumbled under his breath. "I almost hope Setsuka-sama wants t'keep buildin' her empire after we defeat Konan. I wouldn't mind havin' a go at good ol' Kutou someday—"

"Found them," Mizu said, pointing at her crystal. "There's the army you wanted to see so badly, Kaze. It looks like they've almost reached the capital."

Kaze's attention jerked back to the girl, and his golden eyes flared with excitement. "And th' sooner they get t'that city, th' sooner they fail an' we get t'prove ourselves."

Sora set her book down again and rubbed at her temples. "Perhaps Taiyou was right. You should learn some patience, my friend, and you _definitely_ shouldn't wish so hard for a battle. The gods have unusual senses of humor – those who seek violence often find an early death."

Kaze's laugh was harsh. "Death? Only fer those Konan fighters, Sora-chan." He was the only person who could call her that and live, though he still received a death glare from across the room. The youth just laughed and blew a teasing kiss at his childhood friend.

Tsuchi frowned and fiddled with his headband. "I understand that her Ladyship is fulfilling a legend and all, but isn't there some way to do it without causing all this bloodshed?"

"Big surprise here, healer-boy's scared," Kaze taunted. He flicked a blue pellet across the table at the other boy, flashing him a sarcastic grin. "What're you so nervous about anyway? You don't have t'fight. All you an' Mizu-chan gotta do is sit around here and be good little pets for her Ladyship."

"I just hate fighting, is all," the boy said quietly. "Why do you want to kill so badly? I'd think after all you and Sora-senpai went through during the war, you'd want to stay far away from another mess like that."

Sora frowned at the younger Element's somewhat accusing question. "It isn't the killing, Tsuchi-kun, but the battle that I enjoy. There is a certain thrill, an excitement in the perfect downwards strike, in the learning of a new technique, in the defeat of a worthy opponent." He opened his mouth to argue, but Sora only shook her head and returned to her scroll. "You don't have fighting blood, Tsuchi-kun. You would never understand."

Kaze snickered, neatly avoiding Tsuchi's question. "Besides, 'Her Royal Highness' wants us t'do it. Ain't it reason enough that we be good little pets and do as she says?"

Mizu hushed him, peering into the crystal intently. "_Mite kudasai_! They're setting camp. That means the war will begin in the morning."

oOo

Kiori lay back on Chichiri's robe, yawning and patting her stomach. On one side of her lay an almost-finished bowl of food – just a few scraps of rice and shrimp speckled its edges – and on the other an equally full and drowsy monk. "Oh, I'm stuffed, but my mouth still wants more! They aren't short of good food around here, are they?"

"The cooks know all sorts of recipes no da," Chichiri agreed. He stretched his arms and put them behind his head, looking up at the ceiling through a half-closed lid. Kiori followed suit, but as she stretched something on her upper arm – she had rolled up her blouse's sleeves to eat – caught the monk's eye.

Kiori felt him watching her. "Something wrong?"

Chichiri nodded to the long, pink scar that ran from the young woman's elbow to her wrist. "That's pretty nasty no da. How'd you get something like that?"

Kiori rubbed the spot he was talking about. She sat up, looking away. "Oh. I got this six months ago, before I moved to Tokyo..." she trailed off; she didn't like to think about that, and she especially didn't like to talk about it. Even with someone she trusted.

Chichiri must have sensed her distress, because a moment later a comforting hand fell on her shoulder. "If you don't want to talk about it, that's all right no da. I understand."

Kiori had been watching the ground as she rolled down her sleeves, but at his comment her head lifted again. She turned, open surprise in her emerald eyes. "You do?"

"Sure. Everyone has something they hate talking about no da."

Kiori relaxed again. She even managed to flash her most cheerful smile, though it still held a hint of sorrow around the edges. "Maybe so, but it's hard to believe that a happy guy like you would have anything dark on his mind, Chichiri."

He smiled, a little wistfully, and perhaps a little sadly as well. "It does, doesn't it?"

The young woman almost asked what he meant by that, but was cut off by a loud rap on the door of the room. "Chichiri-sama! Chichiri-sama, are you in there?"

The two exchanged looks; they didn't recognize the voice, but it sounded urgent. The monk crossed the room in a few easy steps, unlocking the door and sliding it open. A boy of about fifteen stood in the doorway. "What's wrong no da?"

"Oh, Chichiri-sama," he bowed hurriedly. "I'm very sorry to bother you, but the Empress requests the presence of the Konan warriors."

The pair hurried out of the room, following the boy's quick pace. The college girl was nearly bursting with questions. "Why does she need us? And what's going on, um…?" Kiori realized she didn't know her guide's name.

"My name is Shibuya Aoi," he supplied. "And I'm taking you to the Empress because we just found out—" he turned a corner and ran straight into Akai, who was followed closely by Tasuki and Ritsuka.

"Ouch!" Akai took a few steps back, rubbing at her sore head. She smiled through the slight pain, at both the Konan warriors and at the boy leading them. "Oh, Aoi-kun! And Chichiri-sama, and Kiori-san." She offered the pair a short bow, then turned her attention back to their guide. "Are you taking them to meet the Empress?"

"_Hai_," Aoi replied. He fell into step with the Palace Warrior, and the two led the way down the twisting corridors to the Empress' chamber.

Ritsuka glared at her friends. "Glad to see you finally made an appearance."

"Yeah. An' Chichiri, th' next time ya go out drinkin', you better not ferget me," the bandit growled. He fluttered his eyelashes and imitated a woman's voice. "Oh cutie, this could only be made better if that handsome friend of yours was here!" He switched voices. "Ah, he was crampin' my style no da. There's plenty of monk love to go around no da."

Kiori raised an eyebrow. "Monk love? Isn't that an oxymoron?"

Chichiri popped him over the head. "Ignore him, he's just being an idiot. And your impression of me is terrible no da!"

Akai sighed at the seishi's argument and turned her attention to the _real_ issues of the evening. "Aoi, do you have any idea what's going on? A servant just told me to find the others and meet in the Empress's private chamber."

"And they didn't tell you _anything_?" She shook her head. Aoi fiddled with the lining of his shirt, glancing up towards the Konan Wall nervously. "One of the sentries spotted campfires in the nearby woods. Takkan's army has arrived!"

oOo

_"'The five warriors and their companion quickened their pace, rushing to meet the Empress. The enemy had finally come, and at dawn the war for Konan would begin.'"_ Keisuke set down the book for a moment, but only paused long enough to take a sip of his beer. "End Chapter Four."

* * *

**_Author's Mundane Ramblings: June 11, 2005; 4:18 PM_**

Hao, minna-san!  
Well, summer has finally arrived, and with it comes a tiny bit of free time for yours truly! I would've had this chapter out earlier, in fact, but I wound up adding a lot of little dialogue here and there, so it took a bit longer than expected. No real "changes," in this one, though I did add some detail to Chichiri & Houki's discussion, and quite a lot of detail to that final scene with the Elements. I really want to add a little more personality to the Elements early on, so I can focus on the Konan characters later on in the story, so for all you FY:NC veterans out there, look for a little more personal detail for our so-called antagonists!

Not much else to say, is there? I hope everyone's having a lovely summer so far, and I'll see you all in the next installment (which might be another month or so away... there are a _ton_ of edits I need to take care of for that baby!). Take care!

Your Authoress – Dee


	5. Episode Five: A New Battle

**_Disclaimer_:** I still don't own Konan, Suzaku and all characters and seishi pertaining to them. Kiori and Ritsuka are and shall forever be mine, and that holds for everyone in Takkan and all the other "originals" as well (you'll know 'em when they appear, trust me). Obviously the story is mine as well.  
_**Rating:** _PG-13, for moderate language and violence.

**Translation Note:  
**Akai - Red  
Aoi - Blue  
Murasaki - Purple

* * *

**--Episode Five: A New Battle--**

Keisuke wasted no time in beginning the fifth chapter. His legs bounced with anxiety and a sort of guilty anticipation as he flipped the page and began._ "'As the sun rose into the sky, a pair of Takkan soldiers squabbled over breakfast in their new camp...'"_

oOo

"Neeee, Kirei-chaaaan!" a young male soldier tugged at his female companions' sleeve. "Don't hog all the fish, I'm hungry too!"

The one called Kirei glared back at him, holding the tiny perch just out of his reach. "I caught it while you were sleeping, you great lazy bum, so stop complaining and let me eat in peace!"

"But I'm starvin', an' you don't gotta go into battle like I do, you're jus' one-a the cooks. C'mon, be a sport Kirei-chan...!"

"Would you stop calling me that? No one's called me that since I was a child."

"Kirei-chan Kirei-chan Kirei-chaaaan!" the male soldier stuck his tongue out at the girl, who promptly grabbed it between her thumb and forefinger and nearly yanked it out of his mouth. "Itetetete...!"

The soft crunch of grass caught the pair's attention. Kirei, still keeping a firm hold on her friend's tongue, glanced up to see a dark green cloak sweep between the trees. Her brow creased as she caught the flash of a brown topknot and the glinting hilt of a sword thumping at the man's waist. "Ne, Tori-kun, isn't that the shogun, Watanabe Hataku-sama?"

"Eh?" Unable to move his head, the boy turned his eye towards the noises. He only saw the tiniest bit of cloak and boot, but recognized the forest-colored uniform immediately. "Uh, bat's 'im. I bonder but he'b doink oud 'ere?"

"I dunno, but I wouldn't mind finding out," she said in a low whisper. Kirei scowled at him and released his tongue from her grasp. "And don't talk with hand in your mouth."

The boy called Tori rubbed at his tongue and glared at his friend, but he stood and followed her through the forest. The pair tip-toed behind the shogun, careful to avoid any twigs or stones that might give away their presence. Before long they caught up to the army's leader, who had halted at the edge of the clearing. Hataku leaned up against a nearby sycamore, glaring with unusual intensity across the sunlit plain and towards the Konan palace. He shrugged his shoulders restlessly and began to pace, still shooting thoughtful glances at the open field from time to time. Kirei followed his movement, really taking in her leader for the first time since she'd join the forces.

Hataku had an air about him that commanded respect; he was lithe and sinuous, with a natural, deadly grace to his movements, and the look of a true hunter in his eyes. Kirei had to admit that he was a handsome man, in the same sort of proud, dangerous way that a tiger might be considered handsome. And, like a tiger, she didn't think she'd ever want to get too close to him. His eyes held the knowledge of a thousand victories and defeats, and the willingness to use that knowledge whenever necessary. He wasn't the shogun simply for his good looks, after all.

"I'm gonna get dizzy if he keeps pacin' 'round like that," Tori grumbled at her side; his female comrade cuffed him sharply but quietly over the head.

"Aren't you afraid of him at all?" she asked. "If he caught us out here..."

"We'd get exactly what we deserved: a tongue-lashin' t'end all tongue-lashin's, an' about three weeks' worth of extra chores," the youth explained with a wave of his hand. "He isn't someone ya want on yer bad side, Kirei-chan, but at least ya always know where ya stand. Now, on the other hand... eh?"

A strange shimmering at the edge of the forest halted his words. The pair watched, wide-eyed, as that same patch of sky flickered once, twice, and then settled into the shape of a young golden-eyed boy. His round face framed by chin-length silver bangs showed that he wasn't much younger than the two soldiers, though he possessed a look of such cold reasoning that he appeared quite a bit older than the pair hiding in the bushes. He bowed low, his braid swishing over his shoulder at the action, and moved back so the figure behind him could step forward.

Kirei clapped a hand to her mouth to stifle her gasp. The boy's companion was none other than the Lady of Takkan.

"Now on the other hand," Tori finished weakly. "There's _her_."

"Ah, my dear shogun," Setsuka said with a smile. She glided across the clearing to greet Hataku, who touched his forehead to the ground respectfully before rising to await her orders. "I apologize for scheduling this meeting so early. I do hope you slept well?"

"Well enough," he agreed. He kept his tone clipped and careful, as if afraid to show even a hint of emotion. "I await your orders, my Lady."

Setsuka pulled a scroll out from the folds of her robe and handed it to the shogun. "Here are our terms as you requested, though I doubt they shall be answered. Konan has a habit of being painfully stubborn against enemies it knows it cannot beat."

The shogun unrolled the parchment and skimmed its contents. His eyes widened for the barest of moments, but he regained control and glanced up.

"Is there a problem, Hataku?"

Still as cautious as ever, he said, "My Lady, your reasons are vague but believable, and the terms of surrender are in order, but... why do you want to have the seishi turned over as prisoners?"

"Because, my dear shogun," she said, and her eyes flashed such malice that Kirei felt a shudder ripple down her spine, "it would be foolish of me to annihilate an entire empire, so I'm doing the next best thing. I'll destroy the people's greatest symbol of freedom and hope. That's all I really wanted in the first place." A private, secretive smile flitted across her features, a smile that only Hataku was meant to understand. "Seizing Konan may be my ultimate goal, and we may tell them that it's because we want more land for our growing population, but you know very well that Takkan's glory is only the half of it."

"Revenge, then?" Hataku muttered.

"In more ways than you could possibly understand," she whispered, running a hand through her long golden hair.

"My Lady, if I may speak freely, your father—"

"You may _not _speak freely, Hataku, and you will not be so hasty to assume that you can," Setsuka snapped. "Just because you are my second in command, just because I have given you the privilege of sitting at the right side of my throne when our conquest is complete... that does _not_ give you the right to assume that we are equals." She spat out her next words like venom. "It is not your job to think, Shogun-sama. It is your job to win me an empire."

Hataku clenched his fists at his sides, but he did not press the argument. "Hai, Setsuka-sama."

The Lady of Takkan glanced down to smooth at the edges of her robes, her violent mood gone as quickly as it had arrived. "Now," she began, "when they do not accept the terms of surrender, you shall formally declare war and leave. Gather your men and attack later this afternoon. You are to test the strength of Konan's forces and put a bit of pressure on them, but that's all."

"My Lady—"

"Please don't make me repeat myself, my dear shogun," she glanced up at him through the wisps of her bangs, one hand shooting out to cup his cheek lightly in her palm. The action harbored no affection, however, and Hataku stiffened in her hold. "You _will_ obey my orders, won't you?"

Her nails prodded at his skin, ever so slightly. He nodded once. "Of course, my Lady."

"Excellent." Setsuka released him with both hand and eyes and turned to face the silver-haired Element waiting at the edge of the clearing. "Tsuki, we are finished here. I am ready to return to the palace."

"As you wish, my Lady." The youth set a hand lightly on his mistress' shoulder, and the two disappeared.

Hataku all but collapsed against a nearby tree, heaving a sigh and running a hand across his sweat-drenched brow. Kirei frowned. "Ne, Tori-kun, do you think Shogun-sama's actually _afraid_ of her?"

"Ain't you?" he asked.

"Well, of course _I _am, but that's completely different. Shogun-sama isn't—"

"Deaf, for one thing," someone growled. The pair jerked their heads up, staring wide-eyed at Hataku. He hadn't moved from his spot by the tree, and he kept his head turned away from them, but there was no mistaking who his words were meant for. "Your workloads have already been tripled. If you don't want to be sent back home to the palace dungeons, then I'd suggest you keep your knowledge to yourselves and learn how to make a quick escape. When a spy is caught, typically they are..."

He continued his explanation of what happened to a captured spy, but neither of the young soldiers stuck around to listen. With shrieks of fear they scampered back through the woods, completely forgetting about the half-eaten fish waiting at their campsite.

oOo

Akai dashed into the Empress' throne room, ducking quickly to the floor in a low bow. "Houki-sama, I'm sorry for bothering you, but a group of Takkan soldiers has arrived. It looks like they want to discuss their terms," she glanced up through her bangs, watching the older woman's calm features. "What should I tell them?"

Houki stood with a swish of skirts. "You need not relay any messages, Akai. I will go there and speak with them directly. There may be a chance that I can end this before it begins, however small that chance may be."

"Are you sure that's smart?" the girl wondered. She winced and bowed lower, practically driving her forehead into the floor. "Ah, not meaning to question your Majesty's judgment of course! It's just, if there was a trap, and you were hurt—"

"Are Chichiri and Tasuki there?"

She looked up. "Um, yes, all the Konan Warriors are on the wall."

Houki smiled. "Then I doubt that I will have anything to worry about."

Akai grinned, nodding in agreement. "That's true. I bet they could wipe out the whole army on their own."

"Let us not put _too_ much responsibility upon them."

oOo

Hataku shaded his eyes from the morning sun, watching as the stately, female figure looked out over the ramparts. A soft yet commanding voice called down to him. "How may I help you?"

It didn't take the general long to realize the Empress herself had come to the meeting. Hataku nodded his head out of respect, but didn't waste too much time on formalities. He glanced back up again, trying to meet her gaze from atop the wall. "Your Majesty, I have been sent by Setsuka-sama of Takkan to deliver terms."

"Terms?" Houki feigned ignorance. "Terms of what, sir?"

"Conquest, if you will," he answered shortly. Hataku unrolled the scroll Setsuka had given him and read out in a clear voice: "I, Shogun Watanabe Hataku of the Takkan Army, hereby deliver the terms requested by Setsuka-sama, Ruler of Takkan, daughter to the late Rei Toushi-sama, conqueror of Takkan and former commander of the Takkan Revolutionary Army..."

Tasuki's head popped up over the wall. "Jus' read th' damn terms, messenger-boy!"

Hataku's eyes narrowed, but he went on without complaint. "Here they are, then. Setsuka-sama wishes to merge the lands of Konan and Takkan, and to sit on the dual throne of both kingdoms. She demands that the control of Konan be turned completely over to her capable hands, militarily, economically, and socially. She demands that the current line of Emperors abdicate their position. If they do so without a fight they will be exiled but unharmed. She insists that any who oppose her rule shall be exiled, without question or trial, and those that attempt to fight back will be killed to the last man. Finally, she requests that Konan surrender its two remaining seishi into her hands, so that they may be dealt with as she sees fit."

Ritsuka winced from behind the rampart. "Geez, what's she got against you guys?" Tasuki and Chichiri shrugged.

Houki set her jaw angrily. "Those are terms I could never agree to!"

"If our demands are not met, my army and I shall take Konan by force," Hataku warned, though he knew there would be no change of opinion. "And, as our Lady has stated, that will put the lives of everyone in the capital city in danger."

The Empress spread her hands in a gesture of both peace and confusion. "Shogun Watanabe-sama, what has Konan ever done to force such an attack? We have always been allied with Takkan. It seems as if this conflict has arrived out of the blue."

"Conflict and conquest are entirely different matters, Empress," Hataku answered. "Will you reconsider?"

"Never!" several voices cried back.

"Then consider this a formal declaration of war," the shogun replied. He turned on his heel and marched off, the small contingent of soldiers in his wake.

Aoi, the boy who had escorted them to the Empress the night before, glanced at Akai and winced. "He certainly knows how to make an exit."

She laughed. "That pompous jerk thinks he's tough now, but he hasn't gone up against a seishi yet."

"Sou (That's true)," Aoi glanced at the retreating contingent. "I guess he'll be back before long, and with an army at his back. I'd better get my bow."

Kiori heard the remark. "Bow? You mean _you're_ a fighter, too?" He nodded and the young woman sweatdropped. "Um, no offense, but does Konan usually hire children to do its fighting?"

Akai bristled at the word "children," but Aoi just chuckled. "It's nothing like that," he assured her. "After that Tenkou incident a few years ago, her Majesty realized the kingdom needed someone to lead the army and protect the people in case of another attack. She called all the warriors in the area – men, women, boys and girls – together for a tournament to see who would become the 'Palace Champion.' The top four were allowed to stay in the palace to train, and help with protecting the empire. Akai won of course, but I snuck in as a runner-up."

"You mean you beat a bunch of full-grown warriors?" Ritsuka gaped.

Aoi chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, but Akai kicked my butt pretty easily. I've still got a long way to go if I want to be as good as _her_."

The warrior girl blushed. "Oh, c'mon Aoi, don't say that! You've really improved too, you know!"

He shrugged off her compliment with a quiet "maybe," but couldn't hide the smile of pride that twitched across his face. "Anyway, I might head over to the south wall – I heard they need some extra fighters – so I probably won't see you until the battle's over. Stay safe, Akai, and try not to embarrass those Takkan soldiers _too_ badly."

Akai waved as he trotted down the steps. Kiori and Ritsuka grinned at the still-blushing teenager.

"Oh, I _do_ wish you'd come back," Kiori cooed.

"Killing enemies holds no joy without you by my side," Ritsuka added.

Akai's eyes narrowed. "What are you implying?"

"We aren't 'implying' anything, we're saying it straight out," Ritsuka cupped her hands under her chin and sang, "Akai-chan likes Aoi-kun!"

"I do not!"

"Why are you blushing then?" Kiori pried.

"It's hot!"

"It's barely seventy degrees!"

"A Palace Warrior doesn't have time to concern herself with relationships!" Akai snapped, touching her sword hilt in a silent warning.

Ritsuka snickered and held up her hands. "Okay, okay, just answer this."

"What?"

"Will you name your kid Murasaki (Purple)?"

Akai's eyebrow twitched. "Ritsuka-saaaaan..."

Tasuki hand swept up in front of the girls, halting their conversation. "Oi, hold off th' gossip fer a sec an' lookit this." They followed his pointing finger over the wall and out across the field towards a sea of soldiers, all in the forest green of Takkan, marching straight for the capital.

Kiori's breath caught in her throat, and the first wave of terror she'd felt in months swept across her spine. She had to set a hand against the rampart so she wouldn't turn tail and run right there, but she did manage to gasp out a disbelieving: "_We_ have to fight _them_!"

"And that's not counting those Elements with their magical God-knows-what powers." Ritsuka kept her tone steady and sarcastic, but couldn't hide her sudden paleness. "This is turning into a _lovely_ little war."

Chichiri's hand tightened on his staff. "Ne, Tasuki? How does that old Reikaku saying go? 'It isn't the size of the sword, but the skill of the wielder...' is that it no da?"

Tasuki pulled his tessen out of its sling and chuckled. "This ain't _exactly_ th' kinda situation it's s'posed t'be used in, 'Chiri. Still, I'd say it fits pretty damn well."

"Houki-sama," Akai said suddenly, remembering the Empress at her side. "Please go back to the palace, where's it's safe. We can handle things here."

The Empress hesitated for the briefest of moments, then nodded and hurried back the way she had come.

"Some of them are splitting up," Akai remarked. "Pass the word down the line for the soldiers to spread out, but not too thin. I expect a four-sided attack." To her surprise, the men followed their young champion's order without question. Though at this point, she noted with a crooked smile, the frightened Konan army probably would have followed orders from a bowl of noodles.

"How many did you count no da?" Chichiri hissed in Tasuki's ear.

"Impossible t'tell. I'm guessin' at least seven thousand."

"I'm sensing over ten thousand life forces," Chichiri told him. "We have our work cut out for us no da."

The other seishi nodded. "We're outnumbered at least three to one, an' from th' way their shogun acted I'm willin' t'bet they know how t'use their forces." He glanced at Chichiri out of the corner of his eye and tightened his grip on his tessen. "Better not let th' girls know that, though. Akai-chan thinks we're gods an' Kiori 'n' Red're both nervous. It's only their first battle; I hope they come out okay."

"We'll make sure they do," Chichiri responded. He flashed a thumbs-up and a small smile. "We take care of our seven, remember na no da?"

Tasuki nodded again, a deep determination filling his amber eyes. "This time, we lose no one."

oOo

From the back of the army, Hataku viewed the situation with more confidence than he'd felt in a long time. On the north side of the Konan Wall there only seemed to be a thousand to fifteen hundred soldiers; if the soldiers were evenly spread, it was unlikely that their numbers were above six thousand.

_'Outnumbered and outclassed,'_ he thought, and even allowed a fleeting smile to pass across his somber features. _'This victory will be an easy one.'_

He almost raised the order for a full-out attack, but stopped as he remembered the words of the Lady he served. _"You are to test the strength of Konan's forces and put a bit of pressure on them, but that is all."_

Inwardly, Hataku seethed. On the outside, however, he remained composed and called to his captains. "I want a careful attack! Test their strengths! Focus your attention on the main gates, but don't attempt to break through! There are two seishi among them, so be cautious!"

oOo

Kiori watched the advancing soldiers, swallowing hard. She gripped the bow in her hands to quell her trembling, but the weapon just rattled along with her body. "Ritsuka? Are you nervous?"

"No," the redhead snapped back. She hesitated. "Maybe... a little. You?"

"Terrified," her friend answered truthfully. "There's a lot of soldiers down there, and a lot of arrows to go with them, and we've never done anything like this before... do you think we can survive something like this?"

Ritsuka glanced over at Akai, Tasuki, and Chichiri, all of whom faced the enemy and looked ready for anything. She flashed a crooked grin. "You're welcome to _try_ getting killed, but I don't think they're gonna let you."

Kiori tried a smile that fell short. "Guess so."

"They're in range!" Akai shouted.

Half a second later a shower of arrows sailed over the wall, rattling the ramparts and the steps behind them. The girls managed to duck just in time, though Ritsuka saw a slower soldier take a shaft through his shoulder. Once the volley ended, several Konan archers sprang up and fired back at the oncoming soldiers. They were rewarded with surprised shouts from below, and the war for Konan had begun.

Tasuki popped up with the second string of archers and tried to pull his tessen out. The arrows plinked off his fan – its shining metal was like a beacon in the sunlight – and forced him back below the wall. "Kuso, they've got good trainin'. I don't have time t'get off a single decent blast."

Chichiri frowned. "If I tried to say a spell, they'd turn me into a pincushion no da."

Tasuki snatched up a bow and some nearby arrows. "Guess we'll have t'do this the old-fashioned way, then!" He jumped up, fired, and dropped back down – after seeing his arrow take an enemy through the eye. The thrill of battle rushed through his veins and he couldn't help but let out a tiny, sarcastic chuckle. "One down, a whole shitload t'go." The seishi looked over and noticed that his friend had begun inching away. "Oi, where ya headin' Chichiri?"

"I'm going to go check on the south wall, see if they need any help no da," he explained. "The forces should be thinner on that side, so maybe I can get off some attacks over there. Keep an eye on the girls no da."

Tasuki saluted, flashing a cocky grin. "Yokai (Roger), Seishi-sama. One eye on th' girls, one on th' battle – shouldn't be too hard fer a super-bandit like me."

oOo

Kiori came up to fire and missed her mark by several feet. Her next shot fell short. The college girl swore under her breath. "C'mon baka," she grumbled to herself, "you don't want to look like an idiot in front of everyone, do you?"

She popped back up, pulled her bow taut, and let fly. Her third shot struck one soldier in the arm. Kiori took a breath and managed a small smile of triumph. At least she was hitting something now. She glanced over to see Akai smoothly sailing arrows down every few seconds, as if it was as simple as breathing.

The young woman gritted her teeth. "Just like Akai," she murmured. The college girl came up, aimed for a spot between a soldier's helmet and breastplate, and fired.

The flying missile pierced straight through the soldier's neck. The unknown man opened his mouth in a silent screech, clawed at the arrow for one horrible second, then stumbled backwards. His eyes turned upwards, and Kiori felt the faraway man's gaze land directly on hers. It all happened within seconds, but to the college girl watching, it seemed years. Then without a sound he toppled backwards and his body relaxed inside his armor. He was dead before he hit the ground.

Kiori watched it all in frozen horror, watched as _her_ arrow, shot from _her_ bow, tore through the air, tore right into that man; watched as he scrambled desperately for some kind of breath, some kind of hope, though of course there was none; watched as his eyes seemed to stare straight into hers, if only for a moment, asking for some kind of answer; watched as the blood soaked his uniform; and finally watched as his life was snuffed from his body. All because of her.

The college woman took a few steps backwards, collapsing against the inner rampart. Her bow clattered against the stones as she clasped both hands over mouth, still staring over the wall towards the spot where she knew the man had fallen. "Oh God," she whispered, certain that she was going to be sick. "Oh, dear God…"

Akai noticed the pale girl leaning against the wall. She scrambled over, ducking several arrows in the process. "Kiori-san? Doshita no (What's wrong)? You didn't – were you hit?"

She shook her head, still fighting back that retching feeling in her stomach. "Akai…" she murmured, glancing up at the warrior girl. "Did you, did I just… did you see…?"

"You shoot that guy? Mm. It was a good shot, Kiori-san."

"Oh, God," she gasped, curling her knees to her chest. A tiny part of her had been hoping that Akai would say it had been someone else's arrow; that hers had missed its mark again. Only now… "Oh, God," she said again, finally pushing back some of her sickness and putting her head between her knees. "So I just... I just killed that man."

Akai frowned. "Well, yeah, that happens in war."

Kiori shook her head, feeling tears at the corners of her eyes. "No. No, it isn't supposed to happen like this. They don't… they don't _tell_ you that it happens like this! They don't tell you about all the blood, about the sight of someone else's life just _ending_… and they don't tell you about that look, Akai, they don't tell you about that horrible _question_ in their eyes right before… that man was only doing his job, and I killed him!"

Akai sighed, rubbing at her temples. "Look, Kiori-san... I know it's hard, when you find out it isn't like it is in the stories. But we're fighting in a war; you have to remember that. He would've killed you first and you know it."

"Yeah, but..." Kiori looked up into her comrade's red-violet eyes, surprised by the matter-of-fact sureness in that young gaze. "Doesn't it _bother_ you? Doesn't it bother you at all, Akai?"

The young warrior looked away, glancing over the wall. "I need to keep fighting. We're outnumbered as it is, and I'm one of the better archers." She continued to avoid eye contact with the older woman as she picked her way back to her spot on the wall. "Stay here 'till it's over. If you feel better later, go ahead and try again. If not, just wait until the battle's over. No sense in trying to go back to the palace and getting killed by a stray arrow."

Kiori nodded blankly, watching as Akai went back to raining arrows of death down on the surrounding Takkan enemies. The college girl glanced down at her bow, still lying where she'd let it fall. She reached down to pick it up, and to try again, like Akai had suggested – but at the last second, she felt that man's eyes on her again, felt them staring straight into her heart, demanding to know _why_...

The college girl knocked the weapon out of her reach with one swift kick. She put her head between her knees, feelings hot tears of mixed sorrow and frustration well up in her green eyes. "You coward," she cursed quietly. "You're nothing but a stupid, useless coward."

oOo

Ritsuka had to admit that she was doing an excellent job for her first day. Every shot she took hit its mark – an arm here, a leg there, and just for fun, a jarring shot to the top of a helmet every once in a while. The whole thing felt like a delicious game back in the archery rings at home, _and_ she was causing damage among the ranks at the same time.

She smiled as one of her arrows went through a Takkan soldier's left arm. She ducked back down, scrambling over to a pile of unused arrows. Her hand touched one just as a man on her right did the same.

"Oh, sorry Ojou-san (Miss)," he said, letting her have the shaft. He paused for a moment, staring intently at the top of the girl's head. "Oi… you're that girl who always whips everyone in the rings, aren't ya?"

"That's me," she agreed with a grin, popping up and hitting a man in the leg.

"Why'd y'do that?" he asked. "I never seen you miss a target before."

"I _hit_ my target," she snapped back. "I took him out of action, didn't I?"

The man chuckled, firing and hitting a soldier hard in the shoulder. "The only way to take an enemy out of action is t'kill him. You oughta know that, Konan Warrior."

Ritsuka frowned. "As thrilling of an idea as that is, I think I'll pass."

He laughed, shaking his head. "Well, I guess I shouldn't have expected much less from a girl."

The young woman punched him square in the jaw. "So you think I'm some little girl, is that it?" She gritted her teeth and jerked back to the battle, leaving the man twitching on the rampart. "Fine, then – I'll show you what this 'little girl' can do."

Ritsuka came up, took aim for a man's chest, and fired with all the power she possessed. The shaft buried itself almost up to its feathers in his breast; the soldier stumbled forward, slumping against another of the Takkan soldiers. His comrade shrugged the other man off and continued his fight; there was no need to support a dead man, after all.

_A dead man?_

The thought struck Ritsuka like a ton of bricks. "Holy..."

Tasuki happened to look over and see the redheaded woman standing up against the ramparts. For whatever reason, she seemed frozen to the spot: a perfect target. "Red! Get down!" He dove forward and shoved her back just as an arrow flew past the place where her head had been.

The college girl's elbow hit the stone floor hard, snapping her out of her trance. Tasuki cursed, clambering off of her. "Dammit, Red, didn't they teach you in yer damn Archery Club that yer s'posed t'_duck_ after you fire? You gave me a heart attack! I thought that arrow was gonna _kill_ you, you idiot!"

The redhead blinked. "Tasuki...chan?" She shook her head as if to clear it. "Sorry, I just… wow, I didn't expect that to happen, but it was such a surprise, hitting the bulls-eye on a _guy_ instead of a target…"

"First kill, huh?" Tasuki interrupted. He sighed, sitting back on his heels and offering the young woman a hand. "Ah, don't worry about it, okay? It happens t'most everyone. C'mon, I'll help you up."

Ritsuka batted his hand away. "I don't _need_ anyone's help. I'm fine now. It was just a little shock, that's all." She crouched against the wall, dusting off her jeans.

Tasuki took up his bow, backing away. He muttered unhappily under his breath and returned to his old spot.

The redheaded college girl retrieved her bow as well, though it took her several seconds to stop her hands from shaking. Killing that soldier had been both easier and harder than she'd thought, but that wasn't the only reason she was trembling. If she'd stood there a second longer, she might've joined that man in the afterlife. The thought sent an extra shiver down the girl's spine. She glanced over her shoulder at the annoying bandit who had saved her life. "T…Tasuki-chan?"

"What now?" he growled, jerking his head to look at the redhead.

Ritsuka scowled. "It won't happen again, so don't think you need to hold my hand or something. But, uh..." she stared back at the wall and just barely managed to grumble out a grudging, "Arigatou, Tasuki-chan."

The seishi turned his head back to the battle, but was unable to stop the small smile at the corner of his mouth. "Don't call me that."

oOo

Hataku watched the fight from just out of arrow range and nodded confidently. The battle was clearly falling in his favor. "They're fighting like demons, but those Konan soldiers don't have the experience of my men," he murmured aloud. "A couple weeks of this and we just might have them beaten. Of course, if we gave it everything we had, that time could be cut in half... maybe less..."

Once again, he felt the urge to order a hard, full-out attack, and once more Setsuka's words came back like an angry whip: _"You _will_ obey my orders."_

His clenched fingers brushed at the welt on his cheek. Hataku mounted his horse and rode swiftly down the line, passing the word along. They would bide their time and retreat – for now.

oOo

"Hey, they're giving up!" Aoi cried from the top of the south wall. He and the other Konan soldiers twirled their unused swords and let out cries of victory.

"We won the battle!"

"Ha! Some warriors!"

"Couple-a decent fighters scared 'em away fast!"

"Takkan! Pah! They're all chickens!"

Chichiri smiled and leaned on his staff, watching the celebration from a distance. He decided to let them enjoy their small victory, even if he knew that this victory had nothing to do with Konan. Their people had been tiring, and though at the time the two sides had been about even, the tide had been turning in favor of Takkan.

_'Someone must have ordered that shogun to retreat no da,'_ Chichiri thought to himself, his worried expression hidden behind his smiling mask. _'What's Setsuka up to?'_

"Chichiri-sama?" Aoi called him back from his musings. "Do you think they'll be back?"

Chichiri looked down at the flushed boy and smiled. "Who knows? Looks to me like they've had enough for now no da."

Aoi fired an arrow out onto the body-littered field, raising his fists and shouting out another call of victory. Chichiri lead the boy off the ramparts. He laughed and joked along with Aoi, but he couldn't keep his mind away from the battlefield, and the crafty minds behind Takkan's strategy.

'_They'll be back, all right,'_ he murmured, chancing one last look at the horizon before the wall hid it from view. _'And something tells me that next time they won't just be testing our strengths no da.'_

oOo

Chichiri and Aoi swung by the infirmary to help with the injured, so they were the last to arrive in the dining room that evening. Ritsuka, Tasuki, Kiori and Houki sat around the table, though Ritsuka was the only one still inhaling food. Akai was nowhere to be found. "You probably have a lot to talk about," Aoi said, feeling a bit cowed in the presence of Empress, seishi, _and_ women from another world. "I guess this is where I make my exit, then. Jaa ne, Chichiri-sama." He bowed and left.

The monk heaved a sigh and sat down next to Tasuki, reaching across the table for the pitcher of steaming tea. "How did it go on your side no da?"

Tasuki shrugged. "Okay, I guess. We're all alive anyway," the bandit waved a hand to mean him and the girls. "About t'pass out, but alive."

"Those Takkan soldiers know how to fight," Ritsuka muttered into her fried noodles. "I thought this was gonna be exciting, but all it's been is exhausting, not to mention depressing as hell. I may just fall asleep in my bowl..."

"Can you make a guess on our casualties, or on theirs?" Houki inquired, her face tight with anxiety.

"I visited the sickbay a little while ago," Chichiri said. "105 dead, 330 badly wounded, and another four hundred or so with minor injuries no da."

"And Takkan?" Houki pried.

The monk shrugged and sipped pensively at his drink. The food on the table smelled delicious, but he didn't think he could handle a meal just yet. The blood and moans from the infirmary were still fresh in his mind. "It looked like at least five hundred were scattered about the battlefield, but some of those may only be injured. I couldn't begin to guess no da."

Tasuki didn't like the gloomy silence that followed. "We kicked some ass then, didn't we? One-oh-five is nothin' fer a big battle like that!"

"Try telling that to their families," Kiori murmured, head down and eyes on her half-empty cup.

Tasuki shifted and rubbed the back of his head. "Er, well... yer right, of course. I was jus' tryin' t'look on th' bright side, s'all." Kiori continued to stare numbly at the teacup; the bandit frowned. "Oi, you okay? You eat some bad rice 'r somethin'?"

"Kiori had a tough time today," Ritsuka explained. "I think I know how she feels. It's nowhere near as easy as they make it look on TV."

Tasuki decided not to ask what "TV" meant. "Yeah, th' first time's always th' hardest. It gets a little easier after that, though, after ya get over th' initial shock." Ritsuka nodded in agreement.

Kiori took a sip of her tea, never once looking up. "I can't do it," she announced, shaking her head as if to clear away the blood-stained images from earlier. "After the first time... I thought it wouldn't be so bad, but... I just kept thinking about him. I still am." Her shoulders trembled suddenly, and she gripped the cup tighter to keep them still. "I _couldn't_ do that again, not to anyone! It's just too cruel..."

Only the occasional cricket chirp from outside interrupted the silence that followed. "I know what you mean," Chichiri finally assured her. "But you don't need to worry about it, Kiori. Don't fight if you don't want to. Not everyone's built for battle no da."

The college woman said nothing for a moment. She looked up after a moment. "Where's Akai?"

Ritsuka blinked at the sudden question, then grabbed another bite of rice and shrugged. "She disappeared as soon as we got back to the palace. I think she said something about going over to the pond."

Tasuki stood, popping his back. "I better go find her. We need t'have a meetin' b'fore t'morrow. They're bound to attack again, an' we need Champion-chan t'help us get things set up."

"Let me go," Kiori offered, practically slamming her cup onto the table. "You're all exhausted, and I haven't done hardly anything today, so... so I'll go find her, okay?" She hurried out of the room before anyone could protest.

Once the college girl had departed, Houki sighed. "Poor girl. She truly wishes to assist with this war, and since she cannot fight she feels useless." A tiny, wistful smile flitted across the Empress' face. "I suppose I understand her feelings."

Tasuki sat back down and shoveled a chopstick-full of noodles into his mouth. "Yeah, Chichiri oughta go talk t'her."

The chibi monk almost fell out of his chair. "N-nani? Me! Why volunteer me na no da?"

Tasuki pointed his chopsticks at his friend. "Yer a good listener, plus th' two of ya had some kinda 'bonding time' yesterday, ain't that what'cha told me? You even used some of her ki. And th' only way I know how t'do that is the way Nakago and Soi did..." his fangs glinted in a devilish smile.

Chichiri's eyebrow twitched. Ritsuka smirked. "Want me to smack him?"

"Could you, please?" A slap and a yell followed. Chichiri stood. "She did look pretty upset... Maybe I will go after her no da." Tasuki snickered and the monk frowned. "I didn't mean it like _that _no da." Tasuki continued to smile through a bite of shrimp. Chichiri's eyebrow twitched again. "Ritsuka, could you—?"

"Right-o!"

"OUCH!"

oOo

Kiori found Akai out by a big willow tree, sitting on one of the large roots that protruded from the soil and dipped into the nearby, crystal pond. She watched as the girl pulled off blossoming flowers from an overhead tree, placing them solemnly in the water and watching them drift away.

"Am I interrupting anything?" Kiori asked quietly.

If Akai was surprised to hear her, she didn't let it show. "Seventeen."

"Beg pardon?"

"Seventeen," she repeated, nodding towards the spinning white petals. "One for each of the warriors I killed today. And," she pulled off a willow branch thick with leaves and dipped it into the water, "for the sorrow of their families."

Kiori stepped out onto the large root and sat down next to the warrior, frowning in confusion. "Akai, I don't—"

But Akai was speaking before Kiori could ask her question. "Ever since I was little, I wanted to be the best fighter in Konan. The village I lived in was near a forest just crawling with oni (demons), so I was learning how to handle weapons from a pretty young age. Then, when I heard about the seishi, what great heroes they were, I decided to step up my practice routines into real training, and turn my little kid dreams into a reality. I loved the thrill of battle, the steady routines of learning different tricks and weapons," she paused for a moment. "And, I was pretty good. I guess that helped, too. I felt like I was destined to do great things, to destroy villains and demons and become a famous hero, just like the seishi. I never thought twice about it. Until two years ago."

Akai plucked another blossom from the tree, touching the petals one slim fingertip at a time. "Right before my journey to the palace, my village was raided. I stayed and made a stand with my family and friends. We banded together, and fought back, and we even won. But see, there was this woman, someone in the raiders' group, and she attacked my older brother. She had him down, and I thought she was going to kill him, I really did, so I just, I just grabbed my own sword and fought her back. I fought her back, and I managed to get the upper hand, and before I knew it my blade was sticking through her chest. There was blood everywhere, and I remember thinking how much that must have hurt, but then I looked up and realized that she couldn't feel it at all… she was already dead."

Neither girl noticed the seishi who walked up behind them.

"It's funny," Akai went on, "after all my workouts and training, I figured I'd do it mechanically and move on. But..." she sighed. "It took me by surprise." She looked down, chuckling darkly. "That night, I must've washed my hands about thirty times. It felt like I'd never get the blood off of them, like I'd never get the image of that woman out of my head."

"Then why do you still do it?" Kiori demanded. "How can you possibly stand to keep doing it, after that one time?"

"If you're looking for a secret charm, I don't have one," Akai answered. She stared at her reflection in the waters for a moment, then shrugged and leaned back against the willow. "Some people just... _can_. Besides, I have the Palace to protect, so I can't let my own weaknesses get in the way of my duty. But it doesn't really get any easier, not for me anyway. So... I suppose the flowers are my way of saying, 'Safe passage.' It helps get some of that blood off my hands a little quicker, and brush those images out of my mind a little faster." The warrior girl smiled thinly, watching as her seventeen blossoms drifted further out into the pond. "Strange, isn't it? A Palace Champion who doesn't like to kill?"

The girls fell into silence. Kiori glanced down and noticed Chichiri reflected in the pond. One of Akai's white blossoms danced lazily across his body, creating miniature ripples in the reflection's robe. He met her gaze in the water with a tiny smile, then quietly took a seat on the other side of Akai.

"No one really wants to die no da," he said after another pause. "Maybe that's why, no one ever really wants to _cause_ death no da."

Akai nodded. "Mm." She glanced up, looking first at Kiori and then at Chichiri. "Say..." she began with a tiny sweatdrop, "is there a reason that the two of you are out here?"

"Oh, right!" Kiori looked up, remembering her task. "Houki-sama wanted to talk about tomorrow's plans. She sent me out here to find you."

Akai stood, smoothing out her tunic. "I'd better head back, then. You coming?"

"In a minute," Kiori assured her. She watched the flower blossoms float lazily about the pool, waiting until Akai was out of hearing range before speaking to the monk. "Did the others send you out here as a personal counselor?"

"Something like that," Chichiri admitted. "We were all a little worried. Are you okay no da?"

She clenched her fists in her lap. "I'll live."

"That's not what I asked no da."

"I... I'm fine. Just sick of being useless, I guess," Kiori explained. "You, and Tasuki, and Ritsuka and Akai... even Houki-sama... all of you have something important to do, something that helps the empire." She stared hard at her tightened hands and gritted her teeth in disgust. "I wanted to help with the battle, I really did... but of course..." he waited for her to finish, but the college girl trailed off into silence. After a moment she stood, stepping lightly off the tree root and glancing towards the palace. "Well, Houki-sama and the others are waiting. We shouldn't hold the meeting off any longer than we need to, I'm sure everyone's exhausted, so—"

"You aren't useless no da." The remark was so sudden that Kiori's head snapped up, though she still kept her back to the monk's friendly gaze. Chichiri tilted his head and smiled his most reassuring smile, even though he knew she couldn't see it. "You really helped me out yesterday, and I'm sure you'll do everything you need to when the time comes. You wouldn't have been chosen if that wasn't the case. I truly believe in that choice, and in you, na no da."

"Confidence must be a nice thing to have," she murmured with a sigh. The young woman turned, clasping her hands behind her back and flashing a false smile in Chichiri's direction. "Let's go. It's getting dark, and I'm really starting to get hungry."

Yet despite the disheartening battle, Kiori found herself walking back to the palace with a bit more bounce than when she had left it. '_"I believe in you" he said. I don't think anyone's said that to me since grade school,'_ she mused as she neared the glowing windows of the dining room. '_And if someone like Chichiri can have faith in someone like me, then... then maybe I really _can_ do something, for once.'_

oOo

"'_The young woman and her seishi companion entered the dining room in comfortable silence, each lost in their own private thoughts about the battle that was, the battles that would be, and the thousands of lives that would be determined by it all.'_" Keisuke set the book down to rest both his eyes and his nerves. Why did he always get so involved in these stories? "End Chapter Five."

* * *

**_Ye Olde Free-Chat: July 13, 2005; 1:35 AM_**

Hello all!  
I know, I know, this one took almost a month to finally get out. My excuse? I was working on my other FY fanfic, not to mention I added and changed quite a bit to this "episode." The most noticeable difference is the starter scene between Setsuka and her shogun (previous readers will also enjoy the early introduction of a few _other_ characters). I really wanted to expand on Setsuka's reasons for attacking Konan – I was so vague in the original. Besides, I have a soft spot for Hataku, so don't be surprised if he gets a few extra scenes in these earlier chapters. _(smile smile)_

Something else the returning readers might have noticed: this chapter didn't used to end here. Because of that early scene (and some expansions I made to the battle sequences in both this and the next episode), "A New Battle" wound up being almost seventeen pages long. I know you guys are dedicated, but I didn't want you to have to digest _so much_ in one sitting, so I split the episode up at the best place I could find. If I find good stopping points, then you can expect that in later chapters as well, since I know some of my originals were unspeakably gigantic.

I guess those're all the "Creator Comments" for now! I hope the old readers like the changes and the new readers are enjoying the story as much as I enjoy writing it! This baby's only just begun, so get ready for one helluva ride! Feel free to post all questions, comments, and raging rants in the review boxes! I always love hearing from my readers!

Your Authoress—Dee


	6. Episode Six: New Surprises

**_Disclaimer_:** I still don't own Konan, Suzaku and all characters and seishi pertaining to them. Kiori and Ritsuka are and shall forever be mine, and that holds for everyone in Takkan and all the other "originals" as well (you'll know 'em when they appear, trust me). Obviously the story is mine as well.

_**Rating:** _PG-13, for moderate language and violence.

**Translation Notes:  
**Tasukete – Help me  
Ahou – A more "informal" way of saying baka (stupid)  
Warui – An informal way of saying gomen (sorry); it kinda translates to "my bad"

* * *

**--Episode Six: New Surprises—**

"Uh-huh, and so then what happened?" a female voice behind Keisuke asked.

The college boy yelped and whirled around, facing the speaker. "Y-Y-Yui?"

"Ye-ye-yes, Keisuke?" she asked with a sweet smile.

He stammered incoherently, pointing back and forth between her and her blushing boyfriend. "What – what in the world – how did you – what are you—?"

Yui sighed. "Baka. That 'hentai' (porno) thing didn't fool me for a second. I had the story out of Tetsuya before we were halfway to the theatre." Her boyfriend stood behind her and shrugged sheepishly. Yui snatched the book out of Keisuke's hands and studied the cover with a critical eye. "So, a sequel to _The Universe of the Four Gods._ Does Miaka know about this?"

Keisuke tried to wrestle it out of her grasp. "No, and I don't plan on telling her, and neither will you, understand?"

Yui pushed him away with one hand, accidentally causing him to fall off the couch. "Absolutely. But..." she frowned at the title, "how could these friends of yours get in here in the first place? All the Priestesses have been summoned, so…" she trailed off, examining the book from every angle as if it were a particularly impressive science project.

Tetsuya helped his friend back to his feet and took a seat on the couch next to Yui. "Keisuke was gonna explain that to me, too, right before you came in."

The other boy shrugged, scrambling into a chair opposite the couple. "I can't explain it exactly, but I _think_ that since it's a different book, the seal on the _Four Gods _doesn't apply to it. It has nothing to do with Priestesses and summoning gods, right? So the book has a completely different purpose than its prequel."

"I guess that makes sense," Yui agreed, more to herself than anyone else.

Tetsuya sighed, putting his hands behind his head. "Well, anyway, whatever the reason, we're not getting through it any faster sitting here yakking. Go ahead and read the next chapter, Yui-chan."

The girl obliged, snapping open the book and beginning at the top of the page. "_'The Lady of Takkan gazed into her shogun's tent through one of the Water Element's seeing crystals, watching as he paced back and forth restlessly...'_"

oOo

Hataku sipped at a small glass of a sake – it was the only way he allowed himself to celebrate small victories, even while his men drunk themselves into a stupor – and muttered unhappily under his breath about his Lady's orders. Setsuka saw and heard it all, one red-nailed finger tapping out a pattern on the arm of her throne. "He's hardly worth the time and energy," she said quietly, thinking aloud. "Nevertheless…" and here a vicious smile lit her lips, "this could become very amusing.

"Mizu-chan, you are excused. I have work for someone else, right now."

As the young Element hurried from the chamber, Setsuka pinched at the silver gem that hung on her necklace, mentally calling to one of her seven. Tsuki appeared before his Lady moments later, dressed in simple browns and greens and carrying a bow across his back. Setsuka smiled. "I do hope I'm not interrupting anything?"

"Ani-ue (Elder Brother) and I were hunting some game at the edge of the city," he replied, though his face didn't show if he was happy or upset about that.

"You are truly sons of Hokkan aristocrats," she chuckled. "Not that I blame you for enjoying a bit of sport now and again – stealth is a worthy skill for an Element."

"Was there something you needed, my Lady?" Tsuki asked as if he hadn't heard the woman's words. "Ani-ue will be upset if he has to walk all the way back to the palace."

Setsuka stood, setting a slim hand on the youth's shoulder and smiling down into that impassive face. "Take me to the tent of my shogun, please. And don't worry about your dear brother: I promise this will not take long."

oOo

Hataku shrugged off his cloak, thinking back over the near-victory he and his men could have achieved, and the reason for that victory's failure. "Damned orders... we could have scored a huge victory... instead we lost over five hundred men... it isn't much all things considered, but compared to their hundred or so... damned wall, damned orders..."

He pivoted just in time to see Setsuka and Tsuki teleport into the tent. Hataku stumbled back in surprise, but recovered from his shock with surprising speed. The shogun set his drink on a nearby table, kneeling and touching his forehead to the ground.

"How goes the war?" Setsuka asked.

Hataku hesitated, unsure of how to answer his Lady's questions. There were certain things that could be said before Setsuka, and certain things you didn't dare say, and the shogun had always had to tread a thin line between the two. "Permission to speak freely, my Lady?"

"Granted."

He stood once more, choosing his words as he went. "The war goes well – or it _should. _We outnumber them by at least four to three, if not more. Our army is better trained. By all rights we should have scaled the walls in a single evening. However..."

"Hm?"

"However, my Lady..." he gathered his courage and continued, "Your orders forbid it. Conquest would be simple if I were allowed complete control of the battle plans. But _you_ want to get your precious Elements into this so badly that you won't let me—"

Tsuki disappeared from Setsuka's side and reappeared directly behind the shogun, his hooked weapon pressed against Hataku's throat. He looked over the shogun's shoulder at his mistress with those cold, merciless eyes. "At your command, my Lady..."

"Leave him, Tsuki," she ordered, wondering for a moment why she didn't just kill the man and be done with it. But that was not something she would think about, not now. Setsuka actually smiled. "I apologize for Tsuki's behavior, Shogun-sama, but saying 'Elements' with such scorn is a direct insult against his dear elder brother. That does set him off a bit." The boy released his hold on the shogun and flashed back to Setsuka's side. She went on as if nothing had happened. "So the battle went well? Did the seishi give you no trouble?"

He snorted. "Nothing but a few arrows. There's nothing dangerous about anyone in that city."

"The sleeping lion is also considered harmless…" Tsuki remarked quietly, a note of danger in his tone, "until it awakens, that is."

The youth's blunt insolence flared up Hataku's already sparking temper. "Tell your pet to keep his nose out of his elder's business," he snapped before he could stop himself. The shogun flinched and watched his Lady carefully, knowing he had just crossed that razor-thin line.

But to his surprise, Setsuka laughed. "Very well then, Shogun-sama. Tomorrow do everything and anything you wish in battle. Freedom is yours."

Hataku couldn't believe his ears. "You mean that, Setsuka-sama?" she nodded. He touched his head to the floor once more, not knowing what else _to _do. He had never expected such an answer from his mistress; these days, he was lucky if she granted him the right to sleep without her direct orders.

"Come now, Tsuki," she said. "Back to the palace." He put a hand on her shoulder and the tent flickered out of a sight. Setsuka blinked; when she opened her eyes again they were back in her throne room.

"That was cruel of you, my Lady," Tsuki commented, taking his hand from her shoulder.

"But he said such nasty things about my dear Elements – I'd think you would be _glad _for my cruelty Tsuki-kun." Setsuka smiled at the youth, but the look was anything but friendly. "Hataku must learn his lesson sooner or later. Tomorrow will be as good a day as any."

oOo

Chichiri and Tasuki stood on the wall the next morning, watching the advancing Takkan soldiers. The monk frowned, noticing the new way their enemy moved: they had a purpose today, and they seemed excited about it. "I don't like this no da," he murmured, gripping his staff in one hand. "There's something about their life forces, especially their Shogun's…"

"I c'n sense it too, even without magic," Tasuki agreed. The bandit touched the tessen at his side, fingering the metal edges thoughtfully. "If we give 'em a chance, they might really put some heat on us t'day." He paused, thinking further, then grinned. "Unless _we_ put some heat on them, first."

Chichiri sensed his companion's plan, and regarded it with mixed feelings. But Konan came first, he reminded himself; the safety of the city should be the first thing on his mind. And Tasuki's plan would grant that. He could deal with his own, personal issues later. "What do you have in mind no da?"

oOo

Kiori wandered through the palace aimlessly, trying to block out the fresh sounds of battle. "Maybe I should've gone up on the wall after all," she remarked to a nearby tapestry. "I know Akai said I would just be in danger, but maybe I could have helped bring the injured down, or given arrows to people, or... oh, I don't know." She pressed a hand against the mouth of the smiling man in the tapestry, almost expecting him to give some kind of answer, but of course he remained silent. "You're no help at all," she said with a sigh, though it was hard to tell if she spoke to the wall-hanging or to herself. She moved out the door and onto the small walkway, eyes on the bright blue sky above. "There has to be _something_ I can do...!"

The college girl turned a corner and nearly ran into two palace healers carrying a stretcher between them. "Oh, excuse m—"

"You!" one, an older man with soot-colored hair, barked at her. "What're you doing?"

"N... nothing, I jus—"

"Good. This guy's leg is in bad condition. We need to do something quick or it'll have to come off! Go to the far left storeroom and get us some extra bandages, Mitsubalm, and a bottle of alcohol. Meet us in the sickbay."

"But I—"

"I don't have time to argue, girl, just do it!" he shouted, already heading down the promenade.

"Uh, okay," Kiori stuttered, still in something of a daze.

She made her way to the storage rooms without much trouble, and found the bandages and the alcohol easily. "Ooookay, Mitsubalm... now what the heck is that?" Her eyes scanned the shelves covered in foreign creams, gels and liquids, trying to decipher the complex kanji scrawled across them. "This is hopeless, I don't even know what 'Mitsubalm' looks like," she grumbled. "And it seems that doctors _everywhere_ have terrible handwriting..."

"_Third shelf up, yellow jar,"_ a deep, soothing voice seemed to whisper in her ear.

Kiori whirled around, but saw no one. Wide-eyed, she blinked a couple of times in surprise. "Uh, all right," she said to the invisible voice. She grabbed the bottle, made a failed attempt to read the scribbled name, then prayed she hadn't gone insane and ran off to the sickbay.

The college girl found the two doctors and the unlucky, injured man in the stifling room, along with countless other soldiers. Kiori made her way towards the far end of the room, fighting back a wave of nausea when the smells of blood and sickness assailed her. She did her best not to look at the scenes of violence on all sides, but she couldn't stop the hushed voices of two medics from seeping into her head.

"They really stepped up their attack today," she heard one say.

"Mm," the other agreed. "If it wasn't for Chichiri-sama's barrier, they'd be in the city by now, I bet."

"Tough business. Wonder how much longer we can hold out?"

Kiori bit her lip and handed the supplies to the doctor. "Domo," he muttered. The man looked towards the fresh batch of incoming patients and sighed. The college woman took a timid step back and turned to go, but the doctor barked out: "Oi! You busy?"

"Me?" Kiori blinked, then realized that of course he was talking to her. "Um, no, oji-san (sir)."

"Here," he shoved the items back into her surprised arms. "Clean that leg wound, bandage it up, and give the guy something to drink. Then move on to somebody else." Kiori just stared at the man. He met her surprised eyes with an irritated glare. "Well c'mon girl, you said you weren't doing anything! I've got a lot of other things to do and I need all the help I can get. It's not that hard." He pushed past her and disappeared into the crowd of healers and patients.

Kiori looked down at the supplies in her arms, completely at a loss. "But I don't..." The man at her feet uttered a low moan, his face pale and drawn from the pain. She looked down at him and tightened her jaw. "It's not that hard, huh? Guess I'll have to find out."

She knelt beside the injured soldier and rolled his pant leg up to his knee, trying not to gag at the nasty arrow wound. The college girl bit back her nausea, remembering that she was supposed to be _helping _this man, and set to work. She did the best she could, dabbing at the wound with both Mitsubalm and alcohol before wrapping the long, silky bandages tightly around the injury. She couldn't help but sweatdrop as she tied it into a bow; it wasn't the most dignified dressing, but it would have to do for now.

The man managed a tiny chuckle. "Heh, that's a cute way to do it. Arigatou, ojou-san (miss)."

She smiled back. "Yorokonde (My pleasure), oji-san!"

_'Well, it's a battle of its own, I suppose,'_ Kiori thought to herself as she moved on to another patient. _'Maybe Chichiri was right. Maybe I will be of some use after all.'_

oOo

Chichiri stood, watching as the battle raged on the southern side of the capital. He touched two fingers to the symbol on his knee; it shone a bright red, and he felt his fellow seishi's ki brushing at the edge of his mind. _'You ready to go, Tasuki?'_

Tasuki, on the northern side, grasped at his own glowing symbol. Chichiri could almost feel him smiling; the monk wished he could feel the same excitement. _'I was born ready, pal. You remember what t'do?'_

'_Take the south side and work my way east no da,'_ Chichiri answered with a tiny sigh.

'_An' I'll take th' north side an' do th' same' _Tasuki agreed. '_We'll meet in th' fields on th' eastern side-a th' palace, then you c'n teleport us back inside.' _The bandit paused for a moment, then chuckled and added: _'An' don't panic if I don't show up right away – there're a lotta Takkan soldiers t'fry.'_

oOo

Twenty Takkan soldiers on the outskirts of the northern wall laughed and joked with each other, highly enjoying the battle and the confusion of the beleaguered Konan soldiers. They had discovered the vicious beauty of fire-slingers – oil-dampened rags tied onto swing-able rope, then dipped in fire – and were swinging them over the wall with deadly accuracy.

"Like shootin' fish in a barrel, eh boys?" one cackled.

"What good's a wall when you got no city on the inside?" another laughed.

Another glowing torch soared over the wall and out of sight. Even from this distance the sounds of civilian screams reached their ears. The men passed a jug of sake between them, sharing another round of laughter.

"Didn't yer mothers ever tell ya not t'play with fire?" a nearby voice asked. The soldiers looked around, but couldn't seem to find the owner of the voice. "No? Good, 'cause neither did mine."

A tall figure with flame-red hair seemed to materialize out of the surrounding trees. The men all backed away, caught completely off-guard. "What...?" one managed to stutter, holding out his sword between two trembling hands.

"But, if yer gonna play with fire," a pair of golden eyes flashed dangerously, coupled by an equally wild smirk, "you oughta do it right."

"R... right?" one shocked soldier asked.

He nodded, flashing a pair of fangs. "Like this," the man pulled a fan out of his back sling. The tessen's crystal edges shone in the sunlight as the stranger swept it across his body, shouting out two seemingly simple words. "REKKA SHIN'EN!"

oOo

Atop the northern wall, Akai and Ritsuka saw the blast of flame from Tasuki's tessen. They whooped appreciatively, firing down with renewed strength. The other Konan soldiers followed suit; the sight of the seishi's devastating power was enough to send even the most exhausted of warriors back into battle with wild energy.

oOo

A group of warriors near the southern wall had decided to take some time off from battle. As they munched on make-shift pot stickers, they laughed and jeered at Konan's efforts.

"What're y'all, pansies 'r somethin'? Can't y'fight one decent battle?"

"Oi, didja see, Naro just took out some little boy!"

"Ha, so desperate they got kids fightin' for 'em! Idiots!"

A quiet, calm tenor interrupted their fun. "If there's one thing I really can't stand, it's bullies no da."

The soldiers turned to see a man sitting on a nearby tree stump. The stranger was dressed, to all appearances, like a monk, complete with staff, kesa, and a wide straw hat that covered the top part of his face.

"Who the hell're you?" the leader demanded.

"That isn't important no da." His mouth straightened into a grim line. "You have one chance to retreat back to your camp. If not…" he put two fingers to his lips in a silent threat.

Several of the soldiers cackled at the action, misunderstanding the stranger's words.

"Or what? You gonna pray at me, little monk?" one asked with a sneer, sauntering over to the newcomer and tossing a knife between his hands. "Now answer my pal's question: who th' hell are ya?"

Their only answer was an exasperated sigh. The stranger began to chant under his breath in a tongue that none of the men knew. At the same time, a red glow surrounded his thin form, and suddenly he didn't seem so harmless after all.

The soldiers took several steps back, unsure of this new threat. Before they could decide whether to run or fight, the monk tipped his kasa up, revealing one dangerous, mahogany eye and a long, jagged scar. They chose to run. But of course, by then, it was already too late.

"Kaa juu," he turned his fingers sideways, "mon ya."

oOo

The "kid" that the one called Naro had supposedly taken out was still up on the south wall when he saw the ki blast create a blazing streak across the Takkan forces. The boy held up an arm and shouted happily, forgetting the pain lancing through his abdomen. "It's Chichiri-sama! It must be! No one else can do that!"

"Aoi-kun, c'mon, we need to get you cleaned up right away," a fellow soldier said, tugging at his arm.

The warrior pulled away, yanking the arrow out of his side, snapping it in half and throwing it back down at the soldiers. "Take that, Takkan scum!" He glanced over at his companion, flashing a grin that didn't quite mask his pain. "Don't worry about me, Hideki-san! I'm staying till the battle's over! This is a show I wouldn't dare miss!"

oOo

Konan soldiers weren't the only ones watching the display. Setsuka sat in her chamber, viewing the battle through Mizu's seeing-crystal. Tsuki and Taiyou stood behind her, studying the destruction with their sharp golden eyes. Mizu's sight went back and forth between the two seishi, watching as they wreaked havoc among the confused and terrified Takkan soldiers.

"Powerful," Setsuka murmured. "Very powerful."

Taiyou snorted. "Taking out some frightened soldiers is no great task, my Lady. Soldiers can't fight off magical attacks like _some_ people." He watched the monk's ki blasts for a moment, then pointed towards the crystal and smirked. "Look, that one's attacks aren't even fatal – he hasn't killed a man yet."

"Maybe he isn't trying to," Mizu remarked quietly.

The others ignored her small voice. Setsuka nodded, a small fire building in her cold silver eyes. "Does that mean you can handle them?"

"Of course, my Lady! They're tough, but my brother and I can handle them as if they were mere children!" Taiyou assured her.

Tsuki frowned. "Be careful with that confidence, Taiyou. You should never underestimate warriors who have survived so much."

The other boy just laughed. Mizu sighed at his ignorance. She didn't bother telling the brothers that Chichiri was hardly using any energy, and Tasuki wasn't trying that hard, either. All told, they were barely using half of their total strength. _'Oh, well,'_ she thought, unable to stifle that tiny feeling of happiness in her chest. _'They'll find out before long, I bet.'_

oOo

Hataku rarely laughed outright, especially during a battle, but he did allow a small smile to flicker across his features. So what if the attempt to scale the wall had been foiled by some magical barrier? Konan's soldiers were tiring fast and dropping like flies. They'd be ready to give up by nightfall, if they weren't all too tired, wounded or dead to surrender. He could taste victory. He opened his mouth to shout orders to some nearby captains, telling them to put more power behind their attacks, but the sight of two men on horseback stopped him. One rode from the north, and the other from the south, but they both looked terrified.

"Shogun-sama! Shogun-sama!" they cried, drawing their animals up a hairs-breadth from his stallion. "We're being attacked from the outside!"

"Outside?" Hataku frowned, his mind racing. "By whom?" Both opened their mouths to speak at once. "One at a time!" He pointed to the north rider. "Explain."

"We're being attacked, Shogun-sama," he repeated anxiously, "by a man throwing fire like it was alive!"

"Just one man?" Hataku snorted. "Kill him and stop complaining."

"We can't," the soldier went on. "He's too fast. Here and gone. The men think he's a phantom. We can't do anything."

"Idiots," Hataku growled. "They've been having too much sake. What about you?" He jerked his head at the southern rider. "More fire-throwing ghosts?"

"Worse!" he cried. "A monk, a sorcerer, a demon—"

"All three or one in the same?"

"Nobody sticks around to find out, Shogun-sama! He utters curses that create blasts the color of blood, and before we can attack he disappears!"

"Nothing can just disa—" Hataku stopped mid-sentence. The image of Setsuka and Tsuki flickering in and out of his tent flashed through his mind. The shogun paled, understanding for the first time exactly what he was up against. "Seishi," he whispered.

"What should we do, Shogun-sama?" both cried.

"Retreat!" he ordered. "Immediately, before the entire army is wiped out!" Hataku swung up onto his horse, gritting his teeth in anger. "Damn that woman! She set me up for this one! Damn her and her Elements!"

oOo

Akai and Ritsuka cheered, watching as the fire blasts from the north drew further east, and the Takkan soldiers began to retreat. The two girls tossed their bows to the ground and threw their arms around one another, jumping up and down happily.

"Haha! Good ol' Tasuki-chan!" Ritsuka laughed. "I bet Chichiri's wreakin' havoc on the other side, too!"

"I knew the seishi were unbeatable!" Akai agreed. She pulled apart from her newest comrade, tugging at her sleeve and pointing towards the inner city. "How about we go get some lunch and wait for the heroes to show up?"

"Sounds like the best idea I heard all day."

The two walked down the steep stairs, through the streets of the city, and back into the palace. They were still laughing and joking about the undignified retreat of the Takkan soldiers when they turned a sharp corner and nearly ran into a soldier with a wounded boy slung across his shoulder.

"Sorry, I..." Akai trailed off, taking a closer look at the injured youth. Blood poured unchecked from the young soldier's side, and his blue bangs hung wetly across a face drenched in sweat, a face that she knew surprisingly well, and... Her hands flew to her mouth. "Aoi! What the – what happened? Are you all right?"

The boy managed a pained smile. "Just don't know when to quit, I guess."

"He got shot, pulled out the arrow and just kept fightin'," the man who was helping him explained. "I tried to get the little idiot to come down, but he's too stubborn for his own—"

Ritsuka interrupted. "You gonna stand there and scold him or get him to the doctors? C'mon, Akai, grab him from the other side and let's move this poor kid!"

The redhead ran alongside the trio, calling encouragement to Aoi to stay awake and keep moving. They reached the sickbay before long, meeting up with a fellow Konan warrior.

Kiori trotted over to the four. "Akai, Rits—" she stopped at the sight of Aoi. After a long morning of aiding the injured, Kiori had become well acquainted with Konan's somewhat archaic doctoring methods. She took over the situation with practiced ease, frowning at the jagged wound in the young man's side. "Get him down, over here on this pallet. Hey, you, yeah, soldier-san, bring me some bandages and alcohol. Hurry!"

The brunette woman hustled her newest patient over to a nearby mat, setting him down as gently as she could. She took a closer look at the injury, shaking her head as she did. This one was beyond her knowledge. She whistled for the soot-haired doctor to come over, hoping that he could do something for the boy.

"He's gonna be okay, isn't he?" Akai asked, her face tight with worry.

Kiori opened her mouth to assure the girl of Aoi's safety, but the doctor spoke before she had a chance. "The wound isn't fatal, but he's lost so much blood... his strength has been completely drained." He looked up, offering the trio of young ladies an apologetic shrug. "I can patch up the wound, but there isn't much else I can do for him. If he doesn't have the stamina to push through, he won't survive the night."

Ritsuka swore under her breath. Akai rubbed a hand across her eyes. Kiori's mind raced. _'His strength... his ki...' _she tightened her jaw._ 'It just might work.'_

She jumped into action. "Aoi, listen to me! I need you to open your mind, to trust me! Can you do that?"

He blinked through a growing haze. He smiled through his pain, but the brunette woman didn't like the filmy look in his eyes. "Sure, I trust you Kiori-san."

"Good." She snatched up his limp hand and laced her fingers through his.

"What're you gonna do?" Akai asked, a flicker of hope in her tear-filled gaze.

"I'm gonna... well, I'm going to try to transfer some of my life force into him," Kiori explained hurriedly.

Ritsuka blinked. "You mean, like what you and Chichiri did the other night?" her friend nodded; Ritsuka frowned. "Is that, you know... safe?"

Kiori had no idea. But she'd ever let the others know something like that. She flashed a victory sign and forced a smile. They were counting on her, and she couldn't possibly let them down now. She had to do something right in this war! She could question her actions later, _after_ she helped Aoi. "Of course it's safe! It's just like a blood transfusion... I think."

The brunette took a breath, closed her eyes, and did the only thing she could think of – she bundled up her life force and shoved it into Aoi. Something sharp and hot flew from her chest, down her arm and out of her hand. Her skin burned against this violation, against this rough transferal of energy from one life to another. Her entire body lit up with pain.

Aoi's back arched and he screamed.

"Stop it, Kiori-san!" Akai shouted, tugging hard at the young woman's sleeve.

_'I don't know how!'_ she wanted to cry, but could only manage a weak whimper. The energy flowing out of her and into the boy was fierce, raw, and completely unstoppable. She slumped against Ritsuka, her fingers still tangled in Aoi's hand, and felt herself fading into darkness. '_Oh no, I've messed it all up! Chichiri, tasukete...'_

oOo

Chichiri watched the western soldiers escape, deciding to let them vanish into the undergrowth. It didn't seem right to chase down and punish such cowards, even if they were the enemy. He had not approved of this plan to begin with, had not wanted to take the lives of any of these men, but Konan had been struggling, and failing; if not for he and Tasuki's aid, the city might have…

Well, that wasn't important, he reminded himself. As it was, Konan had been saved, the Takkan soldiers had been beaten back, and to the best of his knowledge he had not personally ended a single life. True, there were a good many Takkan soldiers who would go home on stretchers before the night was out, and twice as many as that would be nursing injuries for many weeks to come, but they still lived. That was what mattered. In truth, he hated killing just as much as the college woman. Through all his seishi travels – through all his _life_ – he had only ever murdered one man. The monk's tiny smile fell at the thought. Once, and never again, he reminded himself firmly.

"Kiori would've approved no d—"

Almost as if in answer to her name, the young woman's voice rang out through the monk's mind. _'Chichiri, tasukete!'_

His head jerked up. Chichiri paused, concentrating on her distant life force, then frowned with worry. He could feel her ki draining fast – something was horribly wrong. He tossed his hat into the air and vanished.

oOo

Kiori thought she heard someone calling her name. No, two people: a male and a female. Voices that she knew very well. For a brief, wonderful moment she dared to believe her parents were shouting for her, telling her that dinner was ready or that they were leaving for work, but as they grew clearer and louder she realized that the tones belonged to two much newer companions.

"Kiori, Kiori!"

"Kiori, please, say _something_ no da!"

The college woman's eyes fluttered open slowly and took even longer to focus. At last she managed to make out the three hazy figures – a redhead, a violet-eyed girl, and a blue-haired, maskless man. "Oh, what an odd dream..."

"AHOU!" Ritsuka shouted, her strong tone trembling visibly. "How could you do something so STUPID? I thought you'd been... you said it was _safe_! Ahou!"

Kiori pushed herself into a sitting position, blinking over and over. She wondered why she felt so burned out, as if she'd just run a marathon across Tokyo. "What's wrong?" she murmured, wincing at the redhead's loud and seemingly unnecessary outburst.

"Don't you even remember, you idiot? How you tried to save Aoi by... AHOU!" Ritsuka nearly hit her friend, but pulled back just in time.

The brunette nodded. "Oh, that." She came fully awake with a start. "_That_! Oh, no…"

"Yeah, _that_!" Ritsuka agreed with a sarcastic snort. "And you nearly... AHOU! If it wasn't for Chichiri breaking your hold on that kid..." she jumped up and stomped angrily through the room – which, Kiori now realized, belonged to the two college women – unable to sit still when she was this worried... or this relieved.

"I thought it wouldn't be too hard," Kiori justified, waving a hand at Chichiri. "When he did it—"

The monk broke into the girls' conversation, fighting to keep the tremor out of his voice. "I _know_ what I'm doing, I've been doing it for years no da! You see it performed _once_ and two days later you run off and try the same trick?"

Kiori recoiled, still scrambling for a foothold in the argument. "I thought I could control it. I didn't think—"

"Exactly! You were in such a rush to be 'useful' that you almost..." Chichiri gripped her shoulders and she met his true gaze for the first time. The sight of the monk's single mahogany eye momentarily silenced Kiori; there was something indescribably intriguing in that intense, serious, somehow sorrowful stare. He continued, either not noticing her bewildered look or too angry to care. "Professional healers can barely control things like that no da. You could have killed Aoi _and_ yourself by pulling that stunt!"

"I – I didn't—" Kiori stopped short, gasping quietly as Chichiri grabbed her in a tight hug.

"I had a friend... no, he was more like a brother," the monk whispered. "He gave up his life to save people... the way you almost did. I couldn't stop him, and… and I nearly couldn't stop you. You scared the _hell_ out of me, Kiori."

The young woman sat in silence for a long moment, unsure of what to say. The gesture of affection had surprised her, but the trembling tone of such deep fear – real _fear_ – in the monk's normally calm and rational tone had shocked her speechless. No one had sounded that concerned for her in ages. After a long moment she sighed, closing her eyes and relaxing in his hold. "I'm so sorry, Chichiri... everyone," she said. "I was acting like an idiot, messing with things like that. I won't do it again, I promise. I'm just... I'm sorry."

"Damn straight you won't!" Ritsuka cried. "Ahou! Ugh!"

A servant appeared at the room's door. "Chichiri-sama, Ritsuka-sama, Akai-sama, you're wanted by her Majesty."

Kiori had to admit that she was a little sad when Chichiri broke free of his hold, turning to go with a slight jingle of his staff. The monk pulled his mask back on, another action that caused the college girl distress, though she wasn't sure why. "Right away, no da." He turned to leave with the others, but stopped to glance back at Kiori. She noticed a tiny blush seeping through his smiling mask – the sudden embrace had caught him by surprise too, it seemed. "Stay here and rest na no da. I'll fill you in on the details of the meeting later."

She smiled and saluted weakly. "Hai!"

Chichiri and Ritsuka left, but Akai lagged behind a bit. The warrior girl looked down at her feet and toyed with her hands. "Ano… Kiori-san, I just wanted you to know that… well… even if what you did _was_ a little brash, Aoi… Aoi lived, thanks to you." She looked up, grinning awkwardly. "And because of that, he..." she shook her head, "no, _I'm_ eternally grateful."

"Yorokonde (It was my pleasure), Akai." The college woman smiled weakly. "I'm just glad I managed to do something right today."

The palace champion flashed a victory sign. "You're the coolest, Kiori-san."

oOo

Ritsuka skipped through the Konan Palace, slightly bored after a small meeting and a large dinner. "I wonder where Tasuki-chan is. I haven't seen him in a while..." as she walked past Chichiri's room, she noticed the light shining from his open window. The redhead paused at the door for a moment, then shrugged. "Oh well! One seishi's as good as another, I s'pose."

The college girl threw open the door, grinning as she found herself facing the monk's back. Chichiri was bent over something on his small writing desk; Ritsuka couldn't tell exactly what that "something" was, but decided that he could take a break from it long enough to entertain her for a few minutes.

"Ha-o Chichiri-chan!" she cried, catching him completely off-guard. The monk turned chibi, fell out of his chair with a surprised "DA!" and nearly choked on his dinner in the process. Ritsuka giggled, nodding towards a small bowl of noodles on the nightstand. "Oh, you ordered in, huh? I wondered why I didn't see you at dinner."

Chichiri snatched up the scroll he'd knocked off when the redhead burst in, coughing in an attempt to clear the inhaled noodles from his lungs. "I needed some peace for a change no da."

"Makes sense," Ritsuka agreed. She sat down on the edge of his desk. "Oh, I meant to tell you: great job today. You guys were roasting Takkan like it was going out of style."

The monk frowned, hardly in the mood for compliments about the battle. There was no glory in chasing away a gaggle of frightened soldiers. "How's Kiori?" he asked, swiftly changing the subject.

Ritsuka returned the frown. "Not one for small talk, eh?" She yawned. "Kiori's fine, kinda upset with herself, but fine. _I'm_ doing great, too, thanks for asking..."

"Was there something you needed no da?"

Ritsuka whacked him over the head. "Geez, what side of the bed did you wake up on? I thought you were supposed to be the mellow one," she curled her eyes up into a Chichiri-smile, "no da?"

"Gomen, Ritsuka," he said with a sigh. "Today brought back some painful memories I was trying to forget no da. I guess I'm still a little bothered by that."

"Oh I see," she grumbled. "Well I'm just trying to cheer you up you know, it's no reason to bite my head off."

She watched his eyes... eye... _'Masks confuse me,'_ skim over the scroll. _'What's behind that smile?' _she wondered silently, cupping her chin in her hands and peering into his smiling face._ 'I hate not being able to figure people out. Not like Tasuki-chan, that guy couldn't hide an emotion if his life depended on it. But Chichiri's good... major league good...'_

Chichiri glanced over, sweatdropping. "Eh, it's really unnerving when your eyes stare a hole right through me no da."

"Ah, warui!" Ritsuka paused. "Whatcha workin' on? That rhyme still?" He nodded. "Howzit go again?"

"_'For the seventh, from an old life comes a Chief, a solitary flame shall find this thief,'_" Chichiri sighed again. "I should know this, I know I should, but for some reason I can't seem to concentrate today no da."

"Hm..." Ritsuka tugged on her long red braid. "Well, back in high school, my teacher told me if I didn't understand something that I should put it in my own words. Who does a 'solitary flame' – I bet that's Tasuki-chan – know from the past who's a leader?"

"Tasuki, from the past..." Chichiri sat up straight. "That's it! How could I have missed it no da?"

"Don't know. Missed what?"

"Ritsuka, you're a genius no da!"

"I know. Why?"

"Wait'll I tell Tasuki! He'll be thrilled no da!"

"I bet he will. About what?"

"_Of course!_ It's Koji na no da!"

"Of course!" Chichiri was out the door and off to Tasuki's room in an instant. Ritsuka sweatdropped. "Who's Koji?"

The monk flung open the door to the other seishi's quarters, smiling his widest. "Tasuki, how fast can you get to Mount Rei—" He froze. The other seishi wasn't in his room, and Chichiri knew why.

Ritsuka entered to find a chibi, small-eyed Chichiri standing in front of a blue background. "Hey, where _is_ that bandit anyway?"

"...Oops..."

oOo

Out on the southern plains of Konan, crickets chirped, the moon shone, and a very unhappy seishi sat waiting for a friend. "I get th' feelin' I've been fergotten."

Tasuki jumped up, lashing out with his tessen and flaming the grass at his feet. "CHICHIRI! IF YOU EVER GET OUT HERE YER ASS IS TOAST!"

oOo

"_'...The monk turned towards the redheaded girl, hastily inquiring if she wanted to go on a seishi-fetching errand.'_" Yui chuckled. "End Chapter Six."

* * *

**_Ye Olde Free Chat: July 23, 2005; 9:32 AM_**

Ni-hao, minna-san!

Hooray for quickie updates! This episode didn't need too much work, mostly because I'd already done some edits to it about a year back (that was during my second failed attempt at the "rewrite" of FY:NC). The only true difference between this and the original is that I toned down Chichiri's "badassitude" during the fight scenes because after I went back and reread it I realized how unbelievably out of character it was for the monk to be kicking so much Takkan ass. If you really want to read the original, I can get you a copy, but trust me: this one turned out _much_ better.

And yay! Koji's gonna show up soon! _(does a little dance)_

While I've got you here, I'd also like to take a tiny moment to discuss Ritsuka's speech patterns. As you might've noticed from the Translation Notes at the top, Ritsuka uses "informal" terms like "wari" (instead of "gomen") and "ahou" (instead of "baka"). The redhead does this on purpose to generate a "tough girl" front (almost to the point of overdoing it, in fact). This would be a _lot_ more noticeable if this were in Japanese, but I've done my best to portray her tomboy aura in our own language... with a little help from a few foreign words, of course.

Oh, and in case you were wondering...  
_(Pulls out dictionary)_ Mitsubalm:(n) named after the famous seishi healer, it is one of the many great miracle medicines he bestowed upon the land of Konan. It is said to lessen the risk of infection, reduce pain considerably and help heal wounds faster. Nine out of ten Konan doctors prefer Mitsubalm over other leading brands! _(grins)_

'Till next time, O Readers!  
Your Authoress – Dee


	7. Episode Seven: A New Journey

**_Disclaimer_:** I still don't own Konan, Suzaku and all characters and seishi pertaining to them. Kiori and Ritsuka are and shall forever be mine, and that holds for all the other "originals" as well (you'll know 'em when they appear, trust me). Obviously the story is mine as well.

_**Rating:** _PG-13, for crude humour, moderate language, and violence.

_**Special Feature Announcement**: _I introduce to you... the new Flashback Feature! -_Trumpets play-_ Whenever you see a little row of these: vVvVv it indicates a flashback. Another row indicates the end. Simple, ne?

**_Translation Note:_  
**"Tachi" – "and company" or "and the others." (ex: Tasuki-tachi or Ritsuka-tachi, etc.)

* * *

**--Episode Seven: A New Journey--**

Keisuke tried to take the book back from Yui, but she jerked it neatly from his reaching hands. The high schooler smiled at her boyfriend, holding out the book like an offering. "Tetsuya, do you want to read a chapter?"

"Sure thing," he said, accepting the offered hardcover and flashing his friend a grin.

Keisuke slumped back against his chair, scowling. "I think I liked it better when you guys were on your date."

"Aww, I'm so sorry buddy." Tetsuya brought up his right hand and moved his index finger back and forth over his thumb. "Here, let me play a little song for you on the world's smallest violin..."

Keisuke threw a pillow straight into his smirking face.

oOo

Tasuki tied a small bag of supplies onto the back of his horse. "Just a couple more things and I'll be ready to head on up to Mount Reikaku," he thought aloud, giving the animal a comforting pat on the shoulder. He turned to grab the rest of his supplies and snickered, remembering his discussion with Chichiri the other evening.

vVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVv

Ritsuka and Chichiri teleported to the southern plain and found, as expected, a very unhappy Tasuki pouting amidst a sea of burnt grass.

"Hey!" Chichiri called, waving towards the bandit. "Sorry I'm late no da!"

Tasuki glared daggers at the monk. "Late? You – how c'd ya – that's th' biggest load-a bull I ever..." he spluttered, brandishing his tessen at the grinning monk. "You fergot all about me, ya liar! I been sittin' out here all evenin' starvin' myself, waiting fer you t'show up an' when ya _finally_ do all ya say is, 'Sorry I'm late no da!'? The hell you are!"

Ritsuka hit over the head with a fist. "Do you _ever_ shut up? You could have just come in through the gates."

"The barrier—"

"Only stops enemies no da."

Tasuki's eyes turned to dots. "Oh right. I fergot about that."

"Ahou," Ritsuka grumbled.

"You can torch me later no da," Chichiri said before Tasuki could get started on another rant. "I've got some great news." He grinned, anticipating his comrade's joy at his latest discovery. "Tasuki, how fast can you get to Mount Reikaku na no da?"

"Oh, I dunno, a couple days there and back if I take a horse," he estimated. "Why? Ya fin'lly figger out that th' seventh is Koji?"

"The seventh is—" the monk stopped short, realizing what his friend had said. "N-nani?"

"Yeah, Koji. C'mon, th' rhyme wasn't _that_ hard."

"Why didn't you tell us no da?" Chichiri all but cried.

Tasuki crossed his arms over his chest. "I _tried_, but I kept gettin' cut off. Then with th' battle an' fightin' all those Takkan soldiers it totally slipped my mind." He scowled, turning his nose to the air. "Not that it matters if I would-a said anythin', 'cause after all, _no one_ ever listens t'Tasuki! He's jus' th' seishi bandit who kicks some Takkan ass and cracks a few jokes, what would _he_ know about—" Ritsuka picked up a rock and threw it at his head. He whirled on her, waving his arms and slapping his tessen against the ground. "OW! What th' hell was that for?"

She smiled impishly. "I'm not really sure, but I think you deserved it."

Chichiri frowned, glancing around the clearing. "Let's finish this argument back at the palace no da. Enemy life forces are way too close for comfort."

"Fine, fine," Tasuki grumbled, still rubbing at his head. "But before we go, I want ya t'do somethin' fer me." He drew himself up to his full height, striking a noble pose and smirking down at his shorter seishi comrade. "Say 'Gen-chan knew somethin' I didn't, 'cause he's smarter, braver, tougher, much more handsome, cleverer...'"

Chichiri sighed as Tasuki kept going, one eyebrow twitching ever so slightly.

"Shall I?" Ritsuka asked with a hopeful smile.

He shook his head. "It's my turn no da." The top of Chichiri's staff came down hard on his fellow seishi's head with a resounding _whump_. "Can you gloat _after_ Koji's safely back at the palace na no da?"

Tasuki found himself rubbing at his scalp for the third time in five minutes. "Yeah, yeah, whatever y'say. Ch, some people jus' can't stand t'be outsmarted."

vVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVv

The bandit secured his final pack tightly onto his horse's saddle. "Jus' about ready t'go, then." He looked to the right and left, frowning a little. "Huh, well that's real nice of 'em. No one even came t'say g'bye, or—"

Taaaaaaasuki-chan!" a familiar redhead cried from behind the seishi right before she leapt onto his back. She laughed, leaning her head over his shoulder so she could look him in the eyes. "Tut, tut Tasuki-chan, sneaking off without a proper good-bye? You wouldn't _really_ run away on me, would ya?"

"If only I could," he muttered. "And _don't_ call me that! What're you doin' out here anyway?"

"Why, I came to wish my Tasuki-chan a safe trip," she explained, flashing an unusually sweet smile.

Tasuki was touched and a bit surprised. "Really?"

"Of course not," Ritsuka laughed, hopping off his back. She held out her black-and-red book bag in one hand. "I'm here to tell you that I'm coming along, too."

Tasuki stared at her for a moment. "No."

"Yes," she corrected. "Akai and I decided you needed _someone_ to keep you in order, and since she's basically the army leader around here, that leaves me." Ritsuka grinned, smothering the seishi in a bone-crushing hug. "We're gonna have _so_ much fun Tasuki-chan, just you and me hiking all alone up in the mountains!"

"Suzaku save me," he grumbled under his breath. "Well, since I got no choice, guess we'd better get another horse."

"Make that two, if you would," a female voice requested.

Tasuki and Ritsuka turned around, eyes traveling upwards at the newcomer. They met a woman dressed in a pair of white leggings and a loose, light blue shirt belted at the middle. A pair of serene eyes peered up at them from beneath a set of neatly combed bangs, though the rest of the woman's violet hair had been thrown over her shoulder and pleated into a long, thin braid.

Tasuki felt faint. "Aw crap, Nuriko's come back t'haunt me..."

"Not exactly, Tasuki, though I must admit that I did pick up the style from my old companion."

He blinked and stared hard at the "ghost," his golden eyes meeting her gentle ones. Those were most definitely not the eyes of Nuriko, but his other option was almost as unbelievable. "Ho... Houki-sama?"

The Empress smiled, clasping her hands behind her back. "Do you have room for another Konan Warrior on this journey?"

"Uh, Houki-sama, no offense or anything," Ritsuka began carefully, "but are you sure it's _smart_ for you to leave the palace in the middle of a war?"

She blushed and glanced down at her feet, one hand toying nervously with her slim braid. "I know it seems unusual, but I fear that I really _must_ come with you."

"Ya 'must'?" Tasuki repeated.

"Mm." She looked up again, flashing a timid smile at her fellow warriors. "You see, my scholars discovered seven scrolls, one with a message for each of us. As I told Chichiri, it seemed silly to open them when all seven were not here... however..." Houki put a hand to her cheek and blushed again, "well, no one can fault me for being curious." Tasuki and Ritsuka sweatdropped. "My scroll read: 'Even a bird in captivity must leave their cage in times of need.' I have not left the city of Konan since I first arrived, but I truly believe this _must_ be what the scroll meant."

"Ya think yer destined t'go with us?" Tasuki asked, putting his hands behind his head. She nodded, and the bandit sighed. "It ain't gonna be an easy trip, Houki-sama. I can't promise you complete safety."

"I am ready to do whatever I must to save my country," she said, eyes blazing in a rare moment of passion. "Even if you were to try and stop me, I am afraid it would not be of much use."

Ritsuka chuckled. "Would you have us beheaded?"

"Oh, no," Houki smiled innocently. "I should think a severe whipping would be quite enough."

Tasuki winced. "Welcome aboard, I guess." He had a thought. "But Houki-sama, yer the Empress. You _can't_ leave th' palace just like that, 'specially durin' a war."

"Oh, you needn't worry about that," she assured him. "Chichiri will be standing in for me."

The seishi nodded, then realized exactly what Houki meant by "standing in." A devilish smile crept across his face. "I'll be right back, ladies. This is somethin' I gotta see."

oOo

Tasuki found Chichiri – or rather, _Houki_ – in the Empress' private chamber. The monk-turned-Empress was standing in front of a mirror, smoothing out the wrinkles in his many-layered dress.

Tasuki whistled loudly. "Nice rack!" Chichiri leapt about a foot in the air, then spotted the other seishi reflected in the mirror. He glared at the bandit, but Tasuki didn't seem to notice. "Woo, yer so hot I can barely control myself! Has anyone ever told you what lovely eyes you have?"

Chichiri turned around and crossed his arms over his newly-enlarged chest. "You're talking about the Empress no da."

Tasuki shook his head, an evil grin still pasted across his face. "Oh, no, I'm talkin' about you, you gorgeous transvestite! You could almost beat Nuriko in a cross-dressin' contest!"

The monk sweatdropped. "Technically, it isn't 'cross-dressing' no da..."

"Right! It's a sex change!"

Chichiri gritted his teeth, small red sparks flying from his clenched fist. "This is about me forgetting you last night, isn't it no da?"

"You didn't really think I'd let ya off easy, did'ja?"

"Don't you have somewhere you need to be?" Chichiri demanded with a sigh of resignation.

"Oh, right," Tasuki snickered. "But seriously, how did Houki-sama talk you _into_ this?"

Chichiri sweatdropped, recalling the conversation that had taken place not twenty minutes ago...

vVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVv

"Onegai shimasu, Chichiri!" Houki pleaded, head tilted to the floor and hands clasped before her face. "I know I am placing a great burden upon you, but my scroll specifically mentions leaving the palace. I feel that if I do not accompany Tasuki on his mission then I shall fail in my job as a Konan Warrior."

"I understand why you want to leave, Houki-sama, but we're in the middle of a war no da," Chichiri reminded her. "And you _are_ the Empress..."

"Yes, I know that all too well," she agreed with a sad sigh. She glanced up at him hopefully. "But, I was told that you once used your appearance-changing abilities to stand in for my late husband."

"Well I _did_, but that was during a time of peace. There wasn't any need for me to do much of anything no da," he told her, backing up a little. "With the war _everyone_ will want my opinion and advice, and I'm not really ready for that. I can barely keep track of the politics as a seishi no da."

"Oh, Akai could handle almost any problem you might have," Houki assured him. "It's highly unlikely that you would be needed for much in four days' time, especially after Takkan's recent defeat."

"Still..."

"Chichiri, you know I would not ask this of you if I did not feel you could handle it," the Empress said with a charming smile. "I completely trust your judgment, and I know that if a difficult situation were to arise you would make an excellent decision." She ducked her head again. "Under normal circumstances, I would never leave the palace unattended, but I would be completely at ease knowing such a level-headed seishi was keeping things under control."

"Arigatou Houki-sama. Well, I suppose I could do this if you _really_ trust me with the job no da..."

vVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVv

Chichiri rubbed the back of his head. "The Empress is quite persuasive when she needs to be no da."

"Flattery's a better weapon than magic sometimes, ain't it?"

"Hai na no da," Chichiri said with a defeated sigh.

Tasuki snickered and reached out to pat his friend's chibi head. "Poor guy. Well, hopefully Houki-sama was right an' ya won't have too many problems." He turned towards the door, but kept his smirking face on the downtrodden monk. "Guess I'll head off t'Mount Reikaku now. But b'fore I go, c'd I ask just _one_ more question?"

"Actually—"

The seishi ran out the door as he shouted his final remark, knowing Chichiri would get him for it later. "Where _did_ you get yer hair done?"

oOo

The trio of travelers led their horses quietly out the eastern side gate. The last thing they needed was for a Konan citizen to spot them and start up a grand farewell parade, or for a stray Takkan soldier to catch sight of the warriors leaving the safety of the capital's walls.

Ritsuka kept a firm grip on her horse's bridle and glanced around, ready to bolt back through the gate at the first sign of danger. "Huh. Not a Takkan soldier in sight."

"They're prob'ly back at their camp, lickin' their wounds an' countin' their dead," Tasuki said with a small chuckle. "Chichiri an' the others shouldn't have t'worry much about them fer a while."

"Even so, I will feel much safer once we are far away from the enemy's camp," Houki whispered. "Do you suppose we could travel at a gallop?"

Tasuki nodded. "That'll be fer the best, though ya really don't have t'worry about Takkan soldiers, Houki-sama." He flashed the Empress a thumbs-up. "Red 'n' I can handle those morons, no problem."

Ritsuka scrambled onto her horse, grinning down at her companions. "The bandit's right, for once. And anyway, even if they _did_ try to attack us, one look at his scary face would send 'em running."

Tasuki resisted the urge to flame her, but didn't mind throwing a rock at her head. As the college woman fought to stay in her saddle, he turned back to Houki. "D'you need any help mountin', or—"

The Empress grabbed at the saddle and set one foot in the stirrup, swinging herself easily onto the small mare. "I believe I can handle myself. Thank you for your concern, though."

"No... problem..." Tasuki said, blinking at her surprising display of horsemanship.

"Where did _you_ learn how to ride?" Ritsuka asked, kicking her horse into a run and yelping as the animal nearly threw her from his back.

Houki rode up beside the struggling redhead, smiling innocently. "Well, I was not _born _a member of the Emperor's harem, you know."

oOo

The three Konan warriors were missed by Hataku's army, but not by the watchful eyes of Setsuka. "That fool Hataku," she grumbled between her laced hands. "A small group of Konan Warriors rides within a mile of his camp, and he remains completely ignorant."

"Half his men are lying on stretchers," Mizu reminded her. "I don't think looking out for escaping enemies is at the top of is his 'to do' list." The young Element glanced back at her mistress. "Setsuka-sama, you aren't going to... punish him for yesterday, are you?" She knew perfectly well how the Lady of Takkan punished people, and none of her methods were pleasant.

"Show me his camp, please," Setsuka ordered. Mizu's crystal fell on a group of soldiers sitting around their tents, moaning unhappily as they applied salve and bandages to arrow wounds, burns, and strange, magical cuts that pulsed an unhealthy red.

"Y'don't s'pose this arm'll have t'come off, do ya?" one young man asked his friend, staring with dread at the crimson burn.

The second shrugged. "I dunno. I heard when a demon hits ya it takes over yer soul. I'd sooner cut off my arm than get possessed."

The first man screeched and smacked at the wound – which only caused him to scream louder – but a third man sighed and handed the first a jar of ointment. "Baka. Those were seishi, not demons. Your arm'll be fine in a few weeks."

"Seishi, demons, whatever they was, Shogun-sama's crazy t'try an' take over a place with fighters like that," grumbled the second. "Didja hear th' casualties? Over a thousand, I'm told..."

Mizu's crystal veered away from the disheartening scene. "How sad..."

Setsuka's voice held no pity in it. "He and his men have learned a valuable lesson. Even so, such blatant disrespect cannot go unchecked."

"Please don't be too hard on him," Mizu said, watching the hurt soldiers sympathetically. "He only wanted to give Takkan a victory. And how could he know what sort of damage a seishi could do?"

"You are a good child, Mizu-chan, but you could not possibly understand the workings of adults." Setsuka smiled and patted the girl's shoulder. "Why don't you go back downstairs? I may need you in a few days, but for the moment I think Tsuki's powers are the only ones I shall be using."

"Hai, my Lady." Mizu stood, stretching a bit, and began to leave.

"Oh, Mizu-chan?" the girl stopped, tilting her head back to look back at her mistress. "Which of our young fighters is most eager to taste a bit of battle?"

The Element answered without hesitation. "Kaze, my Lady."

"Hm. I should have guessed."

The girl waited, but Setsuka said no more. Mizu shrugged and trotted through the hallway and down the stairs, on a beeline for Tsuchi's room.

Setsuka's hand strayed to Kaze's white gem, but she changed her mind at the last moment. "There's no reason to get him excited just yet." Her fingers danced across the necklace to the glinting silver one; she set her index finger against it and threw her voice into her Element's mind. _"Tsuki, you are needed once more."_

oOo

Hataku was once again pacing his tent as he listened to the head doctor count out the long list of casualties. "The fifth division has 100 dead, 300 badly wounded, 450 minor injuries," the short healer drawled from his seat in the corner of the tent. "The sixth division has no one dead, oddly enough, 523 badly wounded, and an additional 313 with minor injuries. The seventh..."

Hataku took a swig of sake. "Yes?"

The tiny doctor shrunk back on his stool. "Well, ah, those who escaped from the 'sorceror' ran into the 'phantom' on their way back to camp." He gulped. "Not a single man escaped without an injury, if they escaped at all, Shogun-sama."

The general slammed the half-full bottle of sake onto a nearby table, whirling on the man. "An entire regiment, taken out of action all for her Lady's sick enjoyment! How many fatalities, all told?"

The doctor quailed, but answered the question. "Almost a thousand, my Lord, not counting those we sent home with disabilities."

"Kuso!" Hataku glanced about angrily, looking for something to kick, when Setsuka and Tsuki appeared at the tent's entrance.

"You really ought to watch your language, my dear shogun, especially in front of the young ones like Tsuki." Setsuka flashed her most malicious smile. "How did you fare in your battle yesterday?"

"I believe you know exactly how I fared, _my Lady_," Hataku said through gritted teeth. He remembered to bow before his mistress, but made a point to only bow from the waist – a deliberate sign of disrespect. "A thousand of my men are dead, and more than that will never fight again."

She clucked her tongue sadly, but the light in her eyes couldn't have been more triumphant. "How terrible. Now how in the world did _that_ happen?"

"Those... those..." Hataku almost choked on the word, "_Seishi!_ I was not told of the full extent of their powers!"

"I don't believe I issue orders for no reason," Setsuka remarked calmly, studying her nails. "Perhaps from now on you will not be so quick to doubt my words?"

"_Doubt_! I knew nothing of their—" Hataku suddenly seemed to realize what he was saying and who he was speaking with, and his jaw snapped shut with an effort. His eyes burned into hers, but he kept his words respectful and his tone calm. "Your orders have always been followed, and it will continue to be that way, Setsuka-sama."

"Then perhaps you'll leave the real battle to the ones who have the strength to handle it?" Tsuki asked, voice never once rising or falling.

Hataku's glance darted towards the boy at Setsuka's side, then back to his leader. "With all due respect, I am still somewhat skeptical about sending children into battle," he replied carefully.

"And with good reason, I am sure." Setsuka's silver eyes flashed. "Yet you were also skeptical of my earlier decisions, correct?"

The shogun bowed his head and said no more. Setsuka curled her fingers around the man's chin, lifting it slowly until their eyes met once more. "Now now, Hataku, you've always been a loyal and successful shogun. I will not be too harsh on you for your first true mistake. Still…" and here her mouth curved back into a bloodthirsty smile, "you are growing much too confident. You seem to think that you are at the same rank as my Elements... and, sometimes, as myself. I cannot accept that."

Hataku's heart stuck to his throat. "Understood, my Lady."

"I'm afraid I'll have to take you back to the palace for a short time. Your men will be all right for a few hours, I assume?"

The general tried to keep the tremor – of both anger and fear – out of his voice. "Hai, my Lady."

"Excellent. Let's go, Tsuki."

The Element stepped between Lady and shogun, clasping a hand to each of their shoulders. His eyes trailed over to Hataku, and the shogun could have sworn that he saw a tiny, pitying smile on the boy's lips right before they disappeared from the tent, leaving the small doctor alone and trembling in his corner.

oOo

Tasuki, Ritsuka and Houki had been riding hard for a good portion of the day. Now, as the sun began to sink, they came to a place where a small trail branched off from the beaten path. The seishi hopped down from his horse and moved up the trail a ways, smiling to himself. "Yep, this is th' place where we get off th' main road and head up t'Mount Reikaku." Tasuki jerked his head up at the mountain peeking above the treetops. "Actually, we made decent time. It's less'n a day's ride from here, now."

"I can feel that 'decent time' rubbing my legs raw," Ritsuka groaned. She practically fell off her animal and slid to the hard-packed earth. "I hate horses!" she cried, trying to smooth down her wind-blown locks. She watched somewhat enviously as Houki slid off her own horse with every strand of violet hair miraculously in place. "If this world likes sorcery so much, then where the hell are the flying carpets or the magical dragon friends...?"

"I'm kinda relieved," Tasuki admitted. "I finally found somethin' ya suck at. Maybe ya aren't a demon after all."

"Don't get too used to it Tasuki-chan! I might not know how to ride a horse but that's the _only_ thing I don't know how to do!" she snapped back. "Anyway, it isn't my fault I lived in Tokyo all my life."

"Hm, turns out ya also suck at bein' humble," the bandit remarked, pulling a scroll out of nowhere and scribbling across the parchment. "Guess I c'n add that t'the list of 'Things Red Can't Do'..."

Ritsuka glared daggers at the seishi, but was too exhausted to do anything else. "Can we _please_ stop here for the night? My backside is killing me."

"Here?" Tasuki frowned. "Well, with th' time we're makin', I figured we c'd go a little farther..."

"Oh, Tasuki, I believe Ritsuka has an excellent idea," Houki cut in. "The poor animals are out of breath from the hard run, and I would like a bit of rest myself, if that would be all right."

The bandit's frown switched almost seamlessly into a beaming smile. "Great idea, Houki-sama. I'm tired of riding too, now that I think about it."

"Do you suck up to every Empress, or just the pretty ones?" Ritsuka grumbled.

"What was that, Red?"

Ritsuka never got a chance to answer, which may have been for the best. At that moment a group of about fifteen men burst out of the nearby trees, advancing on the travelers. They were dressed in a motley collection of rugged scarves, jackets and loose-fitting shirts, complemented by simple black traveling pants. Most kept their hair cropped short at their necks, but the leader sported a boyish ponytail that contrasted horribly with the stubble poking out from his chin. Swords and daggers lay in their hands, the weatherworn blades glinting in the evening light. Ritsuka rose from the ground and Tasuki readied his tessen, gritting his teeth angrily. "Watch out, Houki-sama, Red. It looks like we've run inta some bandit scum."

"Uh, Tasuki-chan, I hate to ruin the moment, but... aren't _you_ a bandit, too?" Ritsuka pointed out.

"Not those kinds of bandits!" he snapped over his shoulder. "Reikaku bandits are honorable, not like these sons-a-bitches!"

The ponytail-wearing leader scowled. "Listen up kid, yer talkin' t'the famous bandits of Mount Kaou! If I was you I'd show some respect, or ya might not escape here with yer life."

Tasuki's hand slid towards his sword hilt. "I shoulda known you were from _that_ cesspool! What th' hell d'you want?"

Ritsuka noted that the man didn't seem as upset about his home being called a "cesspool," but that may have been because he didn't seem to know what the word "cesspool" meant. "Yer travelin' on Mount Kaou territory, pal. It costs a small fee t'get through. Usually we charge, oh..." he scratched at his stubble for a moment, then looked back across the clearing and flashed a malicious grin, "How about everythin' ya got?"

The seishi bandit seethed with rage. "You lyin' _bastards_! This is Reikaku territory! It's bad enough that ya have t'terrorize people in yer own territory, but now yer sneakin' onta another gang's land!"

The ragged leader sighed. "I dunno how ya know all about us, but I don't got time t'argue with some brat who don't know what he's talkin' about. So you gonna pay up like nice travelers, 'r am I gonna have t'tickle yer cash outta ya?"

"Like hell! You want my money, then come and take it!" Tasuki crouched into a fighting stance, muttering hurried orders to his companions. "Red, get yer sword ready. Houki, stay back an' keep th' horses from boltin'. This could get ugly."

Ritsuka whipped out her weapon. Her sharp blue eyes scanned the group of highly unattractive bandits, and she couldn't stop a tiny smirk from crossing her features. "Tasuki-chan, it already has."

The seishi and the college woman rushed the men, their voices raised in two challenging battle cries. The Kaou bandits shouted back and leapt towards their foes, certain of a fast victory. Tasuki's sword slashed one man straight through the middle before he had a chance to raise his blade and smacked another across the scalp with his crystallized tessen. Both men fell with muted cries, and the battle began.

While Tasuki danced his way through the gang, Ritsuka went straight for the stubble-faced leader. She snapped out with her sword at his midriff; the man's own curved blade dove forward to block the downwards strike. Their blades locked for a brief moment, and as both struggled to break the hold their eyes met across the steel.

"Heh. Yer not bad..." the leader said with a smirk. He twisted his wrist to the left, using his superior strength to loosen his sword and knock the young woman off-balance. "Not bad fer a girl, anyway."

Ritsuka took three shaky steps back but didn't lose her footing. She whirled on the man, sword at her ear and fire in her eyes. "For a _girl_, huh?" She charged and he countered, but the big man was hard-pressed to keep up with the redhead's swift slashing attack. "I'm bloody good for _anyone_, ahou!"

She backed the leader up to a nearby tree and their blades locked once more. Ritsuka chanced a glance to her left to check on the rest of the battle, and had a hard time stifling her laughter. Most of Mount Kaou's other fourteen men were either sprawled on the ground clutching bleeding wounds or had vanished into the woods altogether. Tasuki was surrounded by the five remaining men, who kept trying to stab at him all at once, but the seishi bandit seemed to lash out in all directions with both sword and tessen, forcing the men back every time they tried their frightened attack. She thought she could hear him laughing over their startled cries, but it was hard to tell if the laughter was coming from Tasuki or the Kaou leader...

"What? You think getting your ass handed to you is funny?" She glared at the man pinned in front of her. "You should be more worried about surviving, band—"

And that was when Ritsuka felt the strong arm grab her across the chest and the cold steel slide against her throat. "Drop yer weapon!" someone snarled into her ear.

Ritsuka dropped her weapon. She readied her leg to stamp down on the man's foot, but the blade only pressed harder at her neck. The redhead gulped and hurriedly set her foot back on the ground. "Hey, take it easy," she whispered around the blade. "After all, I'm just a helpless little girl, right?"

The leader stepped away from the tree and followed Ritsuka's captor towards the battle field. The redhead managed to catch Houki's frightened gaze out of the corner of her eye; she mouthed the word "run" to the older woman, but she couldn't tell if Houki understood her message because the man with the knife angled himself so his back was to the Empress. The leader slammed his sword point first into the ground, cupped his hands together, and shouted above the din: "Hold it! Nobody move! Hey, you, fang-boy! Try something and yer friend gets her throat slit!"

Tasuki chanced a glance over his shoulder and froze. "Red!"

"Move a muscle an' she dies!" the leader warned.

A thousand different emotions flashed in the seishi's golden eyes, though Ritsuka was only able to read a few and understand half as many. Anger; a quick, shifting debate as he weighed his options; desperation; nostalgia, perhaps; fear – it was the fear that shocked the redhead the most – and then, quite suddenly, his gaze died in defeat. The bandit swore under his breath as both sword and tessen clattered to the ground at his feet.

"You idiot!" Ritsuka screamed, fighting with the bandit's tight hold on her chest. "If you just give up now then they'll kill _all _of us, or maybe worse! I'm not—" The knife stabbed ever-so-slightly into her throat. A thin trickle of blood began to trail down the young woman's neck; she growled low in her throat and glared across the clearing at her comrade, but didn't dare say any more.

Tasuki met her stare for stare. "We lose no one," he said, murmuring the promise he had made to Chichiri only a few days before. The bandit held up his hands and faced the group's leader. "Okay, ya got me. Jus' let her go, okay?"

Ritsuka's captor sneered at the seishi. "Ha! Like we're that stu—"

A soft _thump _interrupted his sentence. The man let out a tiny sigh, like an engine giving off steam, then the grip on Ritsuka's waist slackened and the knife at her throat clattered to the ground. The enemy bandit relaxed against the redhead; she snarled and started to shove him away, then realized that the man was out like a light. Ritsuka's eyes widened. "Eh?" She glanced over her shoulder slowly, and her already wide eyes nearly popped out of her head. "Hou... Hou..."

The Empress shook out her fist and smiled across the clearing at the bandit seishi, who stared back at the two young women. "I do apologize, Tasuki. I know you told me to stay back, but I am afraid that this sort of behavior..." Houki's violet gaze flashed dangerously across the remaining bandits, "is absolutely unacceptable."

Ritsuka clapped a hand to her bleeding throat and slid to the ground, gasping in air and desperately trying to quell the shaking in her arms. For all her tough talk, she couldn't remember having _ever_ been that frightened. Houki glanced down at the redhead, her eyes softening a bit. "Are you all right, Ritsuka?" She managed a dazed nod. "Yokatta (Thank goodness)." Houki turned back to the bandits and crouched into a fighting stance. "Now, as for you..."

The five bandits standing around Tasuki yelped, threw down their weapons, and dashed off into the forest, leaving their leader completely alone. The stubble-faced man looked around the clearing for a few moments, as if unsure of what had just happened, before turning his gaze back to the violet-haired woman. Houki dug her feet into the ground and sprang forward; the terrified man grappled for a moment with his sword, but promptly gave up and turned tail like his companions. Houki took two steps, crouched to her knees, and stuck out her left foot, neatly tripping the bandit leader and sending him face-first into the dirt.

Silence filled the clearing.

Tasuki's mouth hung open for nearly a minute as he babbled like a five-year old. "You... you... how'd ya... Houki-sama..."

"Where the heck did an Empress learn _that_?" Ritsuka cried, translating Tasuki's tongue-tied attempt.

Houki blushed and flashed an embarrassed smile. "Oh, please don't mistake this situation for true talent! If those men had decided to take me on we would have been in a great deal of trouble. I was banking on their cowardice, that's all it was, I assure you."

"Well, okay, but..." Tasuki pointed to the Kaou leader at Houki's feet, then to the unconscious bandit near Ritsuka. "Ya can't tell me that _that_ was jus' luck, Majesty!"

"Oh, that?" Houki hid a smile behind her wide blue sleeve. "Once again, it is nothing so impressive. Every member of the Emperor's Most Noble Harem is taught all the skills they might need in order to become a proper Empress, should the time ever arrive. These skills include reading, etiquette, grammar, and of course," the man she'd tripped attempted to stand, only to have his head stomped right back into the ground, "self-defense."

"A leader who can't be underestimated..." Ritsuka quoted.

"No shit," Tasuki muttered.

Houki dusted off her outfit; somehow she looked just as fresh and beautiful as ever. "I should think that is plenty of excitement for one day. Shall we set camp?"

oOo

Later that evening, after a somewhat crispy dinner – courtesy of Tasuki's "Rekka Shin'en" enthusiasm – Tasuki and Ritsuka lay on their pallets and watched a few clouds dart across the stars. Houki was already asleep, breathing quietly nearby.

Tasuki let out a contented yawn. "Ah, what a nice night."

"What's so good about it?" Ritsuka grumbled from her makeshift bed. She rolled over so her back was to the seishi, her athletic frame practically oozing frustration.

Tasuki sighed – she'd been acting like this since their battle. "Would ya stop poutin' already an' just enjoy th' view? I ain't sorry that I did what I did."

"And I already told _you_ that it isn't about that!" the redhead snapped back. "It's not like I'm gonna cry if your own stupidity gets you killed, so stop thinking so highly of yourself."

"Then what th' hell's the problem, huh Red?" Ritsuka greeted him with silence. The bandit sat up and glared at her back. "If yer gonna act like this fer th' rest-a th' trip, then I'm sendin' ya home, ya got that? I officially outrank you, ya know."

"As our noble shogun, right Tasuki-chan?"

The bandit sweatdropped. "Well, that ain't _exactly_ th' title I had in mind..." he blinked, then reached out and popped her over the head. "And _don't call me that_!"

To Tasuki's extreme surprise, Ritsuka started laughing. She glanced over her shoulder and grinned at the bandit, fluttering her eyelashes teasingly. "But what's wrong with calling you Tasuki-chan, Tasuki-chan? After all, weren't you prepared to put your life on the line to save little ol' me from those big bad bandits, Tasuki-chan?"

Ritsuka was hoping to get at least a blush out of him, but the seishi just shrugged and looked away. "Of course I'd do that fer ya. Yer a royal pain in th' ass, but we're still in this t'gether, y'know? So, I'm gonna look out fer ya, same as I'd do fer any of th' other Warriors."

"Well for your information, you don't _need_ to look out for me!" Now that her opportunity to tease the bandit had been foiled, Ritsuka's sour mood returned in full force. "I don't need _anyone_ to look out for me, not you or Houki-sama or _anyone_, you got that Tasuki-chan? I could've taken that jerk down if you'd just given me a little time, instead of immediately trying to play the hero!" She gave a huff of annoyance, folding her arms over her chest and looking away. "Here's a little newsflash: you aren't some heroic knight on a white horse, and _I'm _no damsel in distress. You got that, or do I need to pound it into your head with my sword again?"

The bandit's eyes widened. "So _that's_ what this is about...?"

"You're also not the shiniest apple in barrel, while we're on the subject of you and your delusions," Ritsuka concluded with a backwards smirk.

If Tasuki had been thinking of cheering her up, the idea vanished at her words. "You ain't really one t'talk, seein' as how you couldn't even sense that guy 'till he was at yer throat!"

"Your little dance around those other bandits was distracting me!" she explained with an airy wave of her hand. "Huh, I think you were trying to show off... either that or you just aren't talented enough to take out a little group of thieves like that..."

"Fourteen is not a 'little group of thieves,' an' I'd-a gotten 'em faster if I'd been able to use my tessen, but with you an' Houki-sama an' the horses so close by—"

"Oh, so it's my fault you're incompetent?"

"Is it my fault yer inattentive?"

Ritsuka opened her mouth to argue, then suddenly seemed to think better of it and sat back on her heels. She turned her head up towards the stars, her red braid swinging out lazily behind her. "Houki-sama really saved our butts today, didn't she?"

"Yeah, she really did."

"Does that make us bad fighters?"

"Nah. Jus' stupid ones."

The redhead managed a tiny chuckle. "Well, then I guess I can live with that." Tasuki opened his mouth to ask her what she meant by that, but the young woman flopped back on her pallet and cut him off, saying, "Hm. I guess it _is_ a pretty nice night, huh? So is this how you and Chichiri live all the time?"

Tasuki decided to let it go, for now. "Sometimes we get a free stay in an Inn, but most-a th' time yeah, it's jus' like this."

"It must be a nice life," she remarked with a happy little sigh, closing her eyes halfway. "Y'know, the stars here look a little like the ones at home. What's that cluster over there called? The reddish ones."

"Tasuki," the seishi said with a chuckle.

Ritsuka's eyes opened again in surprise. "Hontou ni (Really)?"

"Hai. All the seishi are named after constellations... or maybe the constellations were named after us." Tasuki shrugged, not in the mood to ponder this out, and pointed upwards. "The small group in th' east is Tamahome. And that one there is Nuriko. And the dark gold ones are Chiriko."

"How cool," Ritsuka remarked, "to have your own constellation. So, what's that bright one over there called...?"

oOo

Atop Konan's northeastern wall, Kiori sat gazing up at the same bright constellations that Tasuki was currently naming for Ritsuka. She smiled a little, stifling a yawn with one hand and a stretching her other arm high into the air. "After all the fighting these past couple days, I'd almost forgotten how beautiful Konan could be. If only we'd been sent her during peacetime..." she sighed and set her chin in her hands, closing her eyes and frowning up at the stars. "But then again, I guess we wouldn't have been summoned if there wasn't any danger." She opened her eyes again and found two upturned eyes smiling into hers. "Eep!" Kiori squealed, and nearly fell off the back rampart before she realized the owner of the grinning slits.

"How's it going na no da?"

Tama popped up on Chichiri's shoulder. "Nya!"

Kiori set a hand to her heart and stared at the monk, panting hard. Chichiri smile turned into a tiny, worried frown. "Is everything all right no da?"

"No, it's fine," she assured him after a moment, scrambling back to the safety of the parapet and taking a seat beside the chibi form. "I just... I didn't expect to see you out and about this evening, since you're still posing as the Empress."

"Akai told everyone that 'her Majesty' was very tired, and if they needed anything they could talk to her or 'Chichiri' no da," the monk explained. He stretched his arms up as high as they could go, mimicking the college woman's earlier actions. "Daaa," he sighed happily, "it sure is great to get some fresh air after being cooped up in the palace all day no da."

"I bet," Kiori agreed. She stroked Tama absent-mindedly, her eyes on the faraway haze of campfires that marked the Takkan camp. "Do you think they'll attack before Ritsuka-tachi get back?"

"I don't want to jinx us, but I doubt it no da," he assured her, then, before she even had time to breathe a sigh of relief, he added, "If anything, that Setsuka woman will send an Element out here."

"And that's supposed to make me feel better?" she demanded, burying her face in her hands and squeaking out a little moan of dread. "The army is bad enough..."

"Daijoubu no da," Chichiri said, clapping a friendly hand on Kiori's shoulder. "The odds of Setsuka realizing we're three warriors short is pretty unlikely, and even if she knew that I don't think she'd risk a big battle so soon, and even if she does _that_ I'm sure that Akai-chan and I can take care of an Element without too many problems no da."

Kiori raised her face timidly from her palms and met the monk's smiling gaze. He spoke with such confidence and looked at her so cheerfully that it was almost impossible for her to doubt his words. "You're probably right," she agreed, setting her hands in her lap. "Sorry I'm..."

"So worried about Akai and me? That's all right no da. It's nice to have someone to worry about me no da."

She blushed. "Well, I was going to apologize for being such a coward, but I think I like your way better." Kiori looked up at the constellations again, trying to hide her embarrassment and turn the conversation away from such cryptic thoughts. But looking at the faraway stars made her think of her best friend, sleeping out there in the lands of Konan, which made her frown softly and wonder aloud: "Do you think Ritsuka and Tasuki are watching the stars right now, too?"

"Maybe so," Chichiri said. "You miss them already, don't you?"

She nodded. "Ritsuka was the first friend I made in Tokyo – the only friend, really. I guess I'm a little worried. I mean, Konan is a peaceful nation, but that doesn't mean its people are all saints..."

"I'm sure Tasuki will take care of her no da," the monk promised. Kiori nodded again, but couldn't quite wipe the worried frown from her lips. Chichiri decided to try and take her mind off of their friends. "Did you know each of the constellations in the sky above Konan is named after one of the shichi seishi no da?"

"Oh? Really?" Kiori asked, leaning back to get a better view.

He nodded and pointed out each in turn. "Hotohori, Mitsukake, and Tasuki. And the one next to his is mine, Chichiri no da." He paused thoughtfully. "It's unusually bright tonight no da."

"Is that bad?"

"Not necessarily, but it might be an omen of some kind no da."

Kiori grinned. "Well, I'm sure it's a good one, whatever it is!"

oOo

Mizu and Tsuchi had also ventured outside on that clear night, taking quiet seats on one of the palace's many balconies so they could get a good look at the stars. Mizu stared up at the southern constellations for a moment – Takkan was an independent nation, but it still sat in Konan's hemisphere – and frowned. "Chichiri's awfully bright this evening. That's a sign of danger."

"You seem to watch that constellation a lot, Mizu-chan," Tsuchi remarked. "That's one of those seishi in Konan, isn't it?"

"Sou da."

"You lived in Konan before Setsuka-sama found you, right?" Mizu nodded, though her eyes never once wavered from those twinkling stars. "So did you know that guy or something?"

"Chichiri?" the water Element paused, then sighed and shook her head. "No, I've never known Chichiri."

Tsuchi's thoughtful gaze trailed from the sky and down to his friend, studying her carefully. Mizu was so different from everyone else in the palace. Kind, caring, cheerful, yet her eyes always seemed a bit troubled and sad. And she was more mysterious than even Taiyou and Tsuki; now that he thought about it, Tsuchi didn't think he knew _anything_ about Mizu, not really. He wished he could understand her better, but that wasn't his choice to make. Maybe, someday, she'd trust him with all those secrets in her sad golden eyes...

Mizu felt the boy watching her and turned, smiling her friendliest. "You thinking about anything special?"

"Oh! N-no, nothing," he replied with the slightest bit of a blush. The young Element looked down at the wooden balcony beneath his slippered feet, then cautiously back towards the girl at his side. "Mizu-chan, when do you think this war will be over?"

Her smiling face dropped once again into its usual frown, and both green and blue crystals buzzed beside her – a sure sign of her discontent. "I don't know. I suppose it depends on how Setsuka-sama and the seishi choose to act."

"Are we... d'you think we'll win?"

Mizu looked away and heaved a tired sigh. "I don't know. Maybe."

"You don't sound too happy about that," Tsuchi remarked. He tried to peer into her young face, but the girl kept her features turned away. "You _do_ want us to win, don't you?"

Mizu's thoughts trailed over her allies: over Setsuka's eyes, which were so kind to her yet so vicious to her enemies; over Taiyou's arrogant smirk, the one he wore when he talked about "bringing back a seishi's head for his Lady"; over Tsuki's cold features, so absolutely void of life; over Kaze's quick tongue and even quicker temper, and the way he watched her with constant suspicion; over Sora's disconnected disposition, as if she were so terrified of showing any _real_ emotion; and finally over Tsuchi's smile, so sweet but so full of uncertainty and fear... Lastly, she thought of Houjun.

Mizu smiled falsely at her friend. "Of course I want us to win, Tsuchi-kun!"

oOo

"_...'The three young women in three very different locations sat with their male companions, watching the brightly shining stars and dreaming about what tomorrow might bring.'_" Tetsuya flipped the page, grinning wolfishly at Keisuke as he handed the book right back to Yui. "End Chapter Seven."

* * *

**_Ye Olde Free-Chat: August 11, 2005; 8:30 PM_**

Ni-hao, minna-san!  
This one took a bit longer than I anticipated, mostly because I wound up splitting it into two chapters (I think that's going to become a trend with FY:NC). The good news is that the next chapter is already edited, so I _should_ be able to get that out to you relatively quickly. Of course, school starts up in about three days, so who knows how painful my schedule might become in the next week or so...? _–sigh-_

Hm? The changes? They were minimal, actually, aside from the obvious episode break. Looking back, the only _real_ differences I can see are that (a) Ritsuka now sucks at riding horses (she can't be perfect, after all!) and (b) Houki didn't kick _quite_ as much ass as she did in the original (_she_ can't be perfect, either!). Oh, and I added a bunch of extra dialogue to the Tasuki-Ritsuka and Kiori-Chichiri scenes at the end. That's the main reason for the chapter break, actually...

I'm in a bit of a hurry this time around, so I'd better make this brief and skip away for now! Thank you _so_ much for the reviews everyone, you have no idea how much they mean to me, and I really hope to hear from you all after this chapter, too! So, until next time...

Your Authoress – Dee


	8. Episode Eight: A New Member

**_Disclaimer_:** I still don't own Konan, Suzaku and all characters and seishi pertaining to them. Kiori and Ritsuka are and shall forever be mine, and that holds for all the other "originals" (you'll know 'em when they appear, trust me). Obviously the story is mine as well.

_**Rating:** _PG-13, for crude humour, moderate language, and violence.

* * *

**--Episode Eight: A New Member—**

Keisuke frowned at the book, which now sat once again in Yui's excited hands. "Aren't you two _ever_ going to let me read again?" he demanded, taking another angry sip at his beer.

"That depends," Tetsuya said with a grin. "Are _you_ ever gonna stop complaining about not being able to read?"

"That depends," Keisuke shot back. "Are _you_ever going to let me read so I can stop complaining about not being able to—?"

"Oh for heaven's sake!" Yui cried, throwing the book across the table binder-first at Keisuke and smacking him hard against the forehead. "Just _read_ the stupid thing if it'll keep you two from playing that game any longer!"

Keisuke snatched up _Universe Reawakened_, skimming until he found the first page of chapter eight. He glanced up over the cover, grinning wolfishly at the girl across from him. "Now that I'm able to read, I promise that I won't complain anymore about you two not letting me read, since you have so kindly stopped my complaining by allowing me to read and thereby ending my complaints about you two not letting me—"

Three, four, five pillows hit the young man in rapid succession, courtesy of the irritated Yui and her equally annoyed boyfriend. "JUST READ ALREADY!"

oOo

Tasuki, Ritsuka and Houki got an early start the next day, eager to reach Mount Reikaku before sunset. The seishi led the way at a fast walk, growing more excited with every step.

"See here?" he'd say every once in a while. "This is where me 'n' Koji robbed our first rich snob," or, "That stream through th' trees is where we'd fish in th' summer. 'Course, we weren't as good as Chichiri, so we didn't catch much," or, "Hey, look! My name's still in that tree! An' Koji's is underneath that! Glad t'see no one's scraped 'em off."

"I feel like I'm on a tour of Tasuki's life," Ritsuka muttered to the Empress. The redhead seemed to have finally gotten the knack of riding her horse, though she couldn't stop from grabbing the animal's neck every time they hit a particularly rough patch on the weatherworn path.

Houki smiled. "It is good to see him so excited. After all that has happened these past few days, a bit of nostalgia may be just the thing to lessen the stress of war."

"If you say so," Ritsuka said with a shrug. After a few ill-aimed kicks to her horse's side (and more than a few choice curses), the redhead managed to break the animal into a slow trot and ride up until she was next to the seishi bandit. She tugged back on the reigns and her horse came to an abrupt stop, nearly flinging Ritsuka from his brown-and-white dappled back.

Tasuki glanced over his shoulder and chuckled at the panting redhead before clucking his tongue once. Ritsuka's horse picked up its pace immediately, sidling up so it was side by side with Tasuki's own black stallion. "Y'all right there, Red?"

"Just fine, thank you!" she replied icily.

He laughed and looked away, pointing out a clearing just visible between two big oak trees. "Th' old leader Hakurou used t'give us fightin' lessons there. Me 'n' Koji got our asses whipped a few times in that meadow, though I did manage t'give Hakurou a run fer his money once 'r twice."

Ritsuka rolled her eyes. "Me 'n' Koji, me 'n' Koji. What are you, lovers or something?"

The bandit almost fell off his horse. "N-NANI?"

"Well I know you don't really like girls..."

Tasuki pulled out his fan and hit her across the back of her head. "I don't mean it like _that_! Girls're annoyin' as hell, an' they're always getting' me inta trouble, but I still _'like'_ 'em! Koji 'n' I have been through a lot t'gether! He's my pal, like Chichiri!" He made a gagging noise at the thought of Ritsuka's suggestion.

Before the college woman could come back with a smart answer, two young men of about twenty or so stepped out of the woods. They bore a resemblance to the bandits that had attacked the group the day before, though these two seemed a bit more fashion-conscience in their rugged clothing, and there was something about their stance that suggested that they didn't think of themselves as your run-of-the-mill thieves. Nevertheless, Ritsuka kept a wary eye on the pair and on the weapons they carried across their backs.

The one on the right, a brown-haired youth with a bow slung over one shoulder, held out his hands to the travelers. "Hold up!" Tasuki, Ritsuka, and Houki pulled their horses to a stop, waiting to see what the men wanted.

The one on the left, taller and older than his companion, kept his dark hair pulled back in a short red headband and sported a variety of weapons, most noticeably the broadsword sheathed across his back. His striking green eyes looked the trio up and down. "Hm... a couple-a travelers walkin' all alone on a trail like this? I'd say ya must be lost, 'cause there ain't nothin' up this way t'see."

"Not unless yer headed t'Mount Reikaku," Tasuki replied casually. "Which, it just so happens, is our exact destination."

"Oh, ya wouldn't be interested in Mount Reikaku," the younger of the two said, flashing them a meaningful smile. "Ain't nothin' up there but a bandit stronghold, an' that ain't of no interest t'some honest travelers like yerselves." He nodded cordially to Ritsuka and Houki, and the redhead had a hard time stifling her laughter. If these two were thieves, they certainly didn't act the part.

"Well, yeah, but that's jus' the thing: the person we're lookin' for happens t'be one-a those famous Reikaku bandits. We're on our way up t'talk t'Koji," Tasuki explained. "He's a friend of mine, y'see." The seishi studied the pair, chuckling. "Huh, ya must be new t'the gang. I don't recognize you, and you don't seem t'recognize me either."

The dark-haired man stepped forward, one hand on the hilt of his giant blade. "What d'you want with our boss?" he demanded, baring his teeth at the seishi.

"Woah, down boy," Tasuki grinned, holding up his hands. "I'm just here for a visit. Like I said, we're friends." The pair of bandits exchanged skeptical looks. Tasuki laughed, "Here, I'll give you some proof that I'm safe." He pulled the crystallized fan from his back, holding it out for the duo to examine. "Now I know yer newbies, but ya must've heard of th' tessen of Mount Reikaku by now."

The older bandit nodded. "Sure, it went with Genrou—" he stopped and his eyes widened, as he finally realized just whom he was facing. "Ge-Ge-Genrou-san! The Celestial Warrior who was once a member-a th' Reikaku bandits?"

The seishi scowled. "Once? Ch, I still am! Now would it be too much trouble fer you t'let us through and up t'the hideout?"

The bandits glared at Tasuki's companions. "We'll take you up," the brown-haired youth said, "but we're gonna have ta blindfold yer friends. No outsiders c'n know where the hideout is, ya know."

Tasuki frowned and thwacked the tessen against his side irritably. "Treatin' my pals like common thugs—"

"That is quite all right," Houki assured him. "Mount Reikaku is not an average bandit stronghold, or so the legends say. I quite understand the need for secrecy."

The seishi scowled and muttered something under his breath, but sheathed his tessen and allowed the two bandits to carry out their demands. Ritsuka grinned as the man with the broadsword tied a blindfold over her eyes. "I'm shocked."

"Why?" Tasuki asked.

"You called me your friend. I'm also touched and a little bit sickened." Ritsuka paused thoughtfully, then her lips curled back in a look of utter repulsion. "Hey... this doesn't mean we're gonna be lovers like you and Koji, does it?"

The redhead was sent careening into a tree with one backwards punch.

oOo

Houki and Ritsuka had to ride in shadows for a good hour or so, but didn't mind the temporary darkness too much. Though they missed the sights of the land, they managed to hear plenty of Reikaku news as their two bandit guides – Soshu and Tadashi, they called themselves – filled Tasuki in on the recent goings-on of the stronghold.

"So how're things up at th' gang?"

"They've been real good since I got here six months ago," Soshu, the dark-haired man with the broadsword, explained. "The older guys talk about some bad times after the war, but things've been gradually gettin' better since. Th' merchants are takin' th' old trails again, which means plenty-a loot fer all th' boys, an' with the extra success has come extra members. Reikaku's gained about five bandits in the last month alone, and we even managed t'rope ourselves a sexy little bandit-_ess_, too."

"One girl in a gang full-a guys? Poor her."

"Poor _us_, more like it!" Tadashi interjected. "She's th' toughest woman I ever met, better with a sword than half the boys, an' th' only person who c'n beat her in archery is th' boss himself. I tried t'compliment her, ah... 'feminine features,' an' she slammed my head inta a table!"

From behind the bandits, Ritsuka grinned. "I like her already."

"You would," Tasuki and Houki both murmured, sweatdrops apparent.

"An' t'tell ya th' truth, even if she wasn't a fighter, we still wouldn't mess with her." Tadashi sniggered, and Ritsuka imagined that he was nudging Tasuki knowingly. "Let's jus' say our boss is a li'l protective of her."

Tasuki laughed. "So Koji's got a girlfriend, eh?"

"Well that's th' way it looks, though when ya ask her about it she threatens t'turn ya into a pincushion."

"Ha! I didn't figure Koji went fer th' rough 'n' tough type." He chuckled mischievously. Ritsuka could almost picture the devilish little smirk on his face. "I'll have t'give him hell about that when I see 'em. How's my ol' Aniki doin', anyway?"

"Better'n ever," Soshu assured him. "With all th' new bandits comin' in an' all the extra loot pilin' up—"

"Not t'mention his lady friend," Tadashi and Tasuki both added.

"—He's jus' about th' happiest any of us've ever seen him. He talks about you from time t'time t'the new members, 'bout how you'd come back t'Reikaku eventually so he c'd retire an' live th' good life as yer noble advisor." Soshu's voice took on a somewhat concerned note. "Matter-a fact, that's th' only thing that's been botherin' him recently. He said ya shoulda come up fer yer semi-annual visit about a month ago."

Tasuki was probably rubbing the back of his head in minor embarrassment, Ritsuka decided. "Yeah, I guess I came a little late this time around. Oh well, I brought some sake from th' palace t'make up for it."

"No kiddin'?" Tadashi gave a whoop of delight "Hell _yeah_! We ain't had good sake in months!"

A few minutes later the group came to a stop, and the two bandits took the blindfolds off their fellow travelers' eyes. Ritsuka blinked to accustom herself to the evening light, staring up at the stronghold. The hideout seemed to be made of several buildings stacked here and there throughout the mountains and connected by short bridges and ladders, but the main building, with its sloping maroon-tiled roofs and simplistic but well-made wooden structure was big enough to hold half the occupants of the Konan palace with room to spare.

"So this is what a bandit stronghold looks like," she murmured. "I'm impressed, Tasuki-chan."

"Our gang's been around fer centuries," Tasuki announced, his voice swelling with pride. "An' a lot of people say th' mountain has a kind of holiness to it. It's th' bandits' duty t'protect th' mountain, an' we take that job seriously. We ain't typical bandits, happy t'live in a couple-a shacks an' leech off th' money of innocent travelers." He glared at the redhead over his shoulder. "An' _don't call me that_!"

Ritsuka chuckled and turned her eyes to the rest of the mountain, intent on getting a good look at what Tasuki seemed to think was heaven itself. However, before either she or Houki could get their bearings, Tadashi and Soshu lifted them from their horses and rushed them inside the Reikaku stronghold.

"I suppose this is part of your commitment to secrecy?" Houki inquired.

"We're _very _committed to it, Ojou-san," Tadashi agreed with a tiny smile. He released the Empress' hand and offered a tiny bow to the trio of travelers. "Soshu will take ya t'the boss' room. Bein' one-a th' newest members, I've got some chores t'take care of."

As the young bandit slipped through a side door and into a room filled with laughing bandits – "Chores my ass," Soshu grumbled – their dark-haired companion nodded towards the hallway stretching out before them. The three Konan Warriors followed, Tasuki walking just a step or two behind his female friends.

"Oh, Houki-sama, Red, I should warn you that th' boys in th' gang're great guys fer the most part, but they don't see women too often," Tasuki murmured under his breath. "They'd respect yer wishes, but that doesn't mean they wouldn't _test_ those wishes, so don't wander off too much, all right?"

Houki's eyes widened, but Ritsuka only laughed. "Tasuki-chan, look who you're talking to and then decide if we can take care of ourselves."

Tasuki sweatdropped, rubbing the back of his head and nodding in agreement. "Eh, good point."

Soshu led them down a hall to a pair of closed double doors. He knocked twice. "Boss, it's Soshu. There're some people out here t'see ya."

There was a short pause, a tiny scramble as if the boss had just woken up, and then a familiar voice – at least to Tasuki's ears – held a loud conversation with itself behind the door. "'Eh? Some people?' 'Hai, leader, some guests that I thought ya might wanna meet!' 'Well that's jus' great, I can't wait t'see who it is!' 'Then open th' doors an' I'll bring 'em right in!' 'Gotcha, will do.' 'A-ri-ga-tou'..."

Ritsuka sweatdropped. Tasuki chuckled. "Well, he ain't changed much."

Slowly the big double doors opened outwards. A tanned face with dark, messy hair poked through, and a pair of big hazel eyes stared at the seishi in surprise. "Genrou?"

"Koji!"

The two linked arms and started dancing around the hallway.

"Genrou, how are ya?"

"Never better, buddy!"

"Where ya been?"

"Makin' some enemies cry, what else? How are ya? Ya look well-fed, haha!"

"No worse'n you, Genrou!"

Ritsuka blinked, watching the old friends with wide eyes. "Who's 'Genrou'?"

Soshu pointed at the seishi. "He's Genrou."

"Tasuki's Genrou?"

"Tasuki's Genrou."

"Ah," Ritsuka nodded. She paused, then cocked her head and asked, "How is Tasuki Genrou?"

"Genrou's his nickname," Soshu explained. "'Gen' (Phantom) because of his speed, and 'Rou' (Wolf) fer his fangs."

"Oh!" Ritsuka watched the two young men half-chatting, half-scuffling. She frowned. "I feel ignored."

"I do hope that in his excitement Tasuki will not forget why we came out here," Houki remarked. "We really must get back to the palace as soon as possible."

Ritsuka smiled devilishly. "Maybe I should 'remind' him."

The two friends, oblivious to the women and the waiting bandit, continued to share news, jokes, and playful punches.

"So Koji, I heard ya got some pretty little bride now," Tasuki said with a snicker. "Is th' bandit leader gonna turn into th' dotin' husband?"

Koji blushed. "Ah well, it ain't like she's my fiancée'r anythin', jus' some girl from Kakou City who wanted t'join th' gang. She's pretty tough, so I went ahead an' let her in..."

"Is she hot?"

"What kinda question is that!"

"Oh, so she makes little kids cry."

"Nah, she ain't like you!" Koji grabbed his friend in a headlock. "So what's a big important seishi like you doin' out here?" His hold tightened on Tasuki's neck. "An' why th' hell didn't ya come at yer usual six-month time, huh? I thought ya'd fin'lly taken on too big an enemy an' gotten yerself killed!"

"Ha! I pity th' idiot who tries t'kill me!" Tasuki laughed and wriggled out of his friend's hold. "Chichiri 'n' I got a little preoccupied, s'all."

Koji shaded his eyes and made as if to search the stronghold. "Say, where is that monk anyway?"

"Back at th' palace. Oh, an' speakin' of th' palace—"

"Taaaaaaasuki-chan!" Ritsuka threw herself onto his back and poked her head over his shoulder. "You gonna ignore me or introduce us?"

Koji grinned at the girl draped across Tasuki's shoulders. "Oi Genrou, why didn't ya tell me ya had a girlfriend?"

Flames sprung up behind the pair of Konan Warriors as they shot death glares at the hapless bandit.

"Tasuki-chan, please let me kill him," Ritsuka growled.

"Death'd be too good fer him after a comment like that," Tasuki said darkly.

Koji held up his hands, sweatdropping. "Okay, okay, I take it back. But, Genrou..." Koji glanced up at Ritsuka, then over at Houki. He sidled up beside his friend and nudged him in the ribs, cupping one hand to his mouth and murmuring in a conspiring whisper, "What's a woman-hater like you doin' runnin' around with two hot babes like these, huh?"

"That 'hot babe' over there is th' Empress Houki," Tasuki said dryly. Koji pulled a very comical, surprised expression and bowed low to Houki, who merely smiled and nodded a greeting. "An' the annoyin' brat on my back isn't hot, she's the terror named Ritsuka, but I just call her Red. Speakin' of bein' on my back – GET OFF!"

Ritsuka ignored Tasuki and stuck a hand out to Koji. "Nice t'meet'cha! You must be Koji, I've heard so much about you!" Koji blinked, staring blankly at the outstretched hand. Ritsuka's smile dropped. "Oh, I forgot. You people've probably never _heard_ of a handshake, have you?"

Tasuki jerked to the side suddenly, causing Ritsuka to topple off his back and land somewhat painfully on her head. Koji studied the upside-down college woman, noting her denim pants, white tank top, and sporty, red jacket. "She ain't from around here, is she?"

"Remember Miaka?"

"How could I ferget her?"

"Same world."

Koji folded his arms across his chest and nodded in understanding. "Ah, that explains it then."

"Explains what?" Ritsuka demanded from the floor.

"The eccentricities," Koji explained. Ritsuka sprang from the ground in an instant, fire in her eyes and a sword in her hands. The bandit's eyes widened a bit. "What th' hell're ya—?"

"You're as stupid as your friend!" Ritsuka roared, swinging down with her weapon and neatly clipping off a few strands of Koji's hair. The bandit leader yelped and took off across the room with the redhead in hot pursuit. "Take it back!" she demanded, punctuating each word with another swing of her sword. "I am not eccentric!"

"Then – how – d'you – explain – how yer – actin' – now?" Koji cried, managing to stay one step ahead of the irate woman.

Tasuki rubbed at his temples. As Ritsuka ran by, he pulled out his tessen and thumped her hard on the head, sending her to the ground with a startled squeak. "Ahou. I thought you were th' one who was s'posed t'keep _me_ on task."

"Speaking of staying on task," Houki said somewhat impatiently, sneaking up on the three brawlers, "do you not think we should explain to Koji why we traveled all this way?"

"Yeah, yeah, everythin' in good time, Majesty," Tasuki agreed with a wave of his hand. He dug around in his maroon jacket. "First, though, I wanna have a little welcome back party fer myself. An' I brought jus' th' thing t'get the party started." He produced a bottle from his jacket, but the way he and Koji smiled down at it made it look like the Holy Grail.

"Is... is that what I think it is?" Koji asked, sparkles shining from his hazel eyes.

Tasuki nodded. "Palace sake, fermented t'perfection an' made with only the finest rice grains."

Koji grabbed the bottle and practically danced down the hallway. "Oryaa, now _this_ is how we start a welcome back party! Genrou, I c'n almost forgive ya fer bein' late this year."

The women followed the pair of bandits down the hallway, through another pair of double doors, and into Reikaku's spacious "wining and dining" room, as Koji called it. Ritsuka immediately set about greeting the other bandits and tasting the wide variety of alcohol spread out across the tables, but Houki stayed close to her seishi friend, one eyebrow twitching slightly. "Tasuki," she murmured with a tiny hint of annoyance in her serene voice. "A party is all well and good, but what about the legend? Koji will not be of much use to us if he is inebriated."

Tasuki grinned down at his Empress and whispered right back, "Don't worry so much, Houki-sama. I don't plan on gettin' him drunk – jus' a li'l tipsy. Legend 'r no legend, leavin' the gang won't be a simple decision fer Koji to make. He's a lot like me in that sense, y'know. It'll be easier t'persuade him if he's, uh, 'relaxed'."

Houki sighed. "I hope you are right. But we do not have a moment to spare, so please relax him quickly."

"So, Yer Majesty, where would'ja like t'sit?" Koji asked, glancing over his shoulder at the two conspirators. "Seein' as how yer the most high-profile guest we've had in a while, I figured I'd give ya th' choice."

"Sit?" Houki scanned the room for a moment, noticing for the first time the somewhat haphazard design of Reikaku's Main Hall. A set of long tables sat to the right side of the room, though none of the bandits were sitting at the giant structures; one of the tables was covered with bottles of sake, tea, and water, while the other was cleared off as if awaiting the arrival of dinner dishes. The actual members of Reikaku sat spread out across the rest of the hall, either at small square tables or seated on the floor atop weatherworn silken pillows (Houki somehow doubted the pillows had been "honestly purchased"). The Empress frowned. "I could not begin to choose a location. Where is the customary seat for the leader, Koji?"

The bandit leader chuckled. "Oh, sorry yer Highness, I fergot that yer used to a much more, ah, refined sense-a dinin'." He waved an arm around the comfortable but utterly disorganized room. "Parties on Reikaku ain't like that, y'see. There's no startin' time, eatin' time, or organized time of pretty much anythin'. We eat when we want, drink what we want, sit anywhere that looks comfy, and pass out at whatever time seems appropriate."

"That's th' Reikaku Way!" he and Tasuki cried together, as if it were some kind of bandit slogan.

The Empress hid a smile behind her sleeve. "Very well, then." She nodded towards a relatively quiet corner scattered with pillows and a few empty bottles. "That spot does not seem taken."

"Excellent choice Yer Majesty!" Koji said, leading the way to the chosen spot. "That's my favorite place t'pass out, too!"

Houki followed the bandit leader to his corner. She was very quickly joined by Tasuki, who somehow managed to pry Ritsuka away from her three new friends – a pair of bandits who seemed ecstatic about the sight of another woman in the stronghold, and a very large bottle of imported Sairou wine – and back towards their corner. Koji beckoned Soshu and Tadashi over as well, and the small party soon made itself comfortable in its private drinking circle.

"You happen t'be two very privileged bandits, meetin' my pal Genrou t'night," Koji explained to the pair, pouring the palace sake into six small ceramic cups. "This stuff is too good t'share with everyone, we'd all barely get a taste of it, so I'm thinkin' we'll keep it a secret between th' six of us, na?"

"Here, here!" Ritsuka and the bandits agreed, clinking their cups together regally.

"So, Koji, what's on the menu fer t'night?" Tadashi wondered, downing his sake in one quick gulp. The young bandit had gotten a head start on the rest of the group; already his cheeks were turning a slight pinkish color, and he kept leaning into Ritsuka's shoulder, no matter how many times she tried to push him off. "I'm hopin' fer some-a those pot stickers, that Kakou City recipe is heaven!"

Koji shrugged. "I s'pose we'll get whatever the cooks feel like servin' up."

Soshu chuckled. "Well, if Hareya is in charge of th' food, I'm sure it'll be another masterpiece."

"Hareya?" Tasuki frowned. "Hm, I don't remember that name..." Out of the corner of his eye he saw Koji's cheeks redden, ever-so-slightly. The seishi clapped his fist into his open palm, grinning wide. "Oh! So _that's_ th' name of yer woman!"

"I'm whose woman?" a voice behind them demanded. Tasuki and company turned to find a rather well-endowed beauty standing behind them. She was younger than Tasuki had expected – probably about his age, if not a tiny bit older – with sparkling brown eyes and long teal hair held back by a red bandana. She dressed in the style of most bandits: a long, loose-fitting white shirt belted around the waist, complemented by a small navy blue vest and a pair of similarly colored pants. Yet despite her masculine attire there was absolutely nothing masculine about her: everything from her delicate nose to her ample chest and slim, well-muscled legs spoke of a true, well-bred woman, perhaps even someone you might consider a "young lady."

Tasuki's mouth almost fell to the floor, and even Ritsuka and Houki had to stare wonderingly at the tall, graceful, dangerous woman standing before them. The college student voiced all their thoughts, though only in a whisper. "_This_ is the tomboy bandit-ess we've heard about...?"

Hareya either didn't notice or didn't care about their stares. She placed both hands on her hips and glared down at the seishi, tapping out a dangerous rhythm against the floor with one slipper-covered foot. "Now, newbie, _whose_ woman am I?" Tasuki somehow managed to point at Koji. She glanced towards the bandit leader and smiled a bit, her hard exterior melting into a look of trust and kindness. "Oh. Well, I guess I can let you get away with it _this _time, since you are new around here. So what's your name, kid?"

"Uh, Hareya, love, this is Genrou, th' friend I told ya 'bout," Koji explained, returning her smile with a blissful grin of his own. "Th' two women're his friends. Ritsuka, an'..." he hesitated, unsure of how to address the Empress.

"Just call me Houki," she supplied.

Hareya fluffed out a pillow and sat down between Houki and Ritsuka, bowing from her waist to the visitors. "Pleased to meet you." Her eyes flashed up towards Tasuki and she winced a bit. "Sorry about that 'kid' comment, but you're a lot younger than I expected."

"Uh-huh," Tasuki murmured, mouth still agape. Ritsuka glared at him and popped him across the chin, snapping his jaw shut and knocking him out of his trance in the process. "Ah, it's great t'meet ya too, Hareya! Koji's already told me a lot about ya."

The female bandit chuckled. "That's something we have in common, then, because I can't seem to stop hearing stories about you either, Genrou." She sighed as the sound of crashing dishes and muffled curses reached them from the neighboring room. "Ugh... The so-called cooks around here are absolutely hopeless without me."

Her eyes swept over the guests again and she stood, smoothing back her long teal hair. "I'm sorry to rush out like this, but I'll be back once dinner's been taken care of. Save me a spot, Koji-chan," he blushed at the suffix and nodded fiercely. Another crash echoed through the thin panels. Hareya winced. "Before I go, though, I'm _definitely _gonna need some of this." She poured herself a cup of sake and chugged it down in one swift gulp. The young woman glanced up a moment later, handing the cup to Ritsuka and grinning. "Ah! Much better. Jaa, Koji-chan."

Koji watched her depart, a longing look in his hazel eyes. Tasuki followed his friend's gaze, an absolutely mystified look in _his_ eyes. "Body of a goddess, drinks as well as a man, cooks like a real housewife, tough enough t'live in a gang... an' I get stuck with the redheaded brat?"

Ritsuka's fist sent him straight through a window. She turned back to the bandit leader, smiling sweetly as if nothing had happened. "I thought I'd like her. Now I know I do. She seems pretty smitten with you, too." Koji's smile almost swallowed his entire face. Ritsuka finished off her second glass of palace sake and grinned at the bandit leader. "I take back what I said earlier, Koji. If someone like her could fall for you, then you definitely aren't as stupid as Tasuki-chan over there." She jerked a thumb at the nearby broken window, where Tasuki was currently trying to pull himself back over the ledge. "Let's be friends, okay Ko-kun?"

"We c'n be friends so long's ya never call me Ko-kun ever again."

"Deal!"

Ritsuka stuck out her hand again, and this time Koji shook it, sealing the pact. The redhead snatched up her third cup of sake. "So how'd you wind up with Hareya, anyway?"

"Dumb luck, really," he replied with a chuckle. By now Tasuki had resumed his seat beside the bandit, though he was still picking out bits of leaf and wood from his hair. "You all right, Genrou?"

"You could've helped me."

Koji shrugged. "I figgered you deserved it."

"Are you _sure_ we're friends?"

"Now who ever told ya a filthy lie like that?" Koji grinned at his comrade, who shoved him playfully and returned to picking twigs from his mane of red hair. The bandit leader chuckled and sipped at his glass of sake, eyes trailing across the small circle of drinking partners. Ritsuka had apparently decided that Tadashi and Soshu were her new friends too, and the three were swapping "dates from hell" stories. Houki sat nearby, listening wide-eyed as she sipped lightly at her own sake. Koji's gaze came back to Tasuki and his glass; the seishi had barely touched his beloved liquid. "Oi, you gonna let it go bad'r somethin'?" he asked, gesturing towards the cup.

Tasuki looked up and laughed. "Have I ever let good booze sit?" He set the cup to his lips and pretended to drink at least half of it. In truth, not a drop went into his mouth. As soon as Koji looked the other way to shout at a fellow gang member, all the sake went into Soshu's now-empty cup. Houki noticed the gesture and raised a questioning eyebrow at the seishi. Tasuki leaned across his pillow towards the Empress, explaining in a whispered hiss: "I gotta stay sober if we expect t'convince Koji t'come back t'Konan with us." He winked and tapped the side of his head. "Still, there's no reason fer _him_ t'know that. Then he might get suspicious an' not relax properly, an' we don't want that either, right yer Majesty?"

Convinced that he'd pulled off his trick perfectly, Tasuki immediately dove into the group's drunken conversation. He didn't realize that Koji had seen the entire act out of the corner of his eye. _'What's Genrou up to?'_ he wondered. The bandit leader felt a tiny smirk flash across his features. _'Well, two c'n play at any game, pal.'_

Koji allowed a few drops of the rice wine to hit his tongue; he sighed wistfully, desperate for a more fulfilling taste, but steeled his willpower and slid the rest of the sake into the cup Hareya had left behind. He slammed his cup down against the floor and raised a fist high into the air. "Ha, now this is th' stuff t'make any party great! Who's up fer another round?"

Ritsuka and the young bandits, oblivious to the trio of teetotaler's plans, held out their glasses for their second, third, and – in Ritsuka's case – fourth round.

"I've never had a whole lot of this stuff, y'know," Ritsuka remarked as Koji filled her cup to the brim. "Just a couple-a beers once in a while, of course, but hardly _any_ strong liquor. My parents always said that too much alcohol was bad for a young lady." She snickered. "Well, what they don't know won't hurt 'em. Kanpai (Cheers), minna!"

oOo

Alcohol, good food and sleep are a combination that seems to go hand-in-hand. Several hours after the party had begun, Ritsuka and all the gang members – excluding Koji – lay scattered about the room, sleeping peacefully.

Koji chuckled and lifted Hareya's head off his lap and down onto one of the softer pillows, stroking her teal hair with a gentle – though drunkenly clumsy – hand. Ritsuka lay draped across Hareya's legs, her face flushed even in sleep as she snored uproariously. Tasuki and Houki covered the young redhead with a blanket, sighing at the overenthusiastic drinker.

"Out like a light," Houki remarked with a chuckle.

"An' no wonder," Tasuki grumbled. "She musta cleaned out half our liquor supply, an' I wouldn't exactly call her an experienced drinker. I think she jus' did it t'prove she could..."

"Oi, don't be so hard on her, Genrou!" Koji objected, leaning back against the nearby wall. The bandit leader's gaze wavered between the Empress and the seishi; he looked on the verge of passing out himself. "Ritsuka was a huge hit with th' bandits t'night, 'specially with my Hareya. Did'ja hear her, tellin' Ritsuka she was an Honorary Reikaku bandit, an' that she'd fight anyone who said otherwise? I agree with her, too. Anyone who c'n hold that much alcohol without losin' it in th' same night is worthy of bein' a part of this gang, I figure."

"I refuse t'let a terror like _her_ inta this gang!" Tasuki declared, tucking the blanket up against the young woman's chin.

Koji waved a dismissive hand, nearly spilling the half-full cup in his hand. "Ah, don' be silly. Ritsuka ain't a terror – she was th' life-a th' party t'night, wasn't she? Bright 'n' cheerful! She even taught us all that new song by uh, what was their name again? Rarken-somethin'-or-other..."

"Sure, but you ain't seen her on an everyday basis," the seishi argued. "Jus' wait until t'morrow, when th' hangover from hell attacks. That'll make her even grumpier'n usual, and somehow I get the feelin' that anger'll be taken out on me." He pointed a triumphant finger at the bandit leader. "_Then_ you'll see her true colors, mark my words on that!"

Houki chuckled at the bandit's comment. She glanced around the room, noting the snoring crowd of men, then frowned at her seishi comrade. "Tasuki, it seems that everyone else has fallen asleep. Do you suppose that _now_ is the right time to discuss our plans with Koji?"

The bandit leader's eyes sharpened, the slur in his voice disappeared, and he set his sake cup down with an unusually steady hand. "Jus' what I was about t'ask, yer Highness."

For the second time that evening, Tasuki's mouth almost fell to the floor. "Why you... you little cheater! Ya didn't have a drop-a sake, did ya?"

Koji winked, waving a finger at his friend. "Two can play any game, Gen-_chan_. Jus' remember that ya ain't as sneaky as ya think ya are." He set his chin in his hands and looked back and forth between Houki and Tasuki. "So tell me, what're ya really doin' up here with th' Empress an' a girl from another world? An' more importantly, what've _I_ got t'do with th' whole mess?"

"Well, it's kind of a long story..."

Tasuki and Houki took turns explaining the legend and war to Koji, doing their best to move quickly without forgetting any details. The bandit leader sat through the long tale without interrupting, nodding every once in a while to show he was still listening.

"...So Chichiri told me what I already knew, an' here we are," Tasuki finished.

"And we eagerly await your decision," Houki added with a small, hopeful smile.

Koji sat in silence for a long moment, staring hard at the ceiling, his mind lost in some unknown thought. After a moment, he leaned back against the wall again, chuckling and talking out loud to himself. "'You hearin' this Koji?' 'I sure am, but I ain't believin' it.' 'You think they're tryin' t'pull yer leg?' 'Nah, they're tellin' th' truth, it jus' don't make a whole lotta sense.' 'It's unbelievable, is what it is. _You_, part of some Konan seven?' 'I know, that's what I'm thinkin'. Completely unbelievable'."

"Perhaps, but it is also very true," Houki said. "My… no, _our _country is in dire peril, and I do not believe we can succeed without all of the Konan Warriors."

"Includin' me?"

"Including you."

Koji closed his eyes, putting his hands behind his head and laughing quietly. "Well, I dunno much about legends. Hell, I barely believed in th' seishi 'till Genrou showed up at the stronghold. An' you really expect me t'drop everythin' an' run to Konan? I got a gang t'lead, y'know."

Tasuki's heart sunk in his chest. "Koji..."

"Nah, I dunno too much about legends," he repeated. "An' I don't know what idiot thought I'd be of any use an' put me in th' damn thing, either. I ain't a trained warrior like this Akai. I ain't a seishi, 'r someone from another world, an' I sure as hell ain't an Empress. I don't know a thing about politics or magic or pretty much anythin' beyond runnin' a stronghold an' fightin' like hell. What I'd be able t'do against some powerful Element, 'r whatever they're called? Huh, it's beyond me."

Koji opened one eye, grinning. "But I do know that Konan's in trouble, an' that my pal Genrou an' his buddies're dependin' on me t'join th' fight. Now, what kinda friend would I be if I turned my back on him an' the whole country? Not much of one, I figure."

Tasuki's frown quickly turned into a grin, fangs flashing in the candlelight. "I knew ya wouldn't let me down!"

The bandit leader pulled a dagger from his belt, placing it on the floor in front of the Empress. "If th' empire needs someone who c'n run a stronghold an' fight like hell, then I'll be there t'do jus' that. I'm with ya 'till th' end, Majesty, even if I gotta die t'get there."

Houki smiled, and for the first time that evening she truly looked her young age, as if a thousand worries had slipped from her shoulders at the new warrior's simple gesture. "Let us hope it never comes to that, Koji, though such loyalty is indeed treasured."

oOo

"_'...The Emperess touched the hilt of the dagger respectfully, handing it back to the bandit leader. The seventh and final Konan Warrior had been found,'" _Keisuke smiled over at his friends and flipped to the next page, holding the book in a near death-lock. "End Chapter Eight."

* * *

_**Ye Olde Free-Chat: September 10, 2005; 5:00 PM** _

Ni-hao, minna-san!  
Yay, Koji's finally arrived! This story really made me fall in love with Koji, so it's fun to edit his early episodes again. I might add even more scenes with him as the edit continues... but we'll see where my muse takes me. Oh, and by the way, when Koji's talking about the song Ritsuka was teaching them, he's trying to say the band name L'Arc-en-Ciel. And if you don't know who they are, you should go buy their CD "Smile" and find out for yourself. Do it now! The Otaku of L'arc demands it!

Hm... I feel like doing Character Profiles. And since this is my free-chat, I think I'll do just that (heh, I made a rhyme)!

**Character Profile: Sakamoto Kiori  
**Age: 21  
Height: 5'5"  
Weight: 125 lbs  
Birthplace: Kyoto, Japan  
Birthday: September 8 (Virgo)  
Blood Type: A  
Hair: Brown, shoulder-length, with chin-length bangs that frame her face  
Eyes: Green  
Likes: Cats, reading, writing  
Dislikes: Heights, math, cooking  
Favorite Food: Sukiyaki, any Italian food  
Least Favorite Food: Hamburgers

I wanted Kiori to be someone you might meet on the street in your hometown; someone people could really relate to – she's not a warrior or a bandit or even a genius student, but at the same time she _wants_ to be something special, and that's where a lot of her conflicts come from. I wanted to set her apart from the crowd a bit though, so I gave her a troubled past (though even that is somewhat realistic) and added some self-esteem problems just for good measure. In a lot of ways I shaped her personality so it would reflect Chichiri's, because I like to think of them as "twin stars" in some senses... but they're very different in a lot of ways, too. Though she isn't my _favorite_ character, I really like Kiori. She's probably the character most like me in this story, and I love the way she grows as the plot progresses... but you'll just have to wait to see how _that_ all turns out (smile)!

Guess that's all for now... As always, thanks so much to everyone who reviewed – your kind words mean so much to me! – and (as always again) I'll try to update quicker next time, but I really can't promise much. School's been taking up a lot of my time, and I don't think it's going to let up anytime soon (le-sigh)... But I'll do my best to get an update out every month, because I'd hate for you to get impatient and leave the story before it's even halfway finished, so look for another update around the 10th of October (no da)!

See you in the next installment!  
Your Authoress—Dee


	9. Episode Nine: The New Enemy

**_Disclaimer_:** I still don't own Konan, Suzaku and all characters and seishi pertaining to them. Kiori and Ritsuka are and shall forever be mine, and that holds for all the other "originals" (you'll know 'em when they appear, trust me). Obviously the story is mine as well.

_**Rating:** _PG-13, for crude humour, moderate language, and violence.

* * *

**--Episode Nine: The New Enemy--**

Keisuke, Tetsuya and Yui all jumped about five feet in the air as the telephone's familiar _bring-bring-bring_ interrupted their reading. The trio stared at one another for a long, perplexed second, as if to ask "what is a telephone doing in Konan?" before the second round of rings threw them out of their daze and back into the real world. Keisuke dashed to the phone and snatched up the earpiece, practically shouting in the receiver, "Moshi-moshi, this is Yuki Keisuke speaking."

"Onii-chan?"

Keisuke jumped again. "Miaka! Hi, er, what're you doing calling at this hour, uh..." he glanced at the clock, wincing as he realized it was barely eight-thirty. "I mean, what's up?"

"Is Yui-chan there? I've been trying to call her house all evening to see if she wanted to stay the night, and then I thought she might be there with Tetsuya."

Keisuke fidgeted with the phone cord. "No, uh, they went out tonight, I think. Sorry, can't help you."

"Oh. All right." Keisuke's mouth was halfway around the word "good-bye" when Miaka asked suddenly: "Is everything okay?"

His voice rose to a startled squeak. "Why shouldn't it be?"

"I don't know. I've just felt sorta funny since this evening, like I'm missing something important. Taka said he felt the same way. Pretty strange, don't you think?"

"Very," Keisuke looked at Yui and Tetsuya, who were motioning for him to hurry. "Ah, I wouldn't worry about it, if I were you. Probably just stress over the upcoming exams."

"Yeah, maybe," Miaka agreed. "Well, you sound like you're in a hurry, so I'll talk to you later, okay Onii-chan?"

"Sure thing. Oyasumi (Good night)," Keisuke hung up, heaving a deep sigh. "She doesn't suspect a thing," he announced to the couple on the couch. "I don't know what's sadder – my lousy act, or the fact that she didn't pick up on my lousy act." He sat back down on the couch, too relieved by his sister's oblivious nature to notice when Tetsuya stole the book back and flipped to the first page of the new chapter. He cleared his throat and read:

"_'The next morning, the four Konan warriors packed their supplies and said their good-byes, ready to begin their journey from Mount Reikaku to the capital...'_"

oOo

"Ah, it's gonna be great havin' ya down at th' palace," Tasuki remarked to Koji as the two bandits tied their bags onto their horses. "An' when we ain't fryin' Takkan I can take you on a tour, though somethin' tells me th' liquor cabinets'll be yer favorite part. We're gonna have a blast, doncha think so Red?"

Ritsuka groaned from atop her horse.

"I told ya t'go easy on th' alcohol," Tasuki reminded her.

Ritsuka mumbled something unintelligible and extended her middle finger.

Koji shook his head and laughed. "She'll be fine by t'morrow, but a day of hard ridin'll be tough on her head. I'd hate t'be you right now, Ritsuka."

The middle finger only extended higher.

Houki looked back at the few awake gang members who'd come to see them off. "I truly appreciate your participation in this war, Koji, but who will be in charge of the gang until you return?"

"Ah, don't worry 'bout that yer Majesty! My girl Hareya c'n handle any—" But Koji never had a chance to say what Hareya could handle, because at that moment the beautiful bandit flew out the door of the stronghold, dashing across the clearing and practically throwing herself into the leader's arms.

"Koji-chan, you better come back in one piece or I'll kill you myself, understand?" she cried, looping her hands around the bandit's neck.

"Oh, hi love, didn't think ya'd be outta bed yet," Koji teased, though he couldn't quite stop a tender smile from crossing his features.

"You thought a little alcohol would stop me from seeing you off?" she countered. The young woman pulled back a bit, though she still kept her hands pressed against his shoulders, almost as if she were afraid to let him go just yet. "Now you don't have to worry about a thing, okay? I'll keep this rotten band of brutes under control until you get back, and if one tiny thing is out of place when you return, why, you can throw me off the mountain."

"Nah, yer too pretty t'throw all the way off th' mountain," Koji told her. "Maybe jus' halfway."

Hareya laughed. "You're such a kind leader, Koji-chan." She hugged him again and planted a kiss on his cheek. "Stay safe, and keep that seishi friend of yours out of trouble too."

"Keepin' Genrou outta trouble's like keepin' water from gettin' wet, but I'll do what I can," the flushing Koji promised, pecking her on the lips before wriggling out of her hold. Tasuki snickered from atop his horse; Koji shot his friend a death glare, then turned his smiling gaze back to Hareya. "I'll be home in a few months at th' most, love."

She looked like she wanted the "good-bye" to last longer, but glanced around at the watching bandits and thought better of it. Instead, the young woman took a step back and waved as Koji mounted his horse. "I'll count down the days! One hour past two months and you don't get a welcome back party! Jaa mata, Koji-chan, Gen-tachi!"

Houki waved back, while Tasuki and Koji blew a few melodramatic kisses. Ritsuka raised a hand slightly, letting it drop back to her side with a thump.

Tasuki kicked his horse into action and off the four went, yawning Reikaku bandits still shouting farewells as they disappeared over the horizon.

oOo

Mizu sat in front of her seeing-crystal, watching the Takkan soldiers at Setsuka's bidding. Though the woman had promised Mizu that she wouldn't be needed for a while, she had very quickly gone back on her word so she could see the goings-on in camp.

"Focus on those soldiers there, please," Setsuka commanded. "I am interested in the morale of my shogun's men."

"Hai, my Lady."

The trio of soldiers Setsuka had pointed out crouched around a small campfire nursing wounds, attempting to cook dinner, and complaining about the general situation.

"Huh, send us out t'fight a couple-a demons," the first grumbled. "Th' whole thing's suicide, I tell ya."

"An' knowin' th' shogun, we'll be out fightin' again b'fore the week's out," the second whined. "My leg ain't feelin' any better'n it did three days ago, but will he care? Pah!"

The third shook his head. "Nah, it ain't Shogun-sama's doin'. Captains' gossip says everythin' he does comes as a direct order from her Ladyship." He glanced around, then leaned in and whispered to his friends, "An' word has it she _knew_ those seishi c'd do that."

"She _sent_ us t'die?" the first cried, losing his balance and nearly falling into the fire.

The third nodded. "Mm, from what I understand she an' Shogun-sama ain't gettin' on too well, an' she wanted t'teach him a lesson about not questionin' her orders."

"By killin' us!" the second spat, waving his short dagger in the air. "It ain't right, I say! We get whipped t'bloody pulps, an' what happens t'Hataku, huh?" The third leaned in and whispered something Mizu and Setsuka couldn't hear, though they knew perfectly well what he said. The second's eyes widened for a moment, then dropped to the ground. "Oh, well..." he muttered, scuffing his foot at the soft earth, "maybe he did get his lesson learned, then."

The first took a bite of moldy bread. "Well, I ain't got no business in them 'higher matters.' All I know is that th' longer we fight th' less chance we got-a gettin' outta here alive. Those seishi don't take prisoners."

The second snorted. "Fightin'? Ferget it! If her Ladyship wants Konan so badly she c'n send in some-a her little magical pets! I dunno 'bout you boys, but another attack like that last 'un an' I'm gone! I'll take my chances with a price on my head..."

"Mutiny," Mizu whispered. "Hataku-san's in for some trouble."

Setsuka's lips curled back in a vicious smile. "Excellent. The more trouble he has, the more he will focus his anger on me. Hatred clouds judgment. Remember that, Mizu-chan."

"You _want_ Hataku-san to hate you?"

The Lady fingered the silver and white gems about her neck. She considered all the shogun's hard work and loyal service, surprised to find that she felt a little bit guilty about how she was treating him. She scowled at that train of thought and gripped her gems tighter; Hataku always invoked ridiculous ideas like that. That was why she had to be so cruel to him. That was why he had to fail. "Perhaps I do. Never you mind that, Mizu-chan. It's nothing you need to worry about. I will need you tomorrow, but today's work is done."

"Hai, my Lady." Mizu hopped from her chair and left as fast as her legs could go, her young mind in an absolute jumble about her ladies' wishes.

_'Why would she want her general to hate her? Shouldn't they work together? They used to get along so well, when I first met Her Ladyship...'_ Mizu sighed and shook her head, slowing down her pace as she neared the stairwell that led up to her private room. _'Don't ask questions, Mizu. Trust her Ladyship. Everything she does is always for a good reason... Always.'_

oOo

Hataku lay on his stomach in his tent while the little head doctor applied poultices to his lashed back. The general, hurt in pride and body, clenched his fists against his sides, remembering all too well the crack of that whip, the blood trickling down his back to stain his pants, the merciless sparkle in Setsuka's eyes, and her words, which she'd spoken with such mocking sadness...

vVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVv

The shogun sat gasping against the wall, his shackled arms forcing him to press his face against the cold stone. The coolness under the front of his body did little to soothe the fire across his back and shoulders; he braced himself for that telltale snap that indicated another long round of agony, but to his surprise Setsuka appeared at the corner of his vision. Hataku managed to turn his head to meet her gaze, though he could do little but stare helplessly into her serene face.

"That will be enough for now," she assured him, reaching out one hand to stroke at his sweat-slicked cheek. "I believe you have learned your lesson, and understand the extent of my powers far better than you once did. Nevertheless..." and here she smiled in faux pity, and the shogun's body burned with anger, "Hataku, do you remember that seat that I promised you on my right hand? The seat that I said I would grant you once we had won this battle? I don't believe I shall be giving you that privilege now. Such gifts, it seems, only succeed in expanding your ego, and that is something I can never accept. I believe your power as shogun is sufficient, don't you agree?"

Hataku's brown eyes widened, and for a brief moment his voice read nothing but shocked hurt and betrayal. "My Lady, I thought—" the prison guard snapped his whip meaningfully. The shogun bit his lip and lowered his eyes. "As you wish."

vVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVv

"Damn that woman," Hataku growled. "I've clawed my way up from the lowest of ranks, protected her for years, performed even the most gruesome of her orders... I have shown that woman nothing but loyalty, _nothing_...! Yet what is my reward for my hard work?" His teeth clenched as the doctor poured alcohol across his wounds. "I'm nothing but a servant to her, not even worthy of a rank beside those children! Those children who've done nothing in battle, nothing to prove their worth—"

"My, Shogun-sama, I didn't realize how fiercely that prison guard beat you," a female voice remarked behind him. Her flippant tone lowered to a dangerous growl. "Not only is your back an absolute disaster, but you seem to have lost the ability to keep your thoughts to yourself as well."

Hataku sat up, ignoring the pain that raced from his neck to his hips as he rotated to face the newcomer. His eyes trailed across the Lady Setsuka, as well as the two elements – Kaze and Tsuki – who flanked her. Though the burning hatred was easy to read in his sharp eyes and clipped speech, the shogun's manner spoke more of fear than rebellion, and more of misery than even fear. "Setsuka-sama."

"You should be honored to serve such noble children as my Elements," Setsuka reprimanded. "Though, I do understand your complaint. Perhaps it is time we allow some of them a taste of battle."

He brushed his unbound hair away from his face. "Indeed?"

Setsuka's tone almost overflowed with contempt. "Though you and your men have been too busy licking your wounds to post guards, _I_ have been vigilant. A small group of Konan Warriors are returning from a journey, and we can't just let them ride by without a hitch, don't you agree?"

"My Lady, my men are tired. If there is a seishi with them—"

"There is," she said.

Hataku frowned. "I couldn't possible send them to their deaths, not when they haven't a chance of survival. It would go against everything I—"

"Perhaps you misunderstood me, _Shogun-sama_," Setsuka snapped. "This isn't a matter of choice: it's a direct order. You _will_ send out a score of soldiers to deal with these warriors. And the person to lead that operation will be someone I know I can trust."

Kaze stepped forward, flashing a toothy smile. Hataku jumped to his feet, spluttering in almost speechless anger. "That _boy_ will—" The sound of a whip cracked in the back of his mind, and the shogun screeched to a halt. He gritted his teeth and bowed his head. "Hai, my Lady."

Hataku wrapped his cloak around his body and stormed out of the tent, hands already pulling his hair back into a loose topknot. A few moments later they could hear the sound of the shogun barking orders to a group of soldiers, who yelped hasty "Hai, Shogun-sama!"s before presumably scrambling off to grab their weapons and armor.

Kaze grinned and clenched his fist. "Yoshi! About time I get t'see a battle!" He glanced at Tsuki, his excited grin turning into a cocky smirk. "Looks like you an' that brother of yours ain't gonna taste first blood after all, huh?"

"Kaze, calm down," Setsuka murmured somewhat impatiently. "Your orders have been given. You won't be there to fight – only to see the power of a seishi in person. Is that understood?" Kaze stared at the ground and grumbled something unintelligible. Quick as a flash Setsuka's hand flew out and grabbed at his chin, forcing him to look at her. "Kaze, my dear boy, my orders _will_ be followed, correct?"

The battle-hungry Element's golden eyes met her sharp silver ones. As soon as the command left her mouth, Kaze knew he'd have no choice but to watch from the sidelines. His rebellious side battled hard with his almost unnatural desire to obey his mistress, but only for the tiniest of moments. "Hai, my Lady."

oOo

Koji's hazel gaze darted back and forth across the path, peering carefully into the surrounding foliage. "I don't like th' feel of this place. Somethin' ain't right."

Houki nodded. "We are only a few hours away from the palace, which means we must be near the Takkan Army. Your feelings of danger are probably from there."

The bandit shook his head and bit his lip, frowning hard. "Nah, it's somethin' closer'n that." He slipped a throwing knife out of his shirt and fingered it uneasily. "Like an ambush'r somethin'."

Ritsuka, no worse for her alcoholic binge the other night, laughed and waved a hand as if to brush away Koji's paranoia. "We didn't have any trouble with Takkan on the way here, and yesterday's ride was totally peaceful."

"Prob'ly all the enemies were scared off by you groanin' about your hangover," Tasuki remarked with a chuckle.

Koji's frown deepened. "Oi, I'm bein' serious! C'mon Genrou, yer a seishi _an'_ a bandit. Doncha sense _anythin'_ at all?"

Tasuki sniffed the air and scowled. "Yuck. I kinda sense rain, an' I _hate_ gettin' wet. We should get t'the palace as soon as pos—"

The soft sound of a bowstring thrummed in the nearby trees. Koji's head whirled around and he shouted in alarm, but his warning came too late: three arrows whizzed through the clearing, one flying past Houki's shoulder and missing her neck by a hairsbreadth. The Empress threw herself across her horse's back, trembling and gasping for breath. "My gods, where in the world did _that_ come from!"

Koji flung his throwing knife into the woods, rewarded by a gurgling scream. "Stay down Highness! I _knew_ this was some kinda trap!"

Ritsuka unsheathed her sword. "Hey Shichiseishi, why didn't _you_ sense this?"

"I ain't Chichiri, I don't do the life force thing!" Tasuki shot back. "Listen, you can gimme a hard time later, all right?" He pointed his tessen at the bushes. "C'mon, we know yer there! Show yerselves!"

The Takkan soldiers took heart at the sight of the tiny group of travelers, and, despite Kaze's orders for them to stay hidden and work as snipers, the warriors leapt from their hiding places and rushed their Konan enemies.

Koji's eyes passed coolly over the charging soldiers. "About twenty. I'm a little disappointed." The bandit leader unsheathed his daggers and jumped from his horse's back; he didn't even bother to glance over his shoulder as he ordered, "Genrou, you take th' left, Ritsuka take th' center, an' I'll go fer th' boys on th' right."

"Yer word is my command!" Tasuki agreed, slipping his tessen from its sling and turning to face his set of enemies. The seishi risked a quick look at the frightened Empress. "Highness, stay behind me, all right? I don't wanna risk you gettin' hurt again." Houki nodded and angled her horse behind Tasuki, careful to keep her body low and as far away from enemy arrows as possible. She braced herself as the Takkan soldiers collided with her three fellow warriors, sending a quick prayer to the gods that they would be safe.

As it turned out, Houki had little to worry about. The trio handled their opponents with skill and surprising ease, and despite their uneven numbers soon had the Takkan soldiers scrambling to escape – not that such an option would be allowed to the men who threatened their country.

Ritsuka, for her part, tallied up a relatively small body count. With her sword in one hand and her reins grasped in the other, she kicked her mare into a trot and – partly due to strategy and partly due to her complete lack of control of the animal – all but plowed down the attacking Takkan soldiers. Her sword struck out at a few open heads, but most of the men scrambled out of the barreling animal's way and ducked to the left or right, deciding that a warrior on foot would make for a much better target.

They had a difficult time finding an easier opponent. The ones who skittered to the left ran straight into a wall of fire, and those who took their chances with the bandit leader met their deaths at the ends of two merciless daggers.

Koji ducked low and sliced upwards, tearing a gash down a young soldier's abdomen before spinning on his heel and skewering another man straight through the neck. He took a step back and pulled, loosing both blades from their fleshy sheaths, and whirled on another Takkan soldier, whose roar of battle lust quickly turned into a shriek of fear as both daggers ripped through him; one into his shoulder and the other into his thigh. The bandit leader chuckled at the terrified man and jerked his weapons out, shoving the injured soldier to the ground and whirling to find another opponent. "What's-a matter?" he taunted, daggers flashing in the afternoon sunlight. "Y'thought 'cause I ain't a seishi or from another world that I'd be a pushover? Well how's this fer pushover, eh? Ha, that makes you number eight! Who wants t'be death number nine? How 'bout you, yer a big enough guy t'count fer two, heheh! What, runnin' away? Too bad, y'already been nominated!"

A throwing knife zipped through the air at the "nominated" man, who fell with hardly a sound. Houki turned her face from the bloody battle, but couldn't help admiring the bandit's skill. "Koji is a formidable fighter," she remarked to Tasuki.

"REKKA SHIN'EN!" Tasuki shouted, frying another pair of soldiers. He glanced over his shoulder and threw the Empress a wink. "Fearless, tough an' deadly! What else'd ya expect from a Reikaku bandit?"

Ritsuka's sword took a soldier through the middle. She pulled the blade out, nearly falling off her horse as she did, and glanced around the clearing. "Huh, we finished that lot off quickly."

Tasuki followed her gaze and blinked, surprised to find the path littered with bodies but not a single standing soldier. His eyes trailed to the pile of burnt corpses nearby. The seishi blushed. "Guess we got a little carried away... coulda at least let a few escape'r somethin'..."

Koji wiped his twin blades on the grass. "Only good enemy's a dead one, even if they are only some clumsy foot soldiers. How many'd you get, Genrou?"

"Ten. You?"

"Damn," Koji sheathed his weapons. "Only nine." He grinned. "Bet I'll beat ya next time."

"Maybe in yer dreams," Tasuki teased.

"First one t'one hundred startin' with that last group?"

"How 'bout 'till the end of the war? Loser has t'buy the other first-class sake?"

"Deal!"

Houki blinked, wide-eyed. "Pardon me for saying, but that is a very twisted competition. Do you not agree, Ritsu..."

The chibi redhead popped up between the two bandit friends. "Ha! I got five! _And_ I'm gonna beat you both!"

Koji raised an eyebrow at the college woman, but couldn't help but smile at her enthusiasm. "Oh yeah? An' how ya figure that?"

"'Cause I get two points every time I do this!" Ritsuka bopped Tasuki over the head with her sword hilt. "And, every time I call him Tasuki-chan and he says—"

"DON'T _CALL_ ME THAT!"

"—I get another two points. See, that's nine already."

Koji swore. "She's got us there, Genrou."

Tasuki muttered something rude under his breath and began to shove his tessen back into its sling, but before he'd sheathed it halfway his head jerked up, eyes falling on the nearby western ridge. Koji's hazel gaze followed his friend's, eyes narrowing as a tall, lanky figure emerged from within the shrubbery. The four warriors squinted against the sunlight flooding over the silhouette's shoulders, but couldn't identify any true details to the newcomer – they were just barely able to make out a thin, cocky smirk on his face as the stranger brought up his hands and clapped appreciatively. "Nice work, Konan scum. You made short work-a those soldiers. 'Course, they were just yer average rabble-a men, nothin' special. Still, it made fer an awfully nice bit-a entertainment, 'specially th' light show of ol' flame-boy over there."

"Who the hell're you?" Tasuki demanded, one hand still gripped around his tessen.

The figure fingered something at his waist. "Th' name's Kaze. And, hm..." his soft laughter echoed down the hill. "Well, I guess ya could call me yer real enemy. Maybe you've heard of a little group called th' Elements?"

"Yer one-a them!" Koji cried.

The Element called Kaze chuckled again. "Nice deduction. Bet ya even know what two plus two is, na?"

"Listen, punk, we don't have time t'trade insults!" Tasuki retorted. "You gonna fight us here, or wait t'die later?"

"Big words that I'd love t'test." Kaze sighed, almost like a child whose favorite game had been spoiled. "Sorry flame-boy, but I got my orders. I'll have t'kill ya later. In the meantime..." he snatched something from his cloak; Ritsuka rushed to draw her sword, but stopped as the Element held his "something" up to the light, revealing nothing but a tiny pellet rolling between his thumb and forefinger. The redhead raised an eyebrow and hesitated, giving him just enough time to put his plan into action. "Here's somethin' t'remember me by!"

The stranger tossed the pellet into the air, pointing his index finger at it. He muttered a strange, guttural spell under his breath and a spark of white ki shot from his finger and slammed into the round ball. The pellet spun twice through the air, sparkled with power, then exploded in midair. A shower of thick, gassy smoke filled the clearing, nearly choking the four Konan Warriors.

"Stupid brat... Get back here!" Tasuki bellowed, slapping a hand across his mouth to avoid the stifling fumes. He snatched his fan from its sling; aiming for where he assumed the stranger had gone. "REKKA-"

Ritsuka caught his arm just in time. "Baka! There's _gas_ in the air! What do you think happens when you add fire to the mixture?"

Tasuki grimaced at the mental picture of him and the others blown sky-high, fried Cajun-style. "Oh, right."

The young woman sighed. "Baka." She glanced down, realizing that she still had a hold on the bandit's arm. She dropped it like it was on fire and reached for her mouth, fighting back a harsh coughing fit. "Besides, you can't see anything through this. By now he's probably long gone, and once the smoke clears we won't have a chance of finding him. Huh, you'd have to be a first-class sprinter to catch him now."

A grin slowly spread across Tasuki's face. He turned, squinting through the haze to where his bandit comrade stood. "Oi! Koji! Keep an eye on th' ladies! I got an Element t'roast!"

Koji rubbed at a watering eye. "Uh, okay..." he sneezed; when he opened his eyes, his friend was gone. "Gen... rou..."

Ritsuka blinked. "First-class sprinter indeed. Where'd he go?"

oOo

Kaze raced through the forest as fast as his legs would carry him. He wasn't particularly worried about the Konan Warriors tailing him – the smoke would take at least a few minutes to clear, and by then he would have arrived at he and Tsuki's meeting place and be long gone. Besides, Kaze – no doubt due to his "Wind" Element – possessed a natural quickness. He had yet to meet a person who could out-dodge him in a swordfight or out-sprint him in a race. Once he put his skills to use, he didn't expect anyone on the planet to catch him.

There is, however, a difference between quickness and speed. Had Kaze and Tasuki faced one another in battle, Kaze may have had the upper hand when it came to swift movements. But when it came down to a dead sprint, there wasn't a runner on any world who could beat the seishi.

Kaze stumbled over a bush and into a clearing. His chest heaved with every breath, but he couldn't help but smile through it all. "Home free." The Element brought up his index and middle finger to whistle for Tsuki...

And a hand closed around his collar, wrenching him back with a sharp heave. Kaze's breath caught in his throat as the familiar, rough voice of the seishi reached his ears. "All right, playtime's over. Looks like I win—" Tasuki jerked him around to look at his opponent's face and found himself staring into the frightened, rebellious eyes of a boy barely older than Akai. The seishi's mouth almost dropped to the ground. "What? But yer – yer jus' a kid!"

Kaze sneered, attempting to act braver than he felt. His hand fumbled for the pouch of pellets he almost always kept at his belt. If he could get one of the explosives... "That's right, big man, jus' like th' rest of th' Elements. Pretty tough now, ain't ya?" Inwardly, he swore; since he hadn't expected a fight, the boy had decided to leave his pouch at home. His hand groped wildly, desperately searching for the knife he kept at his belt.

Tasuki, eyes wide with disbelief, didn't seem to notice the Element's flailing movements. "Ya mean... ya mean we're fightin' kids?"

"Yeah," he replied with a shrug. "Why would you care, y'took care-a them soldiers without a backwards glance. So ya gonna do me in or what?" Kaze did his best to snarl at the seishi, though it was all he could do to keep from shouting with joy: his fingers had just curled around the hilt of his knife.

Tasuki's loosened his hold on the boy's collar. He backed away from his young enemy, shaking his head in something of a daze. "No... no. We ain't killin' kids. I won't do it."

Kaze laughed. "Some seishi you are. I knew y'were slime but I never knew ya were stupid too." He took a step back, crouching into a fighter's stance. The Element chuckled dangerously. "Yer really gonna regret this decision, Konan Warrior. I promise ya that. In the meantime, y'can take _this_ as a reminder of yer biggest mistake!" In a movement too quick to follow, Kaze slashed upwards with his weapon, nicking Tasuki just below his left eye.

Tasuki instinctively slammed his hand over his eye, terrified for a brief moment that the Element had actually hit his mark. The seishi took three hasty steps back, smearing the blood away from his cheek and turning to glare at his enemy. "Teeme...!"

Kaze scrambled just out of sword range, glancing up through his bangs at the seishi. A dangerous spark glinted in his golden orbs as he flashed an arrogant smirk. "Too slow, too slow!" He set two fingers to his lips and blew, cutting the air with a piercing whistle. "You shoulda killed me when ya had th' chance, Konan Warrior. Take that cut t'help y'remember th' name Kaze – I promise that it'll bring ya a lotta pain in the future."

Tasuki dove forward to grab at the boy's cloak, but Kaze darted towards the nearby trees and into the arms of his fellow Element. Tasuki caught sight of two pairs of golden eyes, a flash of silver hair, one last tiny smirk – and then the air flickered, and they disappeared.

oOo

Chichiri sat up in Houki's throne, grunting in surprise. He transformed back into his normal self and placed a worried hand against his cheek.

Akai, who'd been keeping him company, glanced up from a set of scrolls sprawled across the throne's steps. "Something wrong, Chichiri-sama?"

The monk frowned. "Tasuki's hurt no da."

"Tasuki-sama!" Akai leapt to her feet. "What is it? What's wrong, Chichiri-sama? Is it bad? Should we go – is there something we – no one could _possibly_ hurt Tasuki-sama!"

The monk sweatdropped. "Calm down, Akai. I don't think it's serious. However..." he bit his lip and stared into the distance, "something else is bothering him too no da." The seishi touched two fingers to his symbol. "I better see what's going on."

"How can you do that?" Akai asked.

He smiled up at the wide-eyed warrior. "Tasuki and I are pretty much directly connected. Even more so then we were when there were seven seishi, because now the power's more concentrated no da. A few months ago, I figured out that we could communicate through our symbols. As you can see, it really comes in handy no da."

"So you use your symbols like a medium?"

"Pretty much no da."

"Wow Chichiri-sama..." Akai clasped her hands under her chin and her eyes practically sparkled in admiration. "That is so cool!"

The monk hushed her, concentrating hard as his symbol burned red.

oOo

Ritsuka, Koji and Houki rode through the forest, following the trail of broken twigs, scattered leaves, and twisted branches that Tasuki had left in his wake. "I never knew he was so fast," the redheaded woman remarked.

Koji tugged on the reins of Tasuki's horse, willing it to follow along behind the trio. "'Course he's fast. Speed _is_ his seishi power after all."

"It is? I thought the whole 'Rekka Shin'en' thing was his power."

"Nah, that's jus' a Reikaku treasure," Koji explained. "I mean, he wouldn't be able t'use it if he didn't have a strong life force'n all, but speed is Suzaku's gift." The group rode on in silence for about half a second until suddenly the redhead erupted into a stream of giggles. Koji glanced over his shoulder and raised an eyebrow. "What?"

Ritsuka flashed a crooked smile at the bandit and raised an eyebrow right back. "You mean to tell me Chichiri can change his appearance, build force fields, do that cool ki blast thing, teleport, and Tasuki can... run really fast?"

"Well, yeah."

The redhead nearly fell off her horse laughing. "Oh _man_ he got screwed over!" Koji and Houki sweatdropped. The college girl sat up fast, another thought forming in her mind. "But wait, if the tessen isn't a Suzaku thing..."

"Anyone can use it, providin' they've got a strong will an' know the spell," Koji finished. "I know how, an' so did every Reikaku leader b'fore Genrou, or at least as far back as anyone c'n remember."

Ritsuka dove across her horse's back and grabbed Koji's hands, eyes sparkling. "So you mean _I_ could use it to fry _him_? And all I gotta do is grab the fan and say 'Rekka Shin'en'?"

Koji grinned nervously, backing as far away from the eager face as he could without tumbling off his horse. "Well, the spell's a bit longer'n that, but yeah, I guess you c'd use it..."

"There is Tasuki," Houki announced. The Empress, who had ridden just a bit ahead of her companions, nodded towards a nearby clearing and the seishi standing alone on its far edge. "It appears that he did not catch the Element in time."

The trio broke through the forest and rode across the small meadow towards Tasuki, waving their arms and shouting out greetings.

"Oi, Genrou!"

"Tasuki, I am glad to see that you are all right."

"Hey Tasuki-chan, you lose the race or something?"

The seishi glanced back over his shoulder, blinking a couple of times. He shook his head to clear it, reaching up a shaky hand to rub at the cut on his face. "Nah, I... I caught him..."

"Then where is he?" Ritsuka asked, shading her eyes and pretending to scan the clearing. She happened to glance down during her search and noticed the blood streaming unchecked from Tasuki's cheek. The redhead frowned. "Oh, ouch. Guess you lost the fight, huh? Oh well, win some lose some." Ritsuka hopped down from her saddle and rummaged through her backpack. "I think I got some bandages in here somewhere—"

"I let him go," Tasuki murmured. "I let him get away."

Ritsuka jerked her head out of her bag. Houki's eyes widened. Koji's reins slipped from his fingers. A long, almost unbearable silence filled the tiny clearing, and then everyone seemed to find their voices at once and cried:

"You what? Ch, you can bandage your own damn cut!"

"Tasuki, that was not a wise choice."

"You crazy're somethin'? He's one-a the big enemies, not jus' some dinky soldier! What were ya—!"

"He was just a kid," Tasuki interrupted, turning his numbed golden eyes from one warrior to another. "Not much older than Akai. Fifteen, sixteen at the most."

"Kids?" Ritsuka echoed weakly.

He nodded, grabbing at the bandages dangling in Ritsuka's hand. "I've seen kids die b'fore, an' if I c'n help it I never wanna see another die again. I couldn't _possibly_ kill one of..." the seishi trailed off and jerked up his head, staring into the space right past Ritsuka's ear as if listening to an imaginary speaker.

"Is something the matter?" Houki asked. She followed the bandit's blank gaze, half-expecting another Element to sail from the trees.

"Chichiri's tryin' t'talk t'me," Tasuki explained. He rolled up his sleeve and set two fingers against his symbol, closing his eyes and feeling in the darkness for that familiar life force. _'Chichiri?'_

'_Is everything all right no da? What happened?'_

_'I caught one-a the Elements.'_

_'You did?' _The monk's aura pulsed with pride and excitement. _'Great job no da!'_

'_I let him go.'_

Tasuki could almost picture Chichiri's eyebrows shooting to the top of his head. _'You did _what_? Why?'_

_'He's a kid, Chichiri, an' from what he said _all_ the Elements are. I couldn't do it – kill him, I mean. How can I... how c'n any of us fight kids?'_

A thoughtful pause filled the void between the seishi. _'Kids, no da?' _Chichiri finally murmured.

'_Mm. In their mid-teens at th' very most.'_

The bandit felt more than heard his friend's tired sigh. _'Gods above... what _are_ we going to do no da?'_

'_T'be honest, I really don't wanna worry about it right now. Huh, matter-a fact I wouldn't mind gettin' my hands on the little brat. Got me with his knife, and after I went and let him go, too.'_

_'Are you hurt badly na no da?'_

_'Nah, just kinda bothered by the whole thing. A little pissed off at myself fer bein' soft on him, too. He might be a kid, but he's still our enemy.'_

_'Don't beat yourself up about it. I would have done the same thing. It proves that we're human no da.'_

_'Guess so.'_ A raindrop splashed against Tasuki's face, nearly disrupting his connection. _'Ah dammit, it's startin' to rain. Just what I didn't need. We're only a few hours from the palace, but if the rain gets bad we might stop. Y'know how much I hate gettin' wet...'_ Thunder rumbled in the distance as the sky erupted, pelting Tasuki and his companions with fat, violent water droplets. _'Kuso! We're takin' a break 'Chiri! Son of a – ah, cold, right down my back! Gotta set camp – ach, that's FREEZING! Jaa ne!'_

He leapt about in the chilly rain, attempting to keep dry under a tree branch and failing miserably. Chichiri must have sensed his friend's predicament, because he sent a burst of laughter through the bandit's symbol – though Tasuki couldn't possibly see _anything_ funny about getting drenched to this stuff. _'Jaa, no d—'_

The bandit snapped the connection, lifting his fingers from his arm and bolting for the trees. "C'mon you three, let's set up a tent'r somethin'! I _hate_ gettin' wet an' I'm already soaked!" He screeched and jumped about a mile high, diving towards the cover of the forest. "Yeek, that one was right in my eye! Move it already!"

oOo

Chichiri glanced out the window of the Empress' quarters, watching as the heavy rain continued to pour down on Konan and the surrounding area. He could feel Akai's eyes practically boring a hole into his back. The monk sighed and turned to face her, waving a reassuring hand in her direction. "Tasuki is fine no da. He ran into an Element on the way here—"

"He WHAT?"

"—But he got away no da."

"He _got away_?" Akai cried, leaping over the piles of scrolls and grabbing Chichiri by the collar. "No one _ever_ escapes from a seishi! Did he use a dirty trick? Is Tasuki-sama _really_ okay? Please don't lie to me, Chichiri-sama, I can handle the bad news!"

The monk sweatdropped. "Tasuki's really okay no da. And the Element, well... things are a bit more complicated than we thought. It turns out our enemies aren't much older than you are."

"So what's the problem?"

"There isn't one for you," Chichiri assured her. "But for us... it's bad enough having to fight people who know what they're doing no da. Children don't always have the luxury of understanding what they're fighting for, and why they're fighting for it."

The warrior frowned and released her comrade's collar. "Age is a poor excuse. I know exactly why _I'm_ doing this."

"And why is that, Akai-chan?"

"Because it's my duty to Konan, of course."

Chichiri shook his head and decided to let the matter drop. He turned his eye back to the open window, reaching out a hand to let the fat drops splash across his palm. "Tasuki and the others are nearby no da," he remarked. "Once the rain clears up you, Kiori, and I should wait for them by the south gate..." his mind turned elsewhere. "Hey Akai, where _is_ Kiori no da? I haven't seen her in a while."

The warrior girl shrugged, joining him at the window. "Now that you mention it, I've barely seen her at all since the others left, and when I do she's been sorta distant to me – to everyone, really. Do you think something's wrong?"

"I'm not sure, but I know what you mean no da. She has been unusually quiet no da." Chichiri closed his eye and reached out for Kiori's life force. He found it near the east edge of the pond, troubled and sitting beneath the drooping branches of the palace's giant willow. He opened his eye, frowning. "She's outside no da."

"In _this_ mess?" Akai trotted over to the throne room's door and peered out into the sheets of water. "She's either soaked through or she will be pretty soon. Even if she found some shelter under a tree, leaves can't hold off this much water for very long." She paused. "Chichiri-sama, you should go get her."

The chibi monk blinked. "Me?" He followed Akai's gaze towards the steady downpour and winced: the rain was coming down so hard that a stream had already formed on the narrow palace walkway. "Daaa..."

"Well, Chichiri-sama, your hat will keep you dry," Akai reasoned. "_And_ you already know where she is. I'd be walking around for ages trying to find her."

He heaved a sigh at her flawless logic. "I guess that's true no da."

A few minutes later Chichiri was splashing through the growing puddles, attempting to peer through the sheet of rain that fell from the sky and off the edge of his hat. He shivered despite the warmth of his robe, jumping as a particularly large drop dripped off the back of his kasa and into his shirt. Chichiri sighed, flicking the bottom of the headgear and sending the water flying. "It's times like these that I wish Suzaku hadn't been quite so generous with his gifts no da."

Suzaku's gifts did prove to be quite handy, however, as it took him less than five minutes to locate the young college woman. She had her back up against the willow and her knees curled to her chest, watching as the rain created ripples across the clear pond. Despite his and Akai's fears, she seemed relatively dry save for a few splashes of water across her face, or... or were those tears? Chichiri's eyebrows shot up and he pulled to an abrupt halt. He stood stock still for a long moment, feeling incredibly uncomfortable and wondering what to do. Should he leave the girl to her thoughts, or offer up a listening ear? He didn't want to pry, but he didn't want her to suffer either...

Not surprisingly, his caring side won out in the end. "What're you doing out here no da?"

Kiori jumped a little, glanced over her shoulder – no mistaking it now, those had definitely been tears – then whirled back around and scrubbed a sleeve hurriedly across her eyes. When she turned again, the water stains were gone and her usual sad smile was back in place. "Oh, hello Chichiri. I was just, um... you get sent on Kiori-fetching missions a lot, don't you?"

He laughed and nodded. Chichiri stepped under the canopy of willow leaves and gestured towards the rain. "You'll catch a cold if you aren't careful no da."

As the monk drew nearer, Kiori's reddened eyes became even more apparent. She seemed to notice his concerned look and jerked her head away, staring out towards the water and babbling in a desperate attempt to hide her troubles. "Actually, being out in the rain isn't what makes you sick. That's a pretty popular myth, even back in my world, but it's completely unfounded on any _real _evidence. I learned that in Biology, my freshman year. Okita-san used to always complain about how the rain made him sick, so Takanawa-sensei gave us this huge lecture about old wives' tales and how the rain didn't _give_ you diseases, it just lowered your immunity to germs and, um... well... ah-heh-heh..." she trailed off in a nervous giggle.

He smiled, but there was a hint of sorrow in his words. "You sound just like a friend I had. He was a genius, and never hesitated to let us in on some of that new information no da."

"A friend you 'had'?" Kiori asked. "One of the seishi, right?" He nodded. Kiori frowned. "You miss them a lot, don't you?"

Instead of pity, Chichiri thought he caught a note of understanding in her voice. "How _couldn't_ I miss them no da? They were like family – closer even than that, maybe."

"Like family," she repeated quietly, thoughtfully. The college girl was silent for a moment, as if debating her next words. Finally, she said: "Chichiri, have you ever, you know, blamed yourself for their deaths? I don't mean to pry but I, um..." she trailed off again, staring hard into the pond waters.

"Blamed myself for the seishi's deaths?" Chichiri's mask covered the sad frown that had snuck across his features. "No," he said after a long moment, "not for _their_ deaths. I... wondered, for a while, what I could have done differently to save them, but I never blamed myself. Why do you ask? No da?" The "no da" came almost like an afterthought.

Kiori forced another smile. "No reason I guess." A fat drop of water slid off one of the overhanging leaves and hit Kiori in the eye. She wiped at the water, blinking unhappily.

"Something bothering you na no da?" Chichiri asked, handing her his kasa to wear. "If you want to talk abou—"

"What have you and Akai been up to all day?" Kiori interrupted, ignoring the offered hat and pasting on the fakest smile she had ever worn. "Those magistrates haven't been bothering you with the war again, have they?"

"Not today," he answered slowly, a bit surprised by the sudden change in topic. "Akai was pretty snappy with them yesterday – said 'Her Majesty' wasn't feeling well at all, and the last thing she needed was to get sick at this crucial time. The two of us have been camped out in the throne room, looking over some scrolls for some clues about the Elements. What have you been do—?"

"Clues? Like what? I always loved detective novels."

"Daa..." Chichiri sighed and decided not to push her for the moment. "Well, the way I see it, these Elements have to get their power from something no da. The seishi draw their strength from the gods, the monks and shrine maidens draw their powers from the earth – and of course we all draw power from ourselves, as well – so it stands to reason that the Elements must have been blessed from _something_."

"Any ideas what that 'something' might be?"

"Very few, since we don't know what the 'Elements' are exactly. I'd guess from the rhyme that it refers to the elements of our world – water, fire, and the like – but that doesn't give us many clues either no da. Judging from the legends and religious texts that we've found, Akai and I have narrowed it down to a few sources." Chichiri held up three fingers and ticked them off one at a time. "First, the Heavens. The gods have their seishi, but some myths speak of a Creator that molded even the four gods no da. The problem with this theory is that, if the Creator _did_ have disciples, why would they attack Konan? It would make more sense for someone so powerful to go after more than just one simple nation no da. Second, the Underworld. Enma-sama rules the world after death, so he has ample power to spend on 'seishi' of his own. However, every history I've ever read says that Enma-sama has absolutely nothing to do with _our_ world, short of lending his demons out to those who make bargains no da. He's much more concerned with us once we've died. And third and most likely," Chichiri sweatdropped, "the 'unknown entity' no da."

Kiori mirrored his sweatdrop. "_That's_ our likeliest option?"

"There are too many 'lesser gods' that cultures have worshipped over the years. It's impossible to narrow it down to one specific source. Besides, most of those gods proved false to their people no da." He shrugged. "Once I know more about the Elements, I might be able to piece together some half-forgotten myth. Until then..."

"Would you like some help?" Kiori interrupted. "I mean, when the time comes? I haven't done much since I arrived and I know you've been insanely busy, so if there's anything I can do to help I'd be more than happy to give you a hand."

She smiled at him then, and though it wasn't quite real it was the closest thing to a real one that he'd seen all afternoon. Chichiri stared at her for a moment, blinking, surprised by her sudden concern for him and equally surprised by his sudden concern for _her_. He returned the smile and slipped his kasa onto her head, patting it firmly into place. "Don't worry about helping me until you've taken care of yourself no da. Once _you're_ feeling better, I'll be more than happy to accept the help. If nothing else, I'd enjoy the company no da."

Kiori blushed and turned her eyes to her feet, though she wasn't sure why. "A... arigatou."

"There _is_ something bothering you, right Kiori? I don't want you to feel like you have to hide things from me no da. We're friends, after all, so if you want to talk..." he left the ending open, watching her hopefully, his eyes and mouth curled upwards into that forever helpful smile.

Kiori tugged the kasa further down around her ears, sighing. _'If there's anyone here I can talk to - and I _should_ talk to someone - it's Chichiri,'_ one side of her argued. She opened her mouth to speak, but stopped, because another part of her chided, _'Do you want to see him look at you in sympathy for the rest of your time here?_ _Spare him the sob story, the last thing you need is to rehash the damn thing.'_

She shook her head and braced herself for the inevitable prying. "No, I don't really want to talk."

The monk shrugged. "If that's the way you feel, that's all right no da."

Kiori's eyes jerked back up to him again, and she felt her face flush once more. Maybe she really _was_ catching a cold, she thought with a sigh. She managed to flash Chichiri a brief, warm smile. "That's one thing I love about you, Chichiri: you really understand the need for privacy." She stood up. "Ritsuka's my best friend and all, but she wouldn't know the meaning of the word 'secrecy' if it slapped her in the face."

Chichiri stood as well, nearly slipping on the wet tree roots. Kiori offered him a hand, which he took gratefully. The monk rubbed the back of his head as he stepped onto the firmer – if not soggy – earth. "Tasuki's a little like that too no da. But, if you ever _do _need someone..."

"Let's go inside," she suggested, once more desperate to change the subject. She started to take off the kasa. "Here. You'll need this back unless you wanna get soaked—"

"You hang onto it no da," he said with a grin. "Wouldn't want to catch a cold, right?"

Kiori shook her head in mock severity and flashed him a teasing grin. "Now Chichiri-san, _must_ I go over this with you again...?"

oOo

By the time the four Konan travelers had set up their makeshift tent – it was little more than an animal hide stretched and pinned over a tree branch – the rain was pounding down harder than ever and all were completely soaked.

Ritsuka grabbed her braid of hair, unwinding the thick strands and ringing them out one at a time, neatly soaking Tasuki in the process. She shoved them back up into a long, wrinkled ponytail, grumbling about the tangles and watching as Koji and Tasuki tried unsuccessfully to shove their wet bangs out of their eyes. Houki, somehow, seemed as drenched as the others yet in perfect condition, as usual.

Tasuki slipped out of his jacket, wringing out the water and ignoring Ritsuka's dry comment about how this was no time for a striptease. "Damn, two hours from Konan an' we get caught in this. Well, we been makin' such good time I shoulda expected it."

Koji shivered, shaking his head much like a dog might and accidentally splashing Ritsuka. "Oi Genrou, get a fire started will ya? I'm wet 'n' cold an' that's th' worst combination."

Tasuki pulled out his fan and whispered a quiet Rekka Shin'en. As the small flames sprang to life, a light bulb clicked on inside Ritsuka's head. The college girl practically leapt across the small enclosure and grabbed Tasuki's arm. "Tasuki-chan, teach me how to use your tessen!"

The enthusiastic question caught the seishi completely off-guard. He jumped, almost dropping his fan. "Wha?"

"Koji said almost anyone could use it if they know how, and I really wanna know how! Onegai (Please)?"

"No," Tasuki snapped. "I can't just teach th' spell to _anyone_..."

"Well I'm not just anyone! I'm Ritsuka, your adorable Konan ally, and the girl who whipped your butt in kendo." She grabbed his arm and rubbed her face against his shoulder like a cat. "Please please pretty pleeeeeease!"

"No way! If you knew it you'd just use it t'torture me!" Ritsuka tried to wrestle the tessen out of his hand, but Tasuki kept a tight grip on the handle. "Red! Give it up, will ya!"

The chibi Ritsuka latched onto his arm with her teeth, pointing accusingly at him. "Shtop beink difficulk an' teash me alreadgy Tashuki-chan."

Tasuki whacked her over the head. "No, no, no! Leggo ya little brat!"

A fist connected solidly with the back of Tasuki's head. The bandit yelped and whirled, staring up into the darkened face of his bandit companion. Koji scowled. "Ya don't hit girls, ahou!"

"But she—"

"No excuses."

"She started it," Tasuki grumbled, glaring down at the ground dejectedly.

Houki smothered a laugh into her sleeve, but Ritsuka didn't seem to find the situation quite as amusing. She sulked quietly by the fire as Koji took a seat next to her. The young woman watched him for a long moment, then grinned as a new idea settled into her mind. She leaned over next to Koji, making little circles on his arm with her index finger and smiling her most innocent of smiles. "Koji-chan..."

The bandit leader blinked, watching her with wide eyes. "Uh, yeah?"

"Koji-chan," Ritsuka repeated sweetly. "Do you suppose a big, strong bandit like you could teach a little girl like me how to use the scary metal fan?"

Koji blushed, poking his index fingers together. "Well, er, I really ain't supposed ta..."

"Oh pleeeeeease Koji-chan? Tasuki-chan's such a meanie, but you're a lot nicer _and_ a lot cuter." She leaned over until she was almost in his lap, her head resting lightly against his shoulder and her blue eyes staring up into his pleadingly. "Pretty please with strawberries on top, Ko-ji-cha-n?"

Koji grinned, embarrassed at the showering of compliments. "Aw, what th' hell, I s'pose it wouldn't hurt—"

Tasuki snuck up behind his friend and walloped him across the head. "Ya don't let girls seduce ya!" He snorted and looked away. "She ain't even that cute."

"But she—"

"No excuses!"

"I'm only human," Koji grumbled, glaring down at the ground dejectedly.

Houki attempted to hold in her giggles once more, but couldn't quite manage it this time. She burst into almost helpless chuckles, laughing even harder at the looks of indignation on her three friends' faces. "Oh goodness, I honestly do not think Suzaku could have granted me a more amusing group of companions!"

oOo

Hataku sat at the front of his tent, sipping a small glass of sake and watching as the rain created a curtain of water across the entrance flap. He ran a hand pensively across the small, cross-shaped scar on his left cheek, the only thing to mar is otherwise attractive features, and reminisced on the rough battles of his youth. Battles that had seemed so important at the time, when he had fought for her Ladyship and for nothing else, but his innocence had dissolved long ago, and injuries earned out of loyalty seemed futile and frivolous at this point. His back ached dully, a powerful reminder of the new way of things, though he barely noticed the pain. His thoughts boiled with anger, and all that anger was directed at his Lady.

"Twenty-five more dead, and all because she wanted to provide her Element with some entertainment," he muttered aloud. He had found that it was the best way to collect his thoughts, even though Setsuka had a nasty tendency of walking in during his musings. "The men think I'm acting like a fool, they're practically on the verge of a mutiny, but they don't understand that this was _her_ doing. Not that they would care anyway..." He set his cup down on a nearby table, eyes burning with a deep, inner disgust and something that almost looked like pain. "Everything she does, all to hurt me. But why? What have I _ever _done to…?" he paused, placing his chin in his hands and stroking at the healing whiplash under his eye. "She sees me as a threat, she must. I'm not some uneducated soldier, nor an easily manipulated child."

He stared hard at the sheet of rain outside his tent, almost as if he were staring into the distant past, or perhaps the near future. He actually smiled, though the look held no joy. "Well, my Lady, if you want a battle from me, then it would be rude for me to deny you the opportunity. But you ought to keep in mind, Setsuka-sama, that I've won far too many to be taken lightly." He unsheathed his sword and stood. "Whatever relationship we may have had is forgotten after today, and I swear on my sword and this once-proud nation that I _will_ find my way back to that seat at your right side... or perhaps, someday... you, my Lady, might even be the one bowing to me." He nodded, pleased with his oath, but found it hard to enjoy the idea of supreme Takkan rule. He sat down with a sigh, frowning at a memory in the distance. "But is overthrowing Setsuka _really_ what I want...?"

"Um, Hataku-sama?" a child's voice whispered behind him.

Hataku whirled in his seat and found himself staring at the Element girl, Mizu. She stood at the far side of his tent with a bag looped over one shoulder. "What in the—?" he scowled, peering into the shadows suspiciously. "I suppose that boy Tsuki brought you here?"

She shook her head and managed a shy smile. "No, I came here myself. Tsuki isn't the only one who knows that easy trick!"

He stood and offered her a short bow, wondering how anyone could consider teleportation an "easy trick." She returned his bow with an even lower one, much to his pleasant surprise, but the shogun decided not to waste any more time on formalities. He sat back down, glaring at her through his short bangs. "Come to torture more of my men?" he growled across the tent.

"Iie," she smiled a bit sympathetically, holding up the bag. "Tsuchi made a special salve that can be used on..." her mouth formed the words 'whip lashes,' but she merely said, "on cuts. He thought you might need some, so I came to deliver it."

Hataku's eyes widened. In recent days, the Elements rarely paid attention to _anyone _besides Setsuka, yet here were the two youngest offering him some much-welcomed medicine. He grunted and shrugged, suspecting a trap. "You can leave it on the table, if you'd like."

Mizu did as he ordered. "Hataku-sama... I'm sorry about what happened. With your soldiers and all. Setsuka-sama should have warned you."

The shogun rotated in his seat again so his back was to the Element. As genuine as her compassion seemed, he had a difficult time trusting any of the children who worked so closely and so obediently for her Ladyship. "A lot of good your pity does me now."

"You're injured, and a little drunk, so I know you don't mean to be grumpy," Mizu said with a tiny smile. "I hope the salve helps you feel better – Tsuchi said it's one of his specialties."

A deep silence fell across the room, broken only by the light patter of rain across the ground and the tent's roof. Finally, grudgingly, Hataku muttered, "Arigatou."

"You're welcome," Mizu replied. "And please don't worry, Hataku-sama. I know there have been some... troubles, between you and Setsuka-sama, but I think, I think it will all work out all right. Setsuka-sama will trust you again, because you've always been by her side. But _you_ have to trust in her Ladyship, too. Everything she does is for the good of Takkan – for the good of the entire world. It has to be."

One Mizu's crystals began to glow a brilliant sapphire. She smiled and waved at the shogun, even though he couldn't see it, and disappeared as quickly as she had arrived.

Hataku watched the rain continue its descent, pouring from the heavens just as strongly as it had a few minutes ago. He stared at the flooded ground, then up at the crying skies, as if searching out answers in rolling clouds. His mouth flickered into a gentle smile, then a pained frown, until finally it settled on a bitter, humorless smirk. "Everything she does is for the good of Takkan, hm...?"

oOo

"'_The shogun turned from the entrance flap, peering into the deepest shadows of his tent. "Yeah, and I'm the Emperor."'_" Tetsuya glanced at Yui, who had dozed off on his shoulder, and handed the book to Keisuke. "End Chapter Nine."

* * *

**_Ye Olde Author's Free Chat: October 14, 2005; 1:40 PM_**

Hao, minna-san!  
Another month and another chapter. It's a bit late in coming, so I apologize for that. Blame it on Advanced English: two lit. papers and a group project in one month is a bit time-consuming, not to mention downright evil... But I digress. On to the episode!  
This chapter saw a couple of major changes from the original, most notably in the scene between Kiori and Chichiri. I kept meaning to explain the origin of the Elements in the original, and just never got around to it _(sweatdrop)_, so I'm trying to add that in piece by piece in the edit. Also, I extended Hataku's scenes a bit, because I just like him too damn much. ;)

**Character Profile – Ikido Ritsuka  
**Age: 21  
Height: 5'0"  
Weight: 110 lbs  
Birthplace: A suburb near Tokyo, Japan  
Birthday: December 15 (Sagittarius)  
Blood Type: O  
Hair: "Naturally" red (actually black), goes to the middle of her back, short bangs, usually braided  
Eyes: "Naturally" blue (actually hazel – Ritsuka enjoys the "foreigner" look)  
Likes: Sports, cooking, anime & manga  
Dislikes: Losing, snakes  
Favorite Food: Pancakes, miso soup  
Least Favorite Food: Yakisoba noodles

I wanted to create two main females with incredibly distinctive personalities, so Ritsuka is, in essence, the "yen" to Kiori's "yang" (or is it the other way around?). In case you couldn't tell, I adore strong female characters, so I really wanted to bring that out to the extreme in Ritsuka's character. Unlike Kiori, who sprung mostly from my imagination, Ritsuka has quite a bit of Lina (Slayers) and Asuka (Eva) in her. I didn't want her to be a cardboard-cutout of the "angry female" character though, so I mixed in plenty of unique traits as well. She comes off as a bit over-the-top sometimes, but I simply adore Ritsuka. Colorful characters are incredibly fun to write for, and I just love her interactions with the wide variety of personalities in FY:NC. Like Kiori, I really feel that she matures a lot during the story, and I hope I can portray all of those little changes even better this second time around.

These character profiles are way more enjoyable than they should be. Anyway, I really need to run off and get to work editing a new verse of "Rhapsody," my other FY fic, so I'd better cut this short. Thanks so much to Insanitysquirrel-san and Alaia-san for reviewing the last episode – I really appreciate it! I just hope you can bear with my spread-out updates and stick around for the rest of the story. Stupid school... _(shakes fist at it)_

Thanks to everyone for reading, and I'll see you in another month or so!  
Your Authoress—Dee


	10. Episode Ten: A New Seven

**_Disclaimer_:** I still don't own Konan, Suzaku and all characters and seishi pertaining to them. Kiori and Ritsuka are and shall forever be mine, and that holds for all the other "originals" (you'll know 'em when they appear, trust me). Obviously the story is mine as well.

_**Rating:** _PG-13, for moderate language and violence.

**_Random Comment: _**This probably won't come up too often (not in this fanfic, anyway), but every time a character decides to say something in English, the word is written in **bold** to distinguish it from the rest of the sentence. I'll probably also make a comment in the narration about it, but that's just to help you along. Okay, thanks, and enjoy!

* * *

**--Episode Ten: A New Seven--**

Keisuke glanced up at his friends and noticed that Yui had dozed off against Tetsuya's shoulder. The young man cocked an eyebrow. "How can she possibly sleep? This is just getting good."

Tetsuya yawned and snuggled up against his girlfriend. "It's easy. You just close your eyes and drift into dreamland. Hey, if I doze off wake me up when things get interesting, all right?"

"You don't think _this_ is interesting?"

"Well sure, but it isn't _exciting_, y'know? I want fight scenes and noble sacrifices and heroic deeds of daring," Tetsuya grinned and winked at his friend. "You know, the _really_ good stuff."

Keisuke sighed. "Action flicks have rotted your brain." He ran his finger down the page. "Guess I can't complain too much though, since now I get to read as much as I want. Oh, and here we are! _'Like most of the storms in Konan, the summer shower did not last for long. Soon the heavy rains had subsided into a light drizzle, and the four Konan travelers peeked out from their makeshift tent...'_"

oOo

While her friends hopped around, rubbing hands and patting arms for warmth, Houki made way towards the equally unhappy horses and turned to her companions, urging them forward. "Oh, do come along, you three! We have already lost time, and I do not wish to return to the palace one second later than I must."

Ritsuka frowned at the nasty sprinkles of rain still plaguing the earth and any unlucky travelers caught in the storm. She shivered, pulling her thin jacket tightly about her shoulders. "Ah, Houki-sama, I'm sure Chichiri's got everything under control. Besides, this weather is miserable. What if it starts raining again? My clothes are still damp," she put a hand to her mouth, leaning in next to the Empress and hissing in a stage whisper, "and besides that, this jacket barely covers _anything_. I think Tasuki and Koji have been staring at my chest all evening."

The two bandits turned chibi, jumping up and loudly declaring that the wet, thin white tank top was the last thing on their minds.

"Ach! I'd _never_ do that! I don't even like girls!"

"I got someone back home! Women ain't on my mind!"

Tasuki and Koji both tossed their thicker coats at the redhead to prove their innocence, shouting as one: "Wear this if yer so paranoid!" Ritsuka snuggled into their warm garments. "Ooh, the lining is still dry! How cozy." The redhead grinned and jogged towards the horses. "Okay, I'm ready to ride now!"

Tasuki sweatdropped. "Oi Koji, d'you get th' feelin' we just been tricked?"

"Nah, ya think?" his friend grumbled back, shivering in his thin shirt. "Dammit, it's cold without that jacket!"

Five minutes later, two very miserable bandits were riding beside their dry female companions. Tasuki yelped as a particularly fat drop of water dripped off a branch and landed on the back of his neck. "Son of a...!" he scowled, turning to the Empress to plead his case. "Houki-sama, can't ya order Red t'give us our jackets back? I ain't gonna be much use in this war if I freeze t'death!"

"I am sorry about your predicament, Tasuki, but you _did_ offer them willingly," Houki reminded him. "It would be almost rude of you to demand them back, do you not agree?"

Ritsuka nodded, grinning like a cat that'd just caught a fat pigeon. "Give it up Tasuki-chan. Just admit it: I outsmarted you. 'To the victor go the spoils,' as my old track coach used to say."

"Yeah? Well, I got a saying too," Koji muttered dejectedly.

"Which is?"

"THIS SUCKS!"

oOo

"Ooooh, aren't they here _yet_?"

"Calm down Akai, I'm sure they'll be here shortly no da."

"Chichiri, can't you sense their ki out there?"

"Of course I can no da. And it's just like I told you before: they're very, _very _close."

"What if the Takkan soldiers spot them? Do you think...?"

"They're perfectly safe right now, Kiori. From the auras I'm getting from the Takkan camp, I'd say they haven't a clue our Warriors are nearby no da."

"And what difference would it make anyway? No Takkan soldier could stand up to Tasuki-sama!"

"Da..."

Kiori shaded her eyes against the evening sunlight and stared hard into the west. She, Chichiri, and Akai had agreed to wait at the southern gate since it was the farthest spot from the Takkan soldiers, but their companions had to loop almost entirely around the palace to reach the meeting place. Chichiri said the quartet's life forces were heading from the west, and Kiori believed him when he said they weren't in any danger – she really did – but she'd still rest a lot easier when she could see Ritsuka's smug little smile again. She actually missed that smile, now that she thought about—

"There!" Akai cried, pointing hard towards a spot on the horizon. "They made it back okay, Chichiri-sama!"

The monk sweatdropped. "I've been trying to tell you that all evening no da..."

Kiori followed the girl's finger, though she was just barely able to make out four black splotches against the orange horizon. The brunette's face broke into a relieved smile. "They really _are_ safe. Yokatta."

"I _told_ you that, no da..."

Akai jumped forward and cupped one hand to the side of her mouth, waving the other wildly above her head. "Oooooi! Tasuki-samaaaa! Ritsuka-samaaaa! Houki-samaaaa! Okaeri-nasaaaaai (Welcome home)!"

A soft silence lay across the plains, but then one of the black splotches raised a hand high, and the horses broke into a canter, and the voices of two redheads came echoing back across the distance. "Ooooi! Akai-chan! Tadaimaaaaa (We're home)!"

Kiori and Chichiri exchanged smiles as Akai hopped up and down, waving one, then the other, and then both arms in the air, watching as the faraway figures drew closer and closer until Kiori could see Ritsuka beaming from atop her horse, just as Kiori had imagined.

Tasuki pulled to a stop before his three companions, somewhat air-dried from the fast ride home, though his clothes still hung a bit damply against his body. He grinned at his seishi friend. "Looks like we finally got the seven together, ne? Told ya I'd get Koji here safely."

"Like I couldn't take care-a myself," the bandit leader remarked with a teasing smirk.

Ritsuka practically fell off her horse and ran up to her friend, grasping her in a bone-crushing hug. "Kiori-chan, it's so great t'see ya! Man, you really missed out on a lot, too – you should've come along!" She pulled away, moving her hands wildly to demonstrate the events of the past two days. "There were two fights" – she mimed stabbing a sword around – "a party" – she chugged an imaginary bottle of liquor – "Houki kicked some ass" – she punched comically at the air, then imitated a bandit begging for mercy – "and Tasuki got outsmarted by me again – big surprise there, right? I'll have to tell you everything later, though I can't remember the party too well if you know what I mean, heheh..." she mimed the bottle of liquor again, winking at her friend.

Kiori smiled, though it was a bit less cheerful than usual. "Sounds like a blast. Hopefully your hangover wasn't too bad?"

Ritsuka seemed oblivious to her friend's distant attitude. "Ah, no worse for the wear! 'What doesn't kill you makes you stronger,' as my track coach used to say. He had a lot of sayings, now that I think about it. But hey, before I get into all the crazy details, you gotta meet our new pal Koji—" the redhead glanced towards the bandit, but trailed off. Koji currently had Konan's resident monk in a rather tight headlock, and didn't seem intent on letting him go anytime soon. Ritsuka sweatdropped. "Er, maybe I'll introduce you in a minute."

"How's my favorite monk, ah? What, too busy t'take a trip with Genrou up t'see me? I'm hurt!"

"I had to fill in for the Empress no da," Chichiri explained, forcing a smile as he struggled in the bandit's grasp. "Otherwise I'd have loved to visit the gang. I hate missing those famous 'welcome home Genrou' parties no da."

"Ah, ya know I'm just teasin' ya!" Koji assured him, rubbing the monk's head with a fist and tightening his arm around Chichiri's neck. "Ya'll have t'come back when the war's over so y'can meet my girl Hareya! She's really great, I bet ya'll jus' love her, everyone else does y'know, an' her cookin' is top notch!"

"Koji. Ack. Windpipe. No da," Chichiri gasped, turning an unhealthy shade between purple and blue.

"Eh? Whazzat?" Koji released the monk and leaned down to hear him better, but Chichiri promptly slid to the ground, gasping for air.

"Daa..."

"Heh. Oops," Koji sweatdropped, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. "Guess I got caught up in the moment. Ya'll be okay in a couple-a minutes, won't ya?"

Ritsuka seized her chance and dragged Kiori up to the bandit leader. "Koji, I'd like you to meet my friend Kiori. She's one of our fellow Konan Warriors."

Koji grinned, sticking out a hand. "Yoroshiku! If yer anythin' like th' other foreign girls I met, then this oughta be one helluva fun trip."

"I taught him about handshakes," Ritsuka whispered. "Before long we're gonna have this country eating with forks and driving on the wrong side of the road, like a couple of real Yankees."

Kiori offered a small bow as she accepted the hand. "Uh, hi Koji. A pleasure to meet you, I'm sure... but, uh..." she glanced down, eyes widening, "Is Chichiri going to be all right?"

The monk, still panting for breath, attempted to stand again. He didn't get far, though, as he was literally leapt upon by the enthusiastic Akai. She didn't seem to notice that she was standing on the groaning seishi; the girl's eyes were focused completely on the new Konan warrior. "Hajimemashite! You're Tasuki-sama's friend, ne, ne?"

"Yeah, me 'n' Genrou go way back."

"Genrou...?"

"Tasuki's nickname."

"Oh," Akai's grin almost took up her entire face. "That is _so cool_ that you knew Tasuki-sama before he was a famous seishi! I bet you know all sorts of cool things about him! Like how brave and noble he was even before he knew about his super-cool powers! And I bet the two of you had amazing adventures, didn't you, where you helped the weak and defeated the evil, and all those heroic stories! You have to—"

"Daaa..."

"Eh?" Akai stared down at the panting face of the fallen monk. Her eyes grew to the size of dinner plates. "Oh! Oh, my goodness! Chichiri-sama, I'm so sorry, I didn't see you laying there." She hopped off his stomach, touching her head to the ground and apologizing every inch of the way.

Chichiri dusted his chibi self off, straightening his robe and flipping his hair out of his eyes. "And I thought Tasuki was the seishi who got beat up no da." He sweatdropped at the Palace Warrior who was still groveling at his feet. "Ano… it's really okay, Akai …" She continued her series of bows and cries of "gomen nasai" nevertheless. The monk shook his head in resignation, then turned and smiled at Koji. "I guess you've met Kiori and Akai, the other warriors no da."

"Akai's the one who calls Genrou 'sama'?" Chichiri nodded and Koji cocked an eyebrow. "Huh, an' Genrou was worried about us fightin' kids when we got one on our team, too?"

Akai's eyes narrowed and she leapt from the ground, whipping her sword out of its sheath in one fluid motion and pointing it straight at Koji's face. The bandit stared down the blade into two enraged violet eyes. "_Never_ call me a kid," the young warrior warned, her sword tickling at the tip of his nose. "If you think I am one, you've got another thing coming. Young, yes, but I could beat you in a swordfight right now. C'mon, draw your weapon and I'll prove it!"

Koji blinked, then reached up with one hand and pushed the blade away from his face. He grinned, patting Akai on the head. "Yer a tough kid, all right."

She face-vaulted. "What don't you understand about the words 'never call me a kid'?"

"Hey, take it easy Akai-chan, I'm sure ya handle that weapon real well and all," Koji assured her, though he didn't seem to notice the way her entire body stiffened when he used the term "chan." The bandit glanced back over at Chichiri, continuing his earlier question. "Listen, I understand that desperate times call fer desperate measures an' all, but d'ya really think this is fair? Shouldn't she be in school 'r off playin' make-believe with her friends 'r somethin'?"

Chichiri rubbed the back of his head, glancing nervously between Akai and Koji. He chose his next words carefully, knowing full well the cost of underestimating his youngest companion. "Well, if it were up to me I wouldn't want _any_ of us fighting, but we were all picked for a reason, and Akai's no novice when it comes to the art of war no da."

"Okay okay, I believe ya already, but ain't her Ma gonna worry about her while she's away from home?"

"My 'Ma' is perfectly happy with my career choice, thank you, and I—"

Koji chuckled. "Oi, Akai-chan, you sure ain't scared-a joinin' in on grown-up conversations, are ya? I like that kinda spunk in a kid – remind me later an' I'll buy ya some sweets when I visit th' market."

Akai opened her mouth and started to draw her sword again, but Houki intervened before she had a chance to challenge the bandit to another duel. "Perhaps the two of you should visit the training ring tomorrow so you may demonstrate your skills, Akai. However, do you suppose that, for tonight, we could have a quiet meal and read over the scrolls? I am anxious to see what they have to say."

The young warrior's gaze flew from Koji to the Empress. Her demeanor immediately softened, and she offered up a short bow before sheathing her sword. "Of course, Houki-sama. Right behind you." She shot another death glare at Koji. "But tomorrow I'll show you what a palace warrior can do."

"I'm sure you will," Koji said with a wide smile and nod. "I'd never miss fightin' such a strong warrior like yerself, Akai-chan."

"Stop patronizing me, baka," Akai growled.

"Hey, that's a mighty big word," Koji said, patting her on the head again. "They teachin' you that kinda stuff in grade school already? Boy, you must be at th' top-a yer class, huh?"

Flames rose behind the girl's eyes, but before she could commence the severe butt-whooping that was sure to follow, Houki put an arm around her shoulders and dragged her through the gates. Ritsuka and Kiori followed close behind.

Koji fell into step with Tasuki and Chichiri. He chuckled, nodding towards the fuming girl ahead of them. "Smart kid, but she's _way _too confident fer her age. She really doesn't know who she's pickin' a fight with, does she?"

Tasuki sweatdropped. "I think the one who doesn't know is you, Koji."

"Eh, whazzat?"

Chichiri sighed. "I'm sure you'll find out tomorrow no da. In the meantime, let's eat. We held off dinner until you got back, and I'm starving no da."

oOo

"Oi, Sora!" Taiyou's head poked around the doorway to the Elements' rooms, his globe-tipped weapon swinging lazily at his side. "Where's Kaze? I need someone to thrash in training, but I can't find the little brat anywhere."

Sora didn't even glance up at his words, but instead remained seated at the small table across from Tsuchi, staring hard a game of Xianqi set out before them. "Setsuka-sama sent Kaze on a mission. Didn't you know? She asked your brother to go fetch him."

Taiyou flushed with surprise. "She sent out _that_ untrained fool, and didn't even tell _me_? What in Suzaku's name—!"

"I suspect that she knew you would act like this," Sora remarked. She slid one of her pieces further across the board.

"Oh, good move Senpai!" Mizu, sitting between the pair and watching the game with curious eyes, called out needlessly. "You took his... Mandarin, right?" Tsuchi groaned and cupped his head in his hands. "Actually," the young girl added, frowning a bit, "Kaze and Tsuki have been gone for a while, haven't they? I'm surprised they aren't back yet."

"Knowing that cocky brat," Taiyou sneered, regaining his composure with surprising ease, "his mouth got him into a fight that his talent couldn't win." He pushed the door open all the way, sauntering into the room and swinging his weapon up onto his shoulder. "Oh well. We've been doing just fine with six Elements. Once we find Kaji, we'll do just fine with six again."

"But we _haven't_ found Kaji," Mizu reminded him. "Her Ladyship hasn't gotten any signs about where he is yet. Besides, Kaze might not always be the easiest person in the world to get along with, but he's still an Element. Shouldn't you be _friends_ with him, Taiyou-san?"

The older boy snorted. "I have no interest in friends, and I certainly have no interest in allies who are weak enough to get killed. If he's dead, then he deserved it." He chuckled. "Huh, I almost hope he _does_ get what he deserves."

"Wishing ill on your allies is like _asking_ the gods to punish you," Sora said. Her tone remained as unfathomable as ever, but her eyes narrowed dangerously. "And if the gods choose to strike, they may choose to strike through me. Watch your mouth, Taiyou. You may be my fellow Element, but Kaze is my friend. And once this war is won, _that_ will not be something I throw away. Don't be so certain that our alliance has the same strength."

"Aw, Sora-chan, I never knew ya cared."

The curtain leading to Taiyou and Tsuki's room swung forward, revealing Kaze and Tsuki standing in the frame. Tsuchi sighed in relief and a tiny smile crossed Mizu's face, but both emotions quickly disappeared as Sora, who never even bothered to look back at the newcomers, moved another piece deftly across the Xianqi board. "You're late, Kaze. Oh, and checkmate, by the way."

"Agh, and with the Knight _again_!" Tsuchi moaned, clearing the board for the fifth time that evening. "I don't know how you do it, Sora-senpai..."

The pair turned their gazes back to their game, but Mizu kept her eyes on the new arrivals. "Are you all right, Kaze?" she asked, frowning as the boy collapsed into a nearby chair. "You look a little worn out."

He shrugged. "Nothin' I couldn't handle, if that's what'cha mean. Ha! I even gave that Konan Warrior a present t'remember me by, an' that's more'n _he_ c'n say!"

"And then you ran into the forest so quickly that you nearly bowled me over," Tsuki remarked quietly.

"No one asked fer _yer_ opinion!" Kaze snapped. He turned back to the other Elements, trying to hide the blush creeping onto his cheeks. "Yeah, I had t'get outta there kinda quick, but that's just 'cause-a Setsuka-sama's orders, y'know. Otherwise, me 'n' that flame-boy woulda gone head ta head," he flashed a victory sign and tossed Mizu a wink, "an' I woulda wiped th' floor with that fire-throwin'moron!"

"_You_ faced a... a Konan Warrior?" Taiyou demanded, hands clenching and unclenching helplessly at his sides.

"Not jus' a Konan Warrior," Kaze corrected, "a true-blue, real life, legendary Suzaku shichi seishi!" He grinned, putting his arms behind his head. "So what've _you_ been up to recently, hm?"

Taiyou's face flushed purple and his teeth ground together so hard he almost cracked them. The Element's body glowed with golden ki and he looked on the verge of attacking Kaze, but at the last minute seemed to regain control. He forced a smile and patted Kaze a bit too roughly on the shoulder. "Well, at least you were able to get a blow in while you had the chance. Unfortunately, Setsuka-sama picked Tsuki and me for the first encounter. _And_ her Ladyship told you not to fight them, isn't that right?" he clucked his tongue sympathetically. "Hm, I guess she picked you for this little mission to humor you, then." Kaze's white ki flared angrily, but Taiyou either didn't notice or didn't care. "Well, I guess when you start fighting in actual battles, _then_ we can allow you a few bragging privileges... right, comrade?"

Taiyou whipped past the other Elements, flinging back the curtain to his room and disappearing within the darkness. His brother, emotionless as ever, soon followed. Kaze lay seething in his chair for a moment, then rose with a frustrated shout and stalked out the door, slamming it forcibly in his wake. Mizu stared back and forth, eyes wide and almost frightened. "What... what in the world just _happened_? I... I thought we were supposed to be allies... but, but all of this..."

"Checkmate," Sora announced. "I win again." She glanced up, blinking as she noticed the girl sitting between her and her Xianqi opponent. "Oh, Mizu-chan, are you still here?"

Mizu stared at her in utter disbelief. "Eh? Weren't you paying attention at all?"

Tsuchi flashed the girl a puzzled smile. "Paying attention to what, Mizu-chan?"

The young Element face-vaulted. "How could you not hear them! I thought they were going to _kill_ each other, for a minute there..."

"Oh, _that_," Sora shrugged, sliding the Mahjong pieces into her personal carrying case. "Tsuchi-kun and I are rather used to it, I suppose. If you lived down here with us, I imagine you'd feel the same way."

"You're lucky you have your own room," Tsuchi told her, helping Sora to clear the table. "Being Setsuka-sama's favorite has a lot of advantages, I bet."

Mizu blushed and stared at her hands. "I'm not Setsuka-sama's favorite..." she murmured quietly. "She just... uses me more, because of my powers. And I only have my own room because I was the first Element she found, so she feels like she knows me better than you guys. I think she likes Sora-senpai the most, though. You always do exactly what she says without asking any questions, and you learn so quickly, picking up new skills a lot faster than anyone else. I think she really likes you for that."

"I certainly hope not." Sora stepped away from the table and glided towards her bed. The dark-haired Element's grace was almost matchless: she barely seemed to touch the floor when she moved like that. "I swore allegiance to Setsuka-sama, and I'm always happy when I can please her. That doesn't mean I want us to be _friends_, though."

"That's kind of the general attitude around here, isn't it?" Tsuchi remarked with a sad sigh.

"Any other attitude will only hurt us in the end," Sora said a bit severely. "If we get too close than we become attached. And once that happens, we'll be too worried about protecting each other to perform our duty to the Lady. And once _that_ happens, those ruthless Konan Warriors will pick us off like flies in a spider's web."

Mizu frowned. "But you and Kaze have known each other since—"

"And we're struggling to put some distance between ourselves, at least for the moment." Sora lay back on her bed and raised one hand, staring hard at her fingers. A ball of midnight blue light arose in her palm, then gradually melded into the form of a small, blue-tinged knife. Sora held the weapon lightly between her fingers, rolling it back and forth thoughtfully. "Serving your master is the first rule of the warrior, Mizu-chan, and I will snap every tie I possess to this world if it will help me achieve that goal. You'd be wise to do the same."

"Snap every tie..." Mizu murmured, the face of a blue-haired young man springing to mind. She glanced down. "I... I need to get back to my room. I wanted to study some new kanji – I can't forget about my studies, after all – so... so I'll see the two of you later."

The young girl turned on her heel and disappeared from the room in a flash, her slippers padding noiselessly on the cold wooden floors.

Tsuchi watched her departure, a sad frown tracing his lips. "That's awfully harsh, don't you think Senpai? I mean, I know I don't care for Taiyou all that much, but Tsuki's never given me any reason to _dis_like him, and I really do like you and Kaze all right, even if Kaze can get a little scary sometimes... and Mizu-chan, I mean... well, she's such a nice girl, you know..."

"Falling in love already, Tsuchi-kun?" The boy turned a bright crimson and fumbled for a reply, but Sora continued before he had a chance. "It's understandable, I suppose, but I'd suggest that you stay away from thoughts like that. Mizu-chan may be a 'nice' girl, but she's also Setsuka-sama's ultimate weapon, for all she says that _I'm_ the favorite. And she's given her life entirely into her Ladyship's hands, as we all have. If Mizu-chan was ordered to kill you, she would do it. All of us would."

Tsuchi took a step back, struck momentarily dumb by these words. He stared at the dagger in Sora's hand, then at her half-visible face. "Even you, Senpai? Even to Kaze?"

"If her Ladyship ordered it? I'd have no choice." The dagger vanished in her grasp, and Sora's golden eyes narrowed somewhat sadly. "Our Lady is strong, yes, and she fights against a cruel enemy who deserves death, but that doesn't change our status one little bit. At the end of the day, we're weapons in the Lady's hands. And weapons can never ally themselves with anyone besides their owner. Remember that, the next time you decide to label any of us as your 'friend,' Tsuchi-kun."

oOo

Koji sipped at a glass of palace wine later that evening, watching wide-eyed as Kiori and Ritsuka inhaled plates full of lo mein noodles, piles of dumplings, six bowls of egg drop soup, and almost an entire chicken apiece. He blinked loudly when they finally finished, both leaning back and smiling happily. "Another great meal!" they declared.

"Wow," Koji murmured. "I think I jus' witnessed one-a the Seven Wonders of the World."

Tasuki sweatdropped. "The sad thing is, yer prob'ly right."

Houki smiled at the girls, who were still rubbing their swelled stomachs and beaming like a pair of cats who'd caught a redbird. She set down her teacup and glanced around the small table at her six companions. "Well, now that everyone has finished, I believe it is time to move on to business, would you not agree?"

Everyone did, so Houki slipped her hand into her robes and removed a single scroll from within the folds, bringing up two delicate fingers to unlace the ancient document. Tasuki stared at the yellowed parchment, scratching his head in mild confusion. "Er, only one scroll? Y'made it sound like there was one fer each of us earlier."

"Oh, there is," Houki assured him. "We arrived a bit later than I had expected, you see, and I thought perhaps we could open the individual parchments tomorrow, after a good night of sleep." She smiled at Koji, who couldn't help but return the charming grin. "After all, it would be unfair to ask Koji to join our company without at least _one_ night of true relaxation."

"Tomorrow?" Kiori said, paling visibly. She glanced down at the table. "I... I don't know if I'll be able to come tomorrow."

"Eh? Why's that?" Tasuki asked.

"I just... I just might need to be alone, is all..."

"Oh! It's that time of the month, isn't it!" Ritsuka blurted out, causing everyone at the table to fall out of their chairs. The redhead didn't seem to notice and continued, earning stranger and stranger looks as she went. "I know how that can be 'cause when I start I get the worst cramps, they turn me into an absolute _witch_! I never wanna see _anybody_, and when I do I usually yell at them before they can get three words out of their mouths..." She happened to scan the table, finally noticing that Koji, Tasuki, and Chichiri's eyes were all about to pop out of their heads. Ritsuka blushed. "I mean, er... shutting up."

"I'm sure that, whatever it is, Kiori has a perfectly good reason for it no da," Chichiri said, rescuing a good portion of his companions from an incredibly awkward situation. "Go ahead and open the scroll, Houki-sama."

Houki did as he said, no one noticing the grateful smile Kiori gave Chichiri, nor the chibi victory sign he gave back. The Empress' eyes trailed down the parchment. "Hm. That is strange."

"What's wrong?" Akai asked.

Houki looked back up at her companions, a small, puzzled frown on her lips. "The scroll is written in a very odd fashion. There are no _true_ riddles until the very bottom, thankfully... however..." she spread the parchment out on the table in front of her comrades, careful not to rip the ancient material or smear its already fading words.

The Konan Warriors skimmed the paper, and by the end of their scan they all wore the same expression as their Empress. The scroll _was_ written unusually. The writer had scrawled seven relatively simple kanji symbols across the top right of the paper, all displaying an element of nature. Underneath each element lay a few other symbols. To the left of those were the numbers one through seven, with something written beneath each of them as well, and on the left side of _those_ sat the few short verses that Houki had warned about.

Tasuki sighed and set his chin in his hands. "This sorta stuff _really_ ain't my thing."

"Nah, it ain't so hard," Koji assured him. "I got th' first part figgered out, anyway. The first seven kanji, those've gotta be th' Elements. Tsuki, Taiyou, Kaze, Sora, Tsuchi, Kaji, an' Mizu."

"**Moon, sun, wind, sky, soil, fire and water**!" Kiori chirped in English. All eyes turned to her, every set except Ritsuka's looking extremely confused. The young woman blushed and rubbed at the back of her head. "Heh, sorry. It's English. I was studying for my exam earlier, and now I wanna translate everything."

Ritsuka sweatdropped. "We're in the middle of a war, and _you_ find time to study? Now that's what I call an over-achiever." She couldn't help but smile a bit, though – at least Kiori was acting more like her usual self again. "So, under each of the Element's names are a few words. Lessee..." she squinted her eyes to make out the faded kanji and wracked her brain to remember some of the more complex symbols. "'_Tsuki: There and Gone. Taiyou...' _Um... oh! That one means 'unbreakable,' so: '_Unbreakable Wall. Kaze: Pill Spells...'_ hey Tasuki-chan, isn't that the one we met earlier?"

"Yeah, an' the 'pill spells' thing sounds like his magic," he agreed, before hastily adding, "and don't CALL me that!"

"Two points," Koji remarked, remembering their conversation from earlier. He picked up where Ritsuka had left off. "'_Sora: Sharp and Agile. Tsuchi: Heartfelt Healer. Kaji: Flames on the Wind. Mizu: Master Ki.'_"

Akai ran a finger across the scroll. "Okay, and then there're these numbers and more words: '_Ichi (One): When the cold night strikes, selfless power is all that can win. Ni (Two): A fiery will can defeat the darkest light.'_"

"See? None-a this makes sense!" Tasuki complained.

"It will make sense in time, I am certain," Houki said a bit impatiently. She glanced back at her other companions. "Please continue."

Kiori picked up the reading. "_'San: The frozen warms even as the warm freezes. Shi: The victor is determined by both fighters.'_"

"Okay, now I'm confused too," Koji grumbled. "Warmth freezin' determined fighters..."

"Maybe it'll be cleared up further down no da," Chichiri suggested. "'_Go: A requested death is no easier than one that is unwelcome. Roku: Honor will light up a midnight sky'_ no da. And finally: '_Shichi: When the chill gale blows, courage will be valued over power'_ no da." The monk stared at the words for a moment, then heaved a tired sigh. "This is going to take a _lot_ of work no da. Near as I can understand, the clues under the names are the Element's powers, and everything under the numbers is advice on how to defeat them. It doesn't seem to be in any order though, no da..."

Houki picked up the scroll. "Wait, we have almost forgotten the lines at the end. They are written in our favorite riddle form," the seishi and the girls all groaned, "however, these may prove to be the most useful:

_A golden eye for each  
If Konan is to be saved.  
But beware of repercussions  
Or both fighters may share a grave._"

Everyone shivered at the last cryptic line. Houki turned her eyes upwards, glancing around at the confused faces of her comrades. "That is all."

Koji frowned. "I can't make sense of any of it. Huh, '_a golden eye fer each,'_ at least I get that much. We'll each be gettin' a chance at one-a them Elements, an' they all got golden eyes." He chuckled. "Well that ain't too common, right? Shouldn't be too hard t'keep a look out fer that."

Ritsuka put a hand to her forehead, pretending to scan the room for Elements. She looked at Tasuki and screamed, hiding behind Kiori and pointing wildly. "AH! Golden eyes! Golden eyes! Save me from the eeee-vil!"

Tasuki scowled. "Haha, very funny Red. My eyes ain't even really pure gold..."

"Hai, they're more of an amber," Chichiri agreed, then chuckled and added, "Though they _are_ a little scary no da."

A ripple of laughter swept through the room, though Tasuki didn't seem to find it very amusing. "At least _I _don't look like cat!" he countered, glaring at the monk with a devilish grin.

Chichiri frowned. "Hey now, that isn't true no da."

Ritsuka grabbed the sleeping Tama from the table and held him next to Chichiri. She peered hard at the two faces, managing a solemn nod before bursting into laughter. "Ha! I see the resemblance. Now all we gotta do is teach Tama-neko to say 'no da,' and it'll be like two Chichiris!"

"Nya," Tama mewed sleepily, as if he was trying to comply with Ritsuka's request.

Koji and Tasuki cackled at Chichiri's indignant look, Akai almost choked on her tea, and Houki chuckled quietly into her sleeve. Even Kiori managed a tired giggle. The Empress rolled the scroll back up and tucked it under her arm. "I should say we have withstood enough 'hard work' for one evening. It is growing late – I suppose I shall see you all again at breakfast to read the other scrolls. Oh, Chichiri, please stay for a moment. I would like to hear a report on what occurred while I was away."

The other five took this as a sign to leave and slowly stood from the table, moving towards the door in a lump of laughter and friendship. Tasuki swung an arm around Koji's shoulders, leading him out ahead of the others. "I'll get ya fixed up with the nicest room ya ever saw! Ever slept in a palace bed? It's like snoozin' on a cloud."

Koji laughed. "Can't say I've ever tried snoozin' on a cloud, but I get the feelin' I'd enjoy it. Lead th' way Genrou!"

Chichiri watched the exiting figures of his allies, waiting until everyone had disappeared through the doorway before turning back to Houki. "Everything went fine while you were gone. Takkan seems to have had enough for now no da."

"That is good to know. Try as I might, I could not seem to relax on my journey. I worry about Boshin-chan and his future so much these days... I suppose it is maternal instinct. Perhaps this caged bird should not leave her home anymore." Houki smiled sadly. "And I am glad to hear that you did not receive any trouble from our enemy. Still, such a peace will be short-lived, do you not agree? I suppose your key words were 'for now.' They will not give up quite so easily, I fear. Perhaps the Lady Setsuka is devising a new, deadlier plan, even as we speak."

"Perhaps," Chichiri agreed. "And I get the feeling the next time we'll have a bit more to deal with than some well-armed soldiers no da." Houki nodded unhappily, and Chichiri mirrored her frown with a concerned one of his own. "Daaa... Sorry, Houki-sama. I didn't mean to upset you no da. You really don't need to worry so much about it, all right? I'm sure everything will work out all right in the end."

"Oh Chichiri, do you really believe that? I would like to think so, only there is so much that could happen." Houki sighed somewhat wistfully, turning her back on the monk and moving towards a nearby window. She set her elbows on the ledge, staring out across the darkness of her palace at the faintly winking lights of the servants' quarters, and staring past that, even, to the towns and cities beyond the capital's walls. "The servants, the civilians... Boshin-chan... So much depends on winning this horrid war. I want my son to grow up in a peaceful country as the beloved leader, not in a war-torn world where he is scorned as the fallen heir of a once-great nation..."

The Empress trailed off, sliding past the window and towards the beautiful tapestry hanging across the eastern wall. The wall-hanging depicted the great god Suzaku, wings outstretched as if to shelter Konan from all danger, with the seven seishi's symbols interwoven into the bird's feathers. Houki rubbed her thumb against the kanji for _Hotohori_, her voice catching in her throat as she whispered to the gold-embroidered symbol, "If only you were still here, Highness... I should have no reason – no reason at all – to worry about our son or this nation..."

"Houki-sama."

The Empress, the tiniest hint of a tear dotting each eye, glanced back to see Chichiri, mask off, gazing at her with more determination and strength then she had ever seen from the cheerful monk. She watched him carefully, too surprised – and a bit entranced – by the sudden change in his character to speak.

"Houki-sama," he said again, "I swear that as long as there's a breath of life in my body, Konan _will not_ be taken. For as long as Suzaku allows, I'll keep Boshin-chan safe." He looked down. "I owe the other seishi that, at least." His eye flicked back up to meet hers, jaw set resolutely. "No matter what happens, I'll protect you – all of the Warriors – all of Konan, if that's what it takes. As long as I'm alive, you'll never have to worry about Boshin-chan being harmed. You have my word on that no da."

Houki smiled, nodding through tear-filled eyes. Suddenly, it seemed as if the monk was right, and everything really would work out for the best. She bowed her head a little, dabbing at her eyes with the corner of her sleeve. "Arigatou gozaimasu. Thank you... thank you so very much, Chichiri. You truly are wonderful person... all the Konan warriors are... how could I have ever doubted our success?"

oOo

Setsuka sat up in bed, staring straight ahead. She had been awakened from a nightmarish dream, though now she could remember almost nothing from it. Just a pair of golden eyes, gazing at her from the darkness, and that voice that she knew so well, the one that had called out to her for almost five years, ever since she had been named the Lady of Takkan. Then a flash of fire and a single name, but it was the most important name Setsuka could have learned, and the last name that she needed.

A hopeful smile touched her face. "Was it all real?" she asked the darkness. "There is only one way to know."

Setsuka crept from her bedchamber and down the long hallway, tiptoeing so as not to awaken her sleeping handmaids, and swung open the doors to her throne room. She stepped around the large pavilion at the center of the room, throwing back the curtains behind it to reveal a single wooden wall with harsh designs and symbols burned into the wood. It was a forgotten language, but one that her mother had taught her well, before she had died. Setsuka had never found a use for the old speech until now, until she had been chosen for this glorious task, but now she knew that all her lessons had led up to this precise moment, to the moment when her conquest was finally within her grasp.

Her eyes trailed across the unusual symbols, falling on a line at the bottom that she knew hadn't been there before. Her dream had not lied, then. The Lady smiled dangerously, touching the red gem on her necklace. "There you are, Kaji. The decision will be yours, tomorrow."

oOo

"'_Quiet as a mouse, the Lady of Takkan stole back to her chamber, chuckling quietly to herself. The final Element was just a stone's throw away, and she would gain his allegiance before the next sunset – and, if that proved impossible, then she would have to ensure his death.'_" Keisuke blinked. "That's _it_? Aw, man... End Chapter Ten."

* * *

**_Ye Olde Author Freechat: November 12, 2005; 7:12 PM_**

Ni-hao, ya'll! (Am I a Chinese cowboy now?)  
Well, I split another chapter, though now I'm wondering if I shouldn't have done that... the chapter seems almost _too_ short, now! Ah well, it'll work out in the end (the "first half" of FY:NC will finish at Episode 13, like a real anime now!). I know the ending is a little bit jarring, so I apologize for that, but "Episode Ten" was really getting too long to keep as one, and that was the best place to finish it off. The next episode will have a more conclusive ending, I promise!

I didn't really change much from the original on the Konan Warrior scenes, but I added a buttload to the last scene with Setsuka, and that whole conversation between the Elements? Yeah, that didn't exist in the original version. Heh. Hooray for additions! They're like little cookies for my returning readers! _(grin) _Oh, and speaking of that added Element scene, Xianqi is the actually name for what's commonly called "Chinese Chess" stateside. It's like our version of chess, but there're palaces and rivers... so basically it's cooler. :-) Thanks to Chessvariant for the information on this game!

**Character Profile(s) – Chichiri & Tasuki  
**(Okay, so this isn't really necessary, but since a few years have passed I figured I'd catch everyone up to speed. I split up their information with a pretty "&" symbol... oh, and since Watase-san never gave the readers Chichiri's blood type or birthplace, I took the liberty of making them up. Hooray for making things up!)  
Age: 27 & 20 (three years have passed since the original seishi travels)  
Height: 5'8" & 5'10"  
Birthplace: Kyokujitsu Village & Tai-tou Village  
Birthday: May 21st (Gemini) & April 18th (Aries)  
Blood Type: A & B  
Likes: Fishing & Fighting  
Dislikes: Fighting & Fishing (teehee... that was fun)  
Favorite Food: Szechwan noodles & Sake (Heh, but seriously... chicken-stuffed dumplings)  
Least Favorite Food: Pork-fried rice & Cashews

Probably the trickiest part about writing a good fanfic is keeping your unoriginal characters _in_-character while at the same time expanding their personalities in a believable and exciting fashion. That having been said, Chichiri and Tasuki are the easiest people in the world to keep in-character, and I have absolutely no idea why. I've taken these two to some pretty extreme limits in my fics (most notably in "Rhapsody") and I've never had any complaints about how "that's not something they'd do at all!" which, I figure, is the best compliment a fic author can get. I just love writing stories about these two – there's so much you can do with their personalities, and they're such a fun team! I hope I can move the both of them into some fun new directions in future episodes, and I hope that all of you enjoy reading about it as much as I enjoy writing it!

Thanks a billion to Ayshia-san, Lucia-san, Alaia-chan, and InsanitySquirrel-san for reviewing the last chapter! I hope to keep seeing you all in the review pages! Hearing from you guys makes this whole job worthwhile... so thanks a ton, minna, and I'll see you in another month or so:-)

Your Authoress—Dee


	11. Episode Eleven: New Discoveries

**_Disclaimer_:** I still don't own Konan, Suzaku and all characters and seishi pertaining to them. Kiori and Ritsuka are and shall forever be mine, and that holds for all the other "originals" (you'll know 'em when they appear, trust me). Obviously the story is mine as well.

_**Rating:** _PG-13, for moderate language and violence.

* * *

**--Episode Eleven: New Discoveries—**

Keisuke yawned, waving the book at his companions. "This is getting good, isn't it..." the college student trailed off, probably because no one was listening. Tetsuya and Yui had fallen fast asleep on each other's shoulders. Keisuke scowled. "Humph. Well if that's how it is then I won't wake you up when things get _really_ interesting."

He shrugged and flipped to the next page, grinning hungrily as his finger moved to the first line of Chapter Eleven. "Ooooh well, this means I can read to myself and get through it faster! Heheh..." he continued to chuckle quietly to himself as he dove into the book, whipping through the pages with almost lightning speed. _"Morning poked her golden head above the Konan Palace, alerting its residents to a bright new day..."_

oOo

Ritsuka stretched leisurely, struggling into a light blue tunic and fighting back about twelve enormous yawns. She blinked sleepily, throwing open the windows and allowing the morning air to invade the little bedroom she shared with Kiori. The summer sun shone brightly across the palace gardens, promising that the day would be a beautiful one, if not a bit hot. The rain from the night before glistened on the tree branches and along the roofs of the palace, but all other signs of yesterday's storm seemed to have vanished completely, leaving the world with a peaceful, refreshed sort of glow.

"Another great day in Konan," Ritsuka remarked with a grin and another yawn. "It'd be nice if we could've slept in a little bit, but those riddles are calling our names, I guess. Ah, well, Houki-sama couldn't have picked a better morning to wake us up early. Doncha think so, Kiori?" She glanced down at her friend, who sat buttoning her blouse on the room's soft, silken rug. The brunette offered no answer to Ritsuka's question, so the redhead continued. "Hm. Well, I guess we oughta get down to breakfast and start attacking those scrolls. I wonder what 'advice' mine'll give? Hah, probably something confusing like: 'a rolling stone can sometimes devour a lion whole.'" Ritsuka snickered.

"I'm not coming to breakfast," Kiori murmured from her spot on the ground. "Tell them to start without me. I should be in later."

She stood without a word, and didn't even glance at Ritsuka as she walked past her towards the door. Her friend frowned. "And I thought _I_ wasn't a morning person." She placed both hands curiously – or perhaps a bit angrily – on her hips and cocked her head to the side. "What's the big problem? Why're you so gloomy today?"

Kiori glanced over her shoulder, meeting her friend's gaze with what Ritsuka thought were the saddest eyes in the world. She didn't even bother trying to shove on her fake smile, not today. "It's been six months since _it_ happened. I need to be alone. Please."

Ritsuka's eyes widened and she held up her hands, nodding vigorously. "Oh, hell. I'm really sorry, Kiori, acting all cheerful and all when... I mean, I had no idea, and, um..."

"It's all right, Ritsu. It's not something I'd _want_ you to remember. It's bad enough for one person."

"Right, um..." the redhead rubbed the back of her head, at a momentary loss for words. Finally, after several stuttered tries at comforting words, she gave up and simply said, "What should I tell the others?"

"It doesn't matter. The truth, if you want."

"No way! I wouldn't feel right, I mean... it's not like I have the right to, um..." Ritsuka sighed. "I'll think of something. Will you be meeting up with us at breakfast later?"

"Maybe," Kiori said, looking towards the ground once more. "Anyway... I'll see you."

"See you," Ritsuka replied, following her friend with concerned eyes but too afraid to follow her with anything else. "Don't wander outside the gates."

The redhead plodded down to the dining room with a bit less bounce than usual, and sat in silence for most of her breakfast. She made no attempt to hide her unusual thoughtfulness, though it didn't seem to affect her appetite – Ritsuka wolfed down three plates full of food almost without taking a breath.

"Y'know, it's more fun t'watch when there's two of 'em downin' all that food," Koji remarked, sipping at a cup of tea. "After ya see th' amazin' duo, it's almost borin' when there's only one. Where is Kiori anyway?"

Ritsuka gulped down the rest of her drink before answering. "She needs some alone time. She said she'd probably come in later, but she doesn't want us to wait up."

Chichiri frowned. "Is everything all right no da?"

The redhead shifted uneasily. "Well... sorta. I mean, I think it will be." Chichiri frowned and opened his mouth to add something, but Ritsuka cut him off with a defensive glare. "Look, if Kiori says she needs to be alone then I'm not about to argue with her. And I'm her best friend so I know what's best, you got it Monk-san?"

Chichiri chuckled nervously. "Hai, hai. Sorry for prying. I'm just... worried about her no da."

"Yeah," Ritsuka murmured into her soup. "I sorta am, too."

The seishi monk lapsed into the same silence as Ritsuka, but the others seemed to accept her explanation and finished breakfast without prying into Kiori's private life. As soon as the last set of chopsticks clicked against an empty bowl, Houki signaled to a pair of servants hovering near the doorway. They slipped out the screen doors with hardly a sound and returned just as quietly a few moments later, laying six scrolls out across the table. Each was rolled up and tied with a different colored ribbon, and each ribbon had a few kanji symbols on it.

"There are six scrolls, one for each of you," Houki explained. "I have already opened mine, as you know." She picked up the first, reading the kanji on the golden ribbon. "_Smiling Sorcerer._" Chichiri took the scroll. "_Fan of Fire._" Tasuki snatched up the yellowed parchment. "_Bandit Leader..._"

Each Konan Warrior accepted their scrolls according to its title until only Kiori's sat on the table. Akai held hers up, playing with the ribbon as she pondered their next step. "So, should we just open them up in front of everyone, or is this supposed to be private? I'd hate to anger the gods just because we ignored one tiny command."

"I do not suppose it matters," Houki told her. "There are no specific directions given. Read them aloud, if you like, or keep the advice private."

Ritsuka chuckled, clapping her hands together in mock excitement. "Yay! Sharing time!" She yanked off the red ribbon on her scroll, unrolling it and reading aloud: "_Many difficult decisions will be yours to make. In all things, follow your heart._"

"Since when did you get a heart?" Tasuki asked, earning a fist to the head for his remark.

"Two points," Koji commented. He pulled the white ribbon off of his. "_Sheer power isn't the only valuable weapon._ Ha!" The bandit slapped the scroll on the table, leaning over and pointing a victorious finger in Tasuki's face. "Ya hear that Genrou? I'm gonna kick ass even without seishi abilities. An' _yer_ gonna owe me a bottle-a sake when this is all over, jus' you wait."

"Yeah, an' maybe someday Chichiri'll stop sayin' 'no da,'" Tasuki said with a laugh. Off went the grey ribbon. "_Don't drown in the silver pools._" The bandit stared at the kanji for another few seconds, mouth tilted in an incredulous half-smirk. "Gee, doncha love how _little_ sense mine makes?" he grumbled sarcastically.

Chichiri pulled off his gold ribbon at the same time Akai removed her midnight blue one. The monk skimmed his silently, but Akai announced: "_Heroes come from many molds._ Huh, that's a bit of a compliment I guess, though I don't really know how that's supposed to help me in the long run."

"None of these really sound all that helpful right now," Ritsuka agreed. "Maybe the guy who foresaw all of this just wanted to give us some ego-boosters before he shipped us off to battle the 'golden eyes.' Like throwing a Ganbatte (Good Luck) Party before high school entrance exams or something." She and the others turned to Chichiri expectantly. "Okay Chichiri, your turn." Ritsuka leaned forward, eyes widening at the sight of the monk's scroll stretched practically from his forehead to his stomach. "Wow, it looks like yours is a lot longer than ours! I didn't know you needed so many ego-boosters. Well, c'mon, let's hear it!"

The monk didn't seem to hear Ritsuka's request. He studied his scroll in silence for a moment longer, eyebrows bunched tightly together as he contemplated the words. After a brief hesitation he shook his head, rolled the scroll back up and tucked it into his robe. "Houki-sama didn't say we had to read them aloud no da."

Five groans erupted around the table. Tasuki leaned over and poked his friend's shoulder. "C'mon, Chichiri, what's th' problem? We all read ours, an' mine didn't even make sense."

"Mine makes even _less_ sense no da. Trust me, you don't want to hear it."

"Sure we do, Chichiri-sama!" Akai chimed in. "Maybe we could help you understand it, or—"

"Now please, Akai, Tasuki." The others whirled at the Empress' kind but somewhat authoritative voice. She shot Chichiri a small, puzzled smile that seemed to say '_I wanted to hear it too, you know_,' but continued despite her own curiosity. "Chichiri has the right to his privacy. We should respect that." The others grumbled a series of rude remarks, but didn't push the matter any further. Houki glanced at the lone scroll on the breakfast table, a tiny frown tracing her lips. "Oh, dear. Kiori still has not returned. I hope she is all right."

"From the sounds of it she ain't," Koji remarked. "I know ya said we should leave her alone, Ritsuka, but maybe that ain't fer th' best right now."

Ritsuka heaved her third sigh of the morning, setting her chin in her hands. "You're probably right. I figured she'd be back for at least a _little_ bit of breakfast, but... maybe someone should go talk to her after all."

All eyes turned to the monk as six voices declared: "Chichiri should do it."

He leaped about five feet into the air, glancing around the table in total confusion. "N-nani? Why _me_? What _is_ it with you always sending me after people no da?"

"Hey, it ain't _our_ fault that yer th' one with th' ki-sensin' powers. You can find her a lot easier," Tasuki explained. "Plus, Kiori's obviously not feelin' too great about somethin', and you happen t'be an excellent listener."

"Besides," Ritsuka added with an accusing glare, "_you_ wouldn't read us your scroll. So, as punishment, I hereby declare that you have to run around the palace while we go to the training rings."

"Sorry Chichiri, but the people have spoken," Koji said, standing and shoving the monk none-too-lightly out of his chair. "Off ya go!"

oOo

The seishi monk stumbled out the door a few moments later with Kiori's scroll tucked into his robe. He paused for a moment to search out the college woman's life force, though it didn't take him long to find it – her troubled aura blazed across the palace grounds like a beacon. He took off towards her ki, wondering what could be bothering his friend so much.

Chichiri followed the feel of the young woman all the way through the palace and up to the city's northern wall. He made no attempt to hide his ki or silence his footsteps, but Kiori didn't even stir when he reached the top of the parapet. Chichiri frowned and coughed to announce his presence. "Ano... Kiori?"

Kiori's back stiffened at the sound of the familiar voice. _'Not now,' _she thought frantically. She turned her head to the ground and rubbed hard at her eyes, willing her tears _and_ the monk to disappear. _'I can't have him – I can't have _anyone _seeing me right now!'_

"What do you want?" she demanded, voice cracking on the last word.

Chichiri coughed again and shifted from foot to foot. "We were, ah... we were a little worried when you skipped breakfast, so we decided that I should come look for you no da. I, um, brought your scroll." He hesitated, and Kiori prayed that that would be the end of it, but the monk's concern got the better of him and he pushed forward. "Kiori? Is everything all right na no da?"

"You have an uncanny ability for showing up just when a person wants to be left alone, you know that!" she snapped, whirling on him with red-rimmed eyes. "I'm fine, okay? So go help somebody else for a change!"

Chichiri flinched, and even his mask couldn't hide the look of hurt that passed across his features. "Oh. I... I see no da. Well, ano, if that's how you feel..." He set the scroll down beside the young woman, managing the barest hint of his cheerful "daijoubu" smile. "I'll just leave this here, for later no da. I… I'm very sorry for intruding."

The monk shot her one last look of concern, then turned on his heel to leave. Kiori's eyes softened as she watched his departing figure, and suddenly she understood, more than anything in the world, that she absolutely _did not_ want to be alone right now. Her mouth opened of its own accord and she cried out, halting her friend's departure. "Chichiri, wait!" he glanced over his shoulder and the college woman looked down, poking her index fingers together in embarrassment. "I... I didn't mean to yell at you. I'm the one who should be sorry. I just—"

To her extreme surprise, Chichiri smiled. "Daijoubu no da. I'm not angry at you. I really _do_ understand no da. Sometimes... sometimes you just need to be alone, with your own thoughts and problems, and you feel as if telling someone else will just make it worse. I'll leave if you want no da."

She sighed, ripping her gaze away from the stone floor and out towards the northern fields. "I don't think that _is_ what I want, though. I'm not sure what I want exactly, but... could you stay, please? I think… I think I _should_ talk to someone. I think I need that."

_'Someone who actually understands,'_ she added silently. _'Could Chichiri be that one? Oh, I hope so...'_

The seishi monk took a seat beside her, following her gaze towards the faraway Takkan camp. "So what's the problem no da? What's on your mind?"

Kiori sighed again, heavier this time. She didn't want to do this. More than _anything_, she didn't want to do this. She was afraid of it. But she also knew she _needed_ to do it, if only to get some of that pain off her chest. If only in hopes that Chichiri might understand her. "Six months," she murmured into her arms. "Half a year, today... since the car crash."

Chichiri didn't want to interrupt, but, "Car?"

"Oh, right," Kiori managed a tiny chuckle. "Sometimes I forget you're not from my world. A car is sorta... well it's like a fast cart without a horse or anything to pull it. Really fast. Sometimes people abuse that speed..." she sniffed, blinking hard and shaking her head. "I'm sorry, I told myself I wasn't going to get all weepy when I talked about this, I hate crying in front of people, and you don't really _deserve_ to have all this shoved onto you anyway..."

"Daijoubu," he said again in that same kindly manner. "Sometimes, crying is the only thing that helps, and you just have to get it out no da. So go ahead and cry as much as you want. I don't mind no da."

"Thanks," Kiori sniffed again. "Anyway... like I said, it happened six months ago, assuming your calendar works the same as ours. I had won this Kyoto journalism award – that was the city I lived in at the time – and I needed to go into the heart of the city to get it. My parents, and my sister, they were all busy that day and told me to just drive down by myself to get it. It was the biggest thing that had ever happened to me, and they weren't even going to be there. I was so, _so_ upset, that I just..." She closed her eyes, remembering that final, bitter conversation.

_"What? You mean you aren't even going to come with me?"  
__"Oh honey, we'd love to but you know Sakuya has that softball game today..."  
__"It's always about Nee-san, isn't it? Or your job, or Otoo-san's! I worked so hard to get this award, but Sakuya plays some stupid regular-season game and she's the one you choose? It's _always_ her over me!"  
__"Sweetheart, you know that isn't true—"  
__"Sometimes I hate you so much! I really do! I just... I hate all of you!"_

"I hate you," Kiori repeated quietly, her voice overflowing with disgust. "Then I turned, slammed the door, and left, like some stupid, spoiled five-year old throwing a tantrum." She brought a sleeve up to wipe away her tears, but remembered Chichiri's words and stopped at the last moment. She may as well just let them run freely, now. "Those were the last words I ever said to her. 'I hate you.'"

"Kiori..."

"I came home that evening to find them all gone. Called my mom's cell phone, but all I got was static." She chuckled bitterly, but halfway through her laugh became a sob. "And even then, I still thought 'What, they went out to party after Sakuya's big win? It figures they wouldn't invite _me_ along.' I never even thought... never even _considered..._ like some goddamned, selfish little brat..." Kiori shook her head hard and went on. "I checked the answering machine to see where they were, but what I got was a message from the hospital telling me to call them, so, so I did, and, well..."

_"Is this Sakamoto Kiori-san?"  
__"Hai, that's me. I'm returning a call I got earlier. What's wrong?"  
__"Ma'am, there was a car accident involving your family."  
__"My... my what?"  
__"Sakamoto Mitsuru, Rei, and Sakuya. I'm afraid their car was totaled, and—"  
__"How are they? Are they all right?"  
__"Sakamoto-san, I'm sorry to tell you, but..."_

"...Dead," she finished miserably. "They'd decided to skip the game, and were on the way out to watch me get my damn award, when some idiot ran into them head on going over a hundred. They never even had a chance, Chichiri..."

Kiori finally gave up and collapsed into herself, burying her face into her sleeves and crying out the last six months' of held-back tears. Oh, God, it was just too much! "I'm sorry..." she murmured through her heaving sobs. She thought she'd surely drown in shame, breaking down like this in front of Chichiri. He'd never be able to look at her the same way, she hissed inwardly, and the thought of his smiling face _pitying_ her like everyone else only made the tears flow faster. "I'm sorry," she said again, almost frantically. "I'm so _stupid_, making you put up with this..."

The monk's arm slipped across her back, drawing her close and steadying her shaking shoulders. "You aren't stupid no da. And you definitely don't need to apologize to me," he murmured. "It's okay. It really is no da."

Kiori's head jerked up to stare at him with tear-filled eyes. The monk didn't meet her gaze, but instead looked out upon the plains with an unreadable expression on his masked face. But there was no pity, not yet anyway. "Oh, Chichiri..." the young woman buried her face into his shoulder and cried silently, but hearing those kind words had been oddly soothing on her battered emotions. The worst had finally passed. "I don't know _why_ you're so nice to me all the time... but thank you, okay? Thank you _so_ much."

After another minute or so of quiet sniffling she pulled away, turning her eyes back to the distant horizon. Kiori rolled up the sleeve of her shirt, running a finger along the thick scar on her arm and continuing her story, this time with dry eyes and a steadier voice, though she couldn't quite wipe the note of shame from her tone. "I... went a little crazy, for a while after that. I blamed myself for everything. I told myself I'd killed them. A lot of people thought the same thing, though they'd never say it out loud. And I hated them because of that."

Kiori gripped tightly at her jeans, biting her lip to keep her voice from wavering again. "No, that's not right. I... I _hated _myself because of that. I really did... and I wanted other people to hate me, too. I wanted to do something, something so horrible and unthinkable that everyone would have no choice but to hate me. I thought that maybe I'd just kill myself – I never _tried_ anything, but... but I thought about it a lot. One time, though, I went out and was just so... so angry and confused and _sick_ of everything that I got totally wasted. I did that a lot, back then, just so I could forget everything for a while. Only that time... that time, when I was driving home, I slammed into a telephone pole. I was okay, mostly, but the glass from the windshield left this scar in my arm. Sort of a reminder of my first real wake-up call since the accident. Because, at the time, I remember thinking 'I could have hit another person, because of this. I could've killed someone the same way _my family_ was killed.' Sitting in the hospital, and thinking that, and hating myself even _more_ because of it, it was the first time I was able to cry for them, even a little bit. I'd... I guess I'd been too caught up in myself to do it before. Kind of typical for me, really."

She sniffled, and Chichiri squeezed her shoulder comfortingly. His presence gave her enough strength to continue, though she still couldn't bring herself to meet his eyes. "It was funny, though, because even while I sat there hating myself more than ever, at the same time it was sort of a _good_ thing, because surely, surely _now_ the others would hate me too. Surely, after something like that, they'd see me the same way _I_ saw me." She snorted, remembering every painful detail with perfect accuracy. "But nobody did, even after that. Everyone just felt _sorrier_ for me, which hurt a lot worse than hatred. About two months ago, when I... when I finally came to terms with everything, and I was able to live with myself, I moved to Tokyo. I didn't have any family ties to keep me in Kyoto, and what with everyone knowing about the crash... and everything _reminding_ me of the crash... anyway, that's when I met Ritsuka. There were rumors about my 'family situation' by then, of course, but even after I told Ritsuka the story none of it mattered to her. She didn't pity me or hate me or anything. She just said 'That must have been rough,' and accepted me regardless. Maybe that's why I like her so much."

"Do you still hate yourself?" Chichiri asked quietly.

She heaved a long, exhausted sigh. "No, I guess not – well, not like I used to anyway. And I don't blame myself for it either, not really." She sighed, wrapping her knees to her chest. "It just hurts. A _lot_. Especially on the anniversary and all..." Kiori shook her head as if to discard her own feelings of self-pity. "I know that's my punishment, and I wouldn't want to forget it – to forget them. That doesn't make it any easier, though. And you know, even if I don't _hate_ myself anymore, I'm still ashamed by it… by my own stupidity, and my stupid selfishness. That's why I didn't want to have to face everyone just yet. I couldn't bear it." She wiped a sleeve across her eyes, drying off the last remnants of her tears. "I guess I'm just waiting for the day when it finally stops hurting."

She laid her cheek across her folded arms, watching as the grass swayed gently in the spring breeze. For some reason, she couldn't seem to meet her friend's eyes. She was too frightened of what she might see in them. _'I know I don't deserve it, but please... please_ _don't let him hate me for this, or pity me or give me that "I'm so sorry" routine. I couldn't _bear _to have him look at me in sympathy for the rest of my stay here. Not Chichiri, anyone, _anyone_ but Chichiri—'_

"It'll _never_ stop hurting," he said suddenly. Kiori jerked her head up and around, surprised by the deep note of sorrow in his voice. And there was another feeling there, something Kiori had never really heard before and couldn't quite place, but... but... _'But it almost sounds like – like he _knows _what I'm talking about.'_

The monk slipped his mask off, fingering it pensively in one hand. He seemed to be looking somewhere that Kiori could never visit, a place somewhere within his own heart. And though his single mahogany eye offered no real clue to his emotions, there was a faraway sort grief at the center of the orb, like the scar tissue of an old injury. Healed, but never quite forgotten. _'It's so much stronger,' _Kiori thought, eyes widening at the sudden realization,_ 'but at the same time, it looks just like... my eyes.'_

"Chi... Chichiri?"

He turned to look at her, though it was in many ways as if he was looking through her. "Kiori, let me tell you a story about a man named Houjun..."

oOo

Tasuki and Ritsuka watched Koji and Akai enter the training ring, cheering on both friends.

"C'mon Koji, show her what Reikaku bandits can do!"

"Let's go Akai, beat him down like I whipped Tasuki-chan!"

"Do ya have to bring that up again? And don't CALL me that!"

"I always have to bring it up, and that's two more points for me."

Koji frowned across the ring at Ritsuka, bunching his eyebrows together in a look of mock indignation. "Oi, Red, yer cheerin' fer th' kid an' not fer me? An' here I thought we were friends. I made ya an honorary bandit an' everythin'..."

Ritsuka giggled and waved a hand dismissively in the bandit's direction. "Oh, Ko-Ko, don't be so sensitive! You know you'll always be my _favorite_ bandit." Tasuki shot her a death glare, but the young woman grinned and went on. "But this battle isn't about friendship – it's about women beating the hell out of their evil male overlords! So get in there and get your ass kicked for the sake of womankind, darling!"

Koji sweatdropped. "So I'm an evil male overlord now, huh?"

"Welcome to my hell, 'Ko-Ko,'" Tasuki grumbled from the promenade.

Akai blushed with pride at Ritsuka's confidence, but didn't lose her focus on the upcoming battle. She grabbed one of the larger bokken, gesturing towards the barrel of wooden practice weapons. "Go ahead, Koji-san, take a sword. Now you'll see exactly what kind of a 'kid' I am."

The bandit leader raised an eyebrow at Akai's weapon of choice. "Kinda big fer ya, doncha think?"

"I've practiced with the Holy Sword for the past year and a half. Trust me, this is the perfect size."

Koji shrugged and sauntered over to the barrel, sifting through it until he came up with two lightweight daggers. He grinned, testing the weight in each of his hands. "Ah, this feels about right."

Akai mirrored the bandit's earlier expression, cocking an eyebrow and flashing a smirk. "Kinda small for you, don't you think?"

"Ha! Point taken, kid." Koji gripped the two blunted weapons by the hilt, twirling them skillfully. "You don't need t'worry 'bout me, Akai-chan. All I gotta have is one-a these in each hand t'do the damage you do with one-a those big boys. Now let's get this over with – and remember, I don't mean t'hurt ya if I do."

"Likewise," Akai smirked. "But talk's cheap. Tasuki-sama, when you're ready."

"When _I'm_ ready?" the seishi asked with a laugh. "I been ready since last night!" He clanged the small gong at the side of the ring, signaling the beginning of the battle. "Let's get this started already!"

Akai didn't fool around by testing out her opponent's strengths and weaknesses – she narrowed her eyes and went straight at him, sword held high in a striking position. The fierce attack almost caught Koji off-guard, but he managed to bring up his blades to block just in time. The bandit grunted and shoved Akai away, a newfound respect for the young fighter echoing in his voice. "Whoa, ya really are pretty good at this, ain'tcha?"

"Thanks for finally noticing," the girl took a step back, raising her blade for another attack.

Koji cocked his twin blades at his sides, grinning confidently. "Yeah, it's a shame..." his hazel eyes flashed, and he darted forward, lashing out at Akai with one dagger and blocking her sword from hitting his left side with the other, "that I got experience on my side!"

Akai stumbled backwards, surprised for a moment by the speed and skill of her opponent. It was _only_ for a moment, though, as the warrior girl regained her footing and smiled up at the older man. "Experience, hm? Should I call you Ojii-chan (Grandpa) now, then?"

He laughed and the two clashed again, weaving their way across the training ring. Akai met each of Koji's offensive attacks with her own skillful blocks, and everywhere the girl struck she found a dagger ready to greet her and parry her own strikes. The two lapsed into silence as the fight raged on, each side matching the other almost perfectly in speed and skill. From the sidelines, Ritsuka and Tasuki had to smile. The flashing wooden weapons looked awkward in _both_ sets of hands – Koji seemed too big for his daggers, and Akai too small for her sword – but they carried themselves with such grace that it was hard to imagine either of them fighting with anything else.

"It's like a dance," Ritsuka commented from the sidelines, eyes shining with respect. "The most gorgeous, dangerous dance I've ever seen." She narrowed her eyes at the bandit at her side. "How come when we fought, _you_ just looked like a chicken with its head cut-off?"

He scowled. "You want a rematch 'r somethin'?"

"Nah, that's all right. I don't like embarrassing people twice."

"Yer jus' scared 'cause you _know_ it was a fluke! I never woulda—" Tasuki stopped mid-sentence, whistling as Akai readied herself for an attack. "Oh no, here it comes. Looks like th' dance is about t'end, Ritsu."

"Hm?" she stared at the field, frowning. "How do you know that?"

"Akai's about t'take Koji head on, an' she's gonna lose."

Ritsuka glared at him. "And how, Evil Male Overlord-san, can you be so sure of that?"

"'Cause she can't beat Koji like that." Ritsuka kept staring at him, and Tasuki chuckled, nodding towards the ring. "Jus' shut up an' take a look, Red. Yer about t'see a Reikaku killing move at work."

They turned their eyes back to the fight, watching as Akai darted forward with a fierce offensive move. She swung at Koji's side, then jerked her body to the right so that her weapon flew upwards, on a beeline for his throat. The bandit leader blocked the attack easily enough, though he had to use both daggers to do it, and the two locked blades for a long second, teeth gritted and bodies straining against the impact. But then Koji grinned and shoved forward with all his might, using his superior strength to knock her off-balance. Akai lost her footing and Koji struck, diving forward with both daggers poised for the kill. The warrior girl struggled to block his attacks, and would have managed to fend off the searching weapons if reaching her throat had been the bandit's goal. But Koji was after something much more important, and at the last second he ducked down, kicking out with one foot and knocking the girl to the ground. Faster than Ritsuka could follow he lashed at Akai's hand with his daggers, shouting a cry of victory as the sword tumbled from her unsteady grip.

"This is it!" Tasuki warned, leaning over the rail.

"Not quite," Ritsuka said with a grin. "Watch!"

Koji brought both blades up to place on either side of Akai's neck, but he underestimated the girl. She leaned back and kicked out at his left hand, flipping the dagger neatly from his grasp. The blade spun lazily in the air and Akai reached out, snatching it up and laying it at Koji's throat at the same moment his remaining dagger found her neck. They found themselves at a standstill, chests heaving for breath as they grinned at one another.

Tasuki chuckled and banged the gong again. "Would'ja look at that? We got ourselves a tie!"

The duo dropped their weapons, wiping sweat from their foreheads and laughing through their exhaustion. Koji helped Akai to her feet, patting her on the back as he led her over to their other friends. "Hey, nice job, kid – oops, guess I can't call y'that anymore. Jus' Akai, then. Great fight. You got a lotta talent."

"Arigatou, Koji-san, though I have to admit that you're not so bad yourself. At first I thought you might be one of those cocky guys full of hot air, but you proved me wrong." Akai took an offered towel from Ritsuka's hands, wiping at her sweat-drenched forehead with a determined grin on her features. "Next time, though, I'll definitely beat you."

"I wouldn't count too much on that, Akai. I hate losin' 'bout as much as Genrou hates women."

"That's one more thing we have in common, then."

Ritsuka frowned. "Well I'm glad _you_ two enjoyed yourselves, but this puts us in a tough position. I had my money on Akai, and Tasuki had his on Koji. So who wins?"

"Me!" Tasuki announced greedily.

"How so?"

"'Cause Akai tied using Koji's weapon. So that'll be one silver piece, Red—" the seishi froze, head snapping up and eyes widening as a smooth, seductive voice resounded through his mind.

'_Kaji...'_

"Tasuki-chan, what's wrong? You okay? Hey if you want my money that bad then just take it."

'_Kaji... It's time.'_

"Tasuki-sama, is something the matter? T...Tasuki-sama?"

'_Choose wisely, Kaji. Your life may depend on it.'_

"Genrou! Genrou! Oi, GENROU!"

Someone grabbed at Tasuki's shoulders and shook him, knocking him out of his trance. He blinked and found himself staring into three concerned faces. Koji relaxed visibly at his friend's confused look, but didn't release his hold on Tasuki's shoulders just yet. The seishi squeezed his eyes shut, shaking his head from side to side. "What th' hell _was_ that...?" he murmured, bringing up a hand to rub at his temples.

"Tasuki-chan, are you all right?" Ritsuka asked anxiously. She coughed, looking away. "Not that I'm _worried_ about you or anything, but... You look like you just saw a ghost."

He stared at his three friends, almost as if through a haze. He shook his head again, trying to clear it of the words, as well as the strange image that had come with it. "So... so none of you heard it, then? That voice, an' that woman?" They shook their heads, looking about as perplexed as the seishi felt. "Then maybe I _did_ see a ghost. There... there was this woman... beautiful... terrifying... how can someone be so much of both at once?" He sighed and closed his eyes again, surprised at how vividly he could still remember those silver eyes and long blonde hair. "Too weird. She kept callin' out t'someone... what was th' name now? Aw, hell, I can't even think of it."

"Do you think it was a premonition of some kind, Tasuki-sama?" Akai asked, leaning so far forward she was almost nose to nose with the bandit. "Or maybe a call of some sorts from somebody in danger?"

The seishi shrugged off the strange feeling, laughing at Akai's suggestions. "Yeah, 'cause I'm suddenly th' Oracle of Suzaku, right? An' th' last time I checked only Chichiri c'd send me messages, an' _he_ never flashed me pictures of sexy women. Nah, it was prob'ly just some bad food I ate. I knew those dumplings didn't taste right this mornin'." He grinned and shrugged off Koji's hold, jerking a thumb towards the training ring's exit. "Anyway, I'm gettin' bored in here. Let's go see if we c'n find Chichiri an' Kiori, all right?"

Akai and Ritsuka accepted his answer and turned to go, chatting about the recent battle and potential upcoming fights. But Koji knew his friend much better than the two women did and he hung back a bit, eyeing Tasuki with open concern. "You _sure_ yer all right, Genrou? You look... I dunno, kinda different. Somethin' about yer eyes..."

'_Kaji, you have a legend to fulfill. Don't let petty emotions get in your way.'_

The seishi shook the voice away, laughing at his friend and attempting to cover his obvious confusion. "Don't worry so much Koji. If I say I'm fine then I'm fine, okay? It really wasn't anythin', I promise. You go on with th' girls, I'll be along in a sec."

Koji frowned. He didn't like that answer, and didn't believe it for a moment, but he had to accept it, for now. "Yeah, I guess yer right."

Once his friend had trotted out of hearing distance Tasuki heaved a sigh, rubbing at the side of his head and staring at the clear blue sky. "What _was_ that? I ain't goin' crazy, am I?" He waited for a moment, but naturally the heavens offered no answers to his puzzled question. The bandit shrugged and popped his back. "Ah, no use worryin' about nothin'. It musta just been stress're somethin'."

He turned to follow his friends, but that same vicious face flashed in front of him, grinning in a way that made him want to run into her arms and stab her in the throat all at the same time. _'Be ready... Kaji.'_

oOo

Sora crouched in front of Setsuka, head touched to the floor respectfully. Tsuki and Taiyou bowed beside to her, though they seemed much more relaxed than their female ally. Sora kept her eyes on the floor as she spoke, much too respectful to meet her mistress' powerful gaze. "You requested our presence, my Lady?" she asked solemnly.

Setsuka fingered the red gem on her neck. "Sora, my dear, I have a job for you and the Two. It is a terribly important mission, and you must do precisely what I tell you or I will be most disappointed."

"I live only to serve you," Sora murmured. She hesitated, then added, "If I may be so bold as to ask a question, my Lady, what is this task?"

The older woman's silver eyes glinted in the dim light of her chamber, and her mouth curled back into an excited smile. "We are going to fetch the seventh Element."

"The seventh Element? You mean Fire?" Sora asked, forgetting her place for a moment and bringing her head up to watch Setsuka's features. "The seven will finally be together?"

"Perhaps, perhaps." The Lady of Takkan smiled sweetly at the young Element, drawing her completely in with that charming gaze. "We are in a tricky position, my dear, and I cannot be assured that we will have a seven at all when this is over. If such a scenario occurs, then we must make certain that _no one_ possesses their seven warriors, and that is where you come in..."

oOo

Kiori listened breathlessly as Chichiri's story slowly unwound, paying attention to every detail with a passionate interest. The love of two teenagers, the covetous best friend, the heart-breaking discovery of treachery, the confrontation, and finally...

vVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVv

"Hikou...!"

The current tugged hard at the other man, threatening to rip him away from his friend at any second. "Houjun..." he rasped, inhaling river water as he did. His frightened eyes bled panic and betrayal. "Help..."

"It's okay, it's okay, Hikou... Hikou, I'll pull you up, I'll, I'll just..."

Their wide eyes met for a moment, holding nothing but remorse and terror at what had almost happened. Houjun tightened his grip on his companion's wrist and braced himself against the bank, ready to pull his friend to safety...

And then something slammed into the side of Houjun's head, ripping his face open and knocking him a few feet down the riverbank. Rolling waves of pain cascaded down the young man's face almost as quickly as the crimson sheet of blood did; his hand loosened its hold just slightly, forgetting its purpose for a split second...

...A split second that the river took to sweep the other young man downstream, one last call on his surprised lips: "Houju—!"

Houjun jerked his head up, pain forgotten as he watched his best friend, his childhood playmate, taken under by the fast-moving current. A cry tore its way from his lips, echoing down the stream that had robbed him of everything.

"HIKOU!"

vVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVv

Chichiri ran his thumb along his scar, remembering that night with vivid detail. Kiori sat for a moment, letting everything digest slowly. The story... everything about it was so terribly tragic that she would have thought it was nothing _but_ a story, if not for the faraway look of pain in the seishi's single eye.

"That was nine years ago," he said quietly. "And it still hurts. Not like it did at first, but... it'll always ache, a little, for as long as I remember it... and I'll never forget it. I don't _want_ to forget it. I keep my scar because of that. It's my reminder, so that every time I look in the mirror... that's why I wear this no da," he nodded towards the magical piece of cloth in his hand. "As much as it hurts, I don't want other people to have to share that pain. Maybe I'm a little ashamed of it too, even now. So I don't talk about it much, and I don't let people see it. If they knew of that dark side... well, they just don't, no da."

_'He understands,'_ Kiori thought suddenly, her heart pounding at the realization. _'He's the first person... the first person I've ever met to... he doesn't pity me, or hate me, or like Ritsuka just accept me... he knows. He knows everything. The pain, the guilt, the terrible emptiness...'_

"Chichiri," she began, but couldn't think of anything to add. The young woman watched him with wonder-filled eyes. It was the first time she'd ever seen the monk like this. He was so open, so vulnerable and strong and sad and hopeful all at once… it was like he was allowing her a glimpse into his soul. _'And that soul,' _she murmured inwardly, unable to take her eyes off of him, _'even with those sins, somehow... somehow it's the most – the most beautiful thing I've ever seen.' _Kiori wasn't sure what possessed her to do it, but without thinking she curled her fingers around his hand and gave it a small, reassuring squeeze.

For a long while they just sat there, hand-in-hand, with Kiori's head still resting lightly on his shoulder and his arm still wrapped comfortingly across her back, watching the trees sway on the horizon. Kiori closed her eyes halfway, surprised by the sudden feeling of extreme peace and comfort that had descended upon her. She thought she could sit like this forever, with the fields spread out before her and Chichiri by her side... and right at this moment, there was nothing in the world she wanted more than to do just that.

But then Chichiri's head jerked up, and his body tensed against her cheek. His hand dropped from hers, much to her disappointment, and he watched the horizon with a frown on his face. "Someone's coming."

Kiori followed his gaze. In a few moments she saw the outline of a small group of people marching their way. As they drew closer, she managed to distinguish a palanquin at the center of a troupe of green-and-white garbed Takkan soldiers. "Hm. Someone important's come to call."

Chichiri pressed his mask back into place and immediately became his usual, cheerful self. "We'd better get the others no da. I think they're out by the training rings."

The monk started to rise, but Kiori pressed a hand to his shoulder and stood instead. "I'll go ahead and get them," she volunteered. "I could use the exercise. I'll be back soon, okay?"

She trotted down the steps, sighing once her back was to Chichiri. She'd been enjoying their moment together so much that she couldn't help but mourn its abrupt end. Still, having the moment at all had been a welcome blessing for the young woman. She had bared her heart completely to her close companion, and in return had received a deeper understanding of her seishi companion, as well as an unusual, but somehow precious, bond with the smiling monk. They shared that guilt, that shame and hatred, and all of that pain. And they shared the strength to survive it, somehow. Kiori found a smile creeping onto her lips, though she wasn't sure why. Suddenly, she felt content and light-hearted. The young woman whistled Nakashima Mika's "Glamorous Sky" down the rest of the stairs, nearly running into her four Konan companions coming up. "Oh! There you are."

"And there you are," Ritsuka greeted somewhat cautiously. "Where, um... where've ya been?"

She pointed upwards. "On the wall with Chichiri. There are some Takkan soldiers coming this way, and someone pretty important is traveling with them this time. I came to find you. Lucky for me it didn't take too long, deshou?"

Ritsuka cocked an eyebrow at her friend. "You all right? You're awfully chipper for someone who this morning just wanted to be left alone."

"I'm fine. I really am, Ritsu," Kiori said with a shy smile. Was Ritsuka mistaken, or was the sadness that occupied that smile not quite so apparent anymore? The brunette grabbed her friend's hand, tugging her up the stairs and motioning for the others to follow suit. "Come on. I want to see who these people are."

Ritsuka, Akai and Kiori hurried up the stairs, speculating on the "important person's" arrival. Tasuki lagged back a bit, watching the top of the wall with a feeling of dread, though he couldn't explain why.

'_Be ready, Kaji.'_

"Kaji," he muttered under his breath, still trying to shake that persistent female speaker. "Who th' hell...?"

"Genrou?" Tasuki looked up to see Koji watching him with concern. "You been in yer own world since we left the ring. What's up? You c'n tell me, right?"

'_You don't need these friends, Kaji. They're inferior. I am coming to bring you into better company.'_

Tasuki smiled and chuckled, obeying the voice's command before he was even aware that it _was_ obedience. "You worry too much. Like some ol' mother 'r somethin'. If I say I'm fine—"

"Then yer fine," Koji finished with a sigh. "Whatever, I'll give up if that's what ya want. Let's head on up with the girls, see what them Takkan bastards want." The older bandit moved up the stairs, still glancing at Tasuki out of the corner of his eye as his friend plodded heavily after him. Koji bit his lip and faced forward again, determined not to look as concerned as he felt. _Something _was bothering Tasuki... something important, too... but what?

oOo

Setsuka watched Konan come into view through the silks that covered her palanquin's door, admiring the regal beauty of the nation's capital. About two score soldiers, including Shogun Hataku, flanked her on either side. Hataku kept pace with the right side of the palanquin and watched his Lady carefully, wondering with mixed feelings if those Konan Warriors might get an arrow in her head before the day was over. He fingered the sword at his waist, half-tempted to try the deed himself, but Tsuki slid forward and murmured in his ear, "Draw that weapon, Shogun-sama, and it will be the last thing you ever do."

Hataku allowed his hand to drop, glaring at the Element out of the corner of his eye. "So Setsuka-sama trusts me so little that she has to send her pets to keep an eye on me?" Tsuki said nothing, so the shogun snorted. "She's more paranoid than necessary, and you can tell her that if you like. It doesn't matter _how_ much I disagree with her, I have enough loyalty to remain at her side, and enough pride not to stab her in the back. Tell her that, too."

Tsuki shrugged. "Her Ladyship only requested that I watch your movements. I saw your hand reach for your sword, so I thought it best to intervene."

"Passing whims are different from concrete desires, Element-san."

"Passing whims _become_ concrete desires when no one awakens the daydreamer, Shogun-sama."

Hataku chuckled. "I like your logic, Element-san. It's a pity you're one of her pets. You would have made an excellent captain in my army."

The quiet Element bowed his head respectfully, silver bangs swishing against the side of his face as he drew back once again to his brother's side. "You are too generous, Shogun-sama."

Setsuka noted the muted conversation out of the corner of her eye, but decided not to comment on her shogun's hostile behavior. She had more important things to worry about, for the moment. The Lady of Takkan leaned towards the left of her palanquin, speaking quietly to the Element who walked by her side. "If I give you the signal, fire without a second thought. I have attempted to prepare him for this moment, but the enemy may have already tricked him into believing that _we_ are the villains in this war. If he remains faithful to Konan, then we _must_ sacrifice an Element. Do you understand, Sora?"

The young woman frowned, refusing to meet her mistress' eyes. "I suppose I do, my Lady."

"That's not the answer I want to hear."

"My apologies, Setsuka-sama. I understand the tactical advantages of killing him, but isn't there some way I could challenge him to a one-on-one duel, instead of shooting him when his guard is down? It would seem more... honorable, that way."

A small, motherly sigh escaped Setsuka's lips and she slipped a hand out of the silks, cupping Sora's face in her palm and drawing her close. "Oh, you innocent girl. I must apologize as well. I had forgotten about your sweet, naïve ideas of honor and dignity."

"Hataku-sama taught me that even total war is not an excuse for deceitful tactics. Is there something _wrong _with that lesson, my Lady?" Sora snapped a bit defensively, though she couldn't help but quaver under the gaze of those bright silver eyes.

"Of course not, my dear. In a normal situation, I would happily follow such codes and practices," she threw her will into her next words, pounding each one home with such power that Sora thought she might faint under the barrage of Setsuka's life force. "But remember, Sora: we are not dealing with a normal enemy. The Konan Warriors are vicious, and would not hesitate to use trickery against us. If you challenged Kaji to an 'honorable' duel, he would simply ignore your request, or perhaps his allies would ambush you during the fight. I cannot afford to have one of my loyal Elements die so vainly. This is the_ only way_, Sora. You know that now, do you not?"

Her eyes had almost glazed over under the force of her Lady's power, but she managed to squeak out a strained, "Hai, my Lady."

Setsuka dropped the girl's face and looked away. "Excellent. Please prepare yourself, my dear."

"Hai, my Lady." Sora clasped her hands together, watching as a small ball of blue light glowed in her palms. She furrowed her eyebrows and concentrated on the globe, mentally molding it until she held a long, steel-blue bow. She clasped it in one hand and jerked her other out in a vertical line, creating a shining arrow from a stream of ki. She held this gingerly between her fingers, lowering the bow and keeping the arrow knocked to the string.

"Beautiful," Setsuka complimented. "I trust that your aim will be true?"

"Of course, my Lady. Hataku-sama taught me how to hit the eye of a bird from more than ten horse-lengths away," Sora lowered eyes, heaving a tired sigh. "Hataku-sama taught me a lot of things about battles, though they aren't much use anymore, it seems."

Setsuka did not seem to hear the girl's remark. She reached a hand out of the curtain again, stroking Sora's braided hair affectionately. "You are such a skilled fighter. Next to Taiyou, you are my strongest Element, and even _he_ does not possess your level of raw talent. You will be my Palace Champion when this war is over, I can almost guarantee it." Her voice lowered to a dangerous growl, an unspoken warning echoing on her lips. "I have placed a great deal of trust in you, my dear. Do not fail me at such a crucial time."

Sora lowered her golden eyes to the ground, brushing a piece of midnight blue hair out of her face. "I will do all that is in my power to complete this task, my Lady."

"See that you do."

oOo

Hataku hailed the solitary monk atop the wall – the other warriors crouched below the rampart, Koji with one hand on the throwing knife he always kept in his belt. The shogun raised a hand in greeting, frowning at the staff in Chichiri's hand. "This is a peaceful meeting, Seishi-san. Please drop your weapon or there will be no discussion."

The seishi allowed his shakujou to lean against the wall, smiling a little at the shogun's ignorance. Did Hataku actually think Chichiri _needed_ the staff to fight? He leaned slightly against the wall, calling back to the older man in a clipped but polite tone, "All right then, Shogun-san, let's hear it no da."

He shook his head. "Not from me, Seishi-san. Setsuka-sama herself wishes to speak with you."

"I'm honored no da," Chichiri said, unable to hide the sarcasm in his words. "Is she going to come out to speak, or will we both have to shout?"

"Now, now, there is no reason for such unfriendliness," a voice reprimanded from the palanquin, somehow able to raise its tone without losing that smooth, sultry purr. The curtains swished outwards and the Lady of Takkan emerged from the silken cart, smoothing down her flowing white robes as she made her way towards the Konan Wall and her shogun. The three female warriors all breathed in awe at the Lady's sheer beauty; Koji whistled under his breath; and even Chichiri's eyebrows shot to the top of his head. Tasuki, far from marveling at the woman or even growling in disgust, felt every muscle in his body tighten and his breath catch in his throat. "It's Her," he whispered, though nobody seemed to hear him. Their attention was focused completely on the Lady of Takkan, who stepped gingerly forward as her shogun retreated with a bow.

She brushed a stray strand of blonde hair from her eyes and turned her attention back to Chichiri. "After all," she finished, smiling sweetly at the monk, "just because we are at war does not mean we cannot be _civilized_ enemies, do you not agree?"

The monk frowned. "What can we do for you, Setsuka-_san_?" he put special emphasis on the suffix, as if to remind Setsuka that she had not defeated Konan yet.

The Lady of Takkan's eyes flared at the deliberate act of disrespect, but she kept her body poised and calm as ever. She fingered her necklace absent-mindedly, glancing up at the monk through veiled lashes. "You are the one called Chichiri, correct?" He nodded, smiling wryly at the complete lack of a suffix. "There is nothing _you_ can do for me, I'm afraid."

"Then can I find someone who _can_ help you no da?" Chichiri inquired, a note of impatience in his cheerful voice.

"I wish to speak to the one you call Tasuki. I don't suppose he's around?"

"Say he ain't," Koji hissed, tugging hard at the monk's kesa. "I got a real bad feelin' about this, 'Chiri..."

Tasuki ignored his friend's words and stood, crossing his arms over his chest and trying to show a confidence that he didn't feel. "Yeah, I'm here. Whadda ya want?"

"Blunt one, aren't we Tasuki-san?" She fingered the red gem on her neck, grinning viciously. "Or, would it be more accurate for me to call you... Kaji?"

Akai looked at Chichiri, who had taken a crouched seat next to her. The pair exchanged glances, the warrior girl voicing their puzzled thoughts. "Kaji. Fire. The Element. But Chichiri-sama, what—?"

Tasuki's eyes widened. "That name..." he whispered. Louder, so she could hear, he shouted out rebelliously, "Huh, an' who th' hell is that? I don't know anyone by that name!"

"Is that so?" Setsuka's silver eyes met Tasuki's golden ones, penetrating deep into the amber spheres. "Oh, I believe you know him quite well, Kaji. Maybe you just don't realize it yet, or don't _want_ to realize it yet. Haven't you heard my calls? I have been preparing you for this moment all morning."

"That... that was _you_?" he demanded. The seishi tried to tear his gaze away but found it impossible. "Why d'you keep calling me Kaji? What th' hell does that have to do with anythin'?"

"You really don't know?" Setsuka chuckled sympathetically, careful to never once lose eye contact with the seishi bandit. "Ah, well, then let me explain it as plainly as possible. Kaji, you my boy are the seventh Element. Now don't give me that disbelieving look, I think you know, deep down, that it is true. How else do you explain the way those beautiful golden eyes of yours are glowing so brilliantly right now? I have come to take you back to where you belong, to the Takkan Palace and your _real_ allies, where you shall meet the other Elements and aid us in the fight against these so-called friends of yours."

Tasuki forced a laugh, even though his throat had almost closed from fear. "You... you gotta be kiddin' me! Like I'd ever turn on these guys!" _'Why can't I look _away_ from her?' _he cried inwardly, unable to wipe the note of doubt from his voice. "This is a waste-a my time. Get lost, my Lady!"

Setsuka grinned. Tasuki gasped. The Konan Warriors shot wide-eyed looks at one another, though only Ritsuka was brave enough to voice the source of their fears. "My Lady..."

The Lady of Takkan, sensing a victory, threw her life force into her next words and dove forward, pressing into Tasuki with all of her might. "Oh, dear, I don't believe you understand the situation, then. Perhaps I didn't word it right. You see, this isn't a matter of choice. You _are_ coming back with me to the palace, where you _will_ aid me in the fight against these pitiful excuses for Konan warriors. Your will is my will, my dear Element, and what I want is what you want. And I _want_ you at my side, fighting hand-in-hand with the other Elements. They are your real allies, not like this scum." Setsuka could feel something within the bandit pulling towards her, just slightly. She continued, voice a sultry purr to his ears. "You want to join me, Kaji. You want to leave this horrid city and fight for Takkan and your Lady. I know that you do, Kaji. _You _know that you do. Don't deny your instincts, my dear Element. This is simply destiny at work." Setsuka smirked, pressing hard against the red gem at her neck and pushing every once of her will into her next words. "In fact, as a show of good faith, I will give you a task right now. _Kill_ a Konan Warrior, as a prize for your Lady. Your will is my will, Kaji. So... _obey_."

On her final word something all but slammed into Tasuki's brain, jerking his entire body back under the impact, though his eyes still couldn't tear away from the Lady's intense gaze. The seishi's hands gripped the edge of the rampart so hard his knuckles turned white, desperate to remain in control while everything inside of him was screaming to just give in, to just _listen_ to that sweet voice that knew everything, that voice that only wanted to keep him safe and do everything right for everyone in the world. He couldn't do that, he _knew_ he couldn't do that, but every second he held that gaze longer he felt that he really didn't know anything at all... that perhaps it _had_ all been a lie, from the very beginning, and he should do what his mistress wished... that he should turn his tessen against Koji, Ritsuka, Chichiri...

"Th' silver pools," Koji whispered to himself. "Like th' rhyme said. Genrou's fightin' it, but..." He jerked his head in the other seishi's direction. "Oi, Chichiri!"

The monk turned his attention from the inner battle. "Hm?"

"Genrou can't swim. He'll drown if we don't do somethin'. Ya gotta try and bring him outta that trance!" He saw one of Tasuki's hands stray from the wall and towards his tessen. Was the Lady actually _winning_? "Hurry! He's fightin' too hard fer jus' our voices t'reach him! Yer the only one who c'n do it, now!"

Chichiri nodded, placing a hand to his seishi symbol. "This had better work no da."

The monk threw out his ki and dove into Tasuki's mind, surfacing just in time to hear Setsuka's own aura whisper across the darkness: _'That's right, Kaji, you're making the right decision.'_

A moment later Tasuki's confused voice echoed out of the void, sounding almost trancelike as it battled the Lady's powerful connection. _'But they... I mean, I _can't

'_Now now, Kaji, you must never question your Lady. That's rule number one. Listen, can you hear those foolish Konan Warriors shouting around you? They are calling out to you, using your false name. We should punish them for such lies, don't you agree? And they are not all so powerful, you know. The girl and that rugged man look like easy prey...'_

'_They do? But...'_

_'TASUKI!'_ Chichiri's desperate cry cut through Setsuka's purr like a whip. _'SNAP OUT OF IT NO DA!'_

Tasuki's ki gravitated towards the new speaker, much to Setsuka's dismay. _'That voice,' _he murmured, wracking his battered mind for an answer. _'I know that voice...'_

'_No, Kaji...'_

_'You've got to break free from her eyes!' _Chichiri pleaded, shoving back the Lady's voice as easily as a horse bats at a fly. _'I know you don't really want to turn on us no da! Quick, Tasuki! Snap her hold on you no da! You're stronger than that, I know you are! Hurry, Tasuki, and do it!'_

'_Tasuki...? That's right!'_ The uncertain note in the seishi's ki quickly switched to anger, pushing forward like a dam about to burst. _'My name isn't Kaji. My name was _never_ Kaji_. _I'm... I'm...' _

"Kill them!" Setsuka screamed, both aloud and within the bandit's mind. "They are not your true allies! I am your mistress, and you must obey my commands! _Kill them_, Kaji!"

"No..." The seishi brought his hands up to shield his eyes from the Lady's gaze, shaking his head back and forth like a man possessed. "No, no, NO!"

The bandit's crimson ki burst out around his body and in that moment Setsuka felt something snap forever between her and the seventh Element. Her eyes widened and she took two steps back, still grappling at the red gem but finding almost no connection left in the shining jewel. "He fought it..." she gasped, body trembling against the mental exertion. "He fought it and _won_?"

Tasuki threw his arms away from his face, whipping out his tessen and pointing it at the quivering Lady. "Get the _hell_ away from me you twisted, evil bitch!" he roared, life force blazing in a brilliant sheet around his body. "How dare you try t'turn me on my friends! I oughta roast you right now! Get outta my sight!"

The surrounding Konan Warriors breathed deep sighs of relief. Koji and Chichiri exchanged chibi victory signs.

Setsuka drew up to her full height, forcing herself to recover from the lost battle. She met Tasuki's eyes again, though this time neither felt a hold nor a pull on them. "The obedience link is truly broken forever," she murmured to herself. Louder, so the others could hear, she heaved a wistful sigh and flicked out a long lock of her hair. "Very well, then, if that's how you feel. That is, however, not the only reason I left my palace. I wish to extend a challenge to your and your allies."

"What kinda challenge?" Tasuki asked, regaining his composure just as fast. If Setsuka could pretend like nothing had happened, then so could he. Besides, he didn't want the others to think it had been such a close call. It was better that they not know about that weakness within him.

"A battle between a pair of my Elements. In one week, on the northern plains of Konan near Ryuusei Village at sunset. You may send out as many of your warriors as you deem necessary."

Tasuki looked instinctively towards Chichiri, who nodded. "All right, we accept. Anythin' else ya wanna waste our time on?"

"Nothing," Setsuka said sweetly. Her eyes glinted as she pinched the red gem on her neck. "My Elements will be waiting for your warriors. I expect that the remaining seishi will be there as well?"

"Remaining? What's that supposed ta—?"

Setsuka squeezed her fingers against the red gem, drawing power from within. Tasuki doubled over, unable to finish his sentence as he gasped for breath and fought against the lances of fire racing across his chest. Setsuka's other hand danced across her necklace as well, though this one landed on a dark blue jewel belonging to another young Element. _'Now, Sora!'_

Sora, hidden from view by a line of soldiers, strung an arrow to her bow and took aim for the seishi's head. She hesitated for a moment, watching the helpless bandit practically collapse against the rampart in pain, but Setsuka's voice tore through her skull once more, seething with impatience and fury. She couldn't disobey, now. Even more than honor, her life as an Element demanded obedience. Sora smiled sadly, watching as the other Konan Warriors leapt up around Tasuki, rushing to attend to their companion. "That won't do any good," she murmured, and let the arrow fly.

The seishi bandit glanced up just in time to see the barbed shaft sailing his direction, but something had paralyzed his entire body, and all he could do was brace himself for the inevitable impact, and hope that the aim might not be as perfect as it looked—

"Tasuki-chan!"

A soft body slammed into Tasuki's side, shoving him to the ground. The seishi opened his eyes to find Ritsuka perched on top of him, her face stretched tight with pain. She managed a crooked grin, sliding weakly off of the bandit's body and gripping her bleeding arm with one trembling hand. "Baka. Didn't that stupid gang of yours ever teach you how to duck?"

"Red!" Tasuki gritted his teeth, hatred for Setsuka burning in his golden eyes. He hopped up and pulled out his tessen, aiming straight for the Lady. "REKKA SHIN'EN!"

Setsuka's eyelashes flickered only briefly as the fire roared within a millimeter of her body before a hasty golden shield repelled the flames. She sighed in relief, touching the orange gem at her throat. _'That was a bit too close, Taiyou.'_

'_My apologies, Setsuka-sama.'_

She looked up at the enraged seishi, smiling sadly. "Tch, tch, such a temper. If you behave like this all the time, then perhaps it is best that you stay with these fools. Well, I suppose it's time that I make my exit. My Elements will await you on the plains in one week. Sayonara, Kaji."

Setsuka's three Elements materialized out of the crowd of soldiers, setting their hands against their mistress' shoulders. The air around them flickered, and in seconds they had disappeared back to the palace.

Tasuki ignored the Lady's abrupt departure and knelt down next to Ritsuka. "Damn, Red, they got ya good, didn't they? You okay? I'm real sorry 'bout that – ah, here, lemme help ya up..."

Ritsuka slapped his hand away, blue eyes narrowing fiercely. "I don't need your help or anyone else's! How many times do I have to tell you that, ahou?" She shoved herself to her feet, but couldn't hide the grimace that traced her features or the beads of sweat that lined her forehead. "I'm fine, okay? It's nothing that won't heal in time for the battle next week, anyway."

Koji smiled grimly, leaning against the wall and watching as the Takkan soldiers slowly marched back to their camp. "Looks like th' time's finally come then, na? Those Elements are showin' themselves, an' we're gonna have to take 'em out!"

"Think we can?" Kiori wondered, glancing up at the bandit leader.

"Know we can!" he responded. "C'mon, you think some half-wit Element c'n hold a straw t'my pal Genrou here, 'r our little monk? Hell, even Akai-chan c'd take one of 'em out, I bet!"

"Are you treating me like a kid again, Ko-Ko?"

"Dammit, is that nickname gonna haunt me forever? Ritsuka, I'm gonna have t'have a talk with you about all these li'l pet names yer tossin' out..."

"Oh, c'mon, can't the talk wait until later? I have a hole in my shoulder and a hungry in my stomach!"

"A hungry in yer stomach? Well, gods ferbid ya get one-a those. Back t'the palace ladies an' gents, first t'the kitchens an' then the infirmaries, at the wishes of our bravely wounded Ritsuka-sama."

"Damn right, at the orders your bravely wounded Ritsuka-sama! Hup to it, Ko-Ko!"

"That's right, Ko-Ko!"

"Oi, c'mon you two...!"

oOo

"_'Chichiri did not join in his companion's festivities, but instead kept his eye on the retreating Takkan soldiers. Despite the Warriors' light-hearted attitudes, they all knew that the hardest part of the war had only just begun. Could they keep the seven together this time, or would the Elements rip them apart again? "No," Chichiri murmured to himself, remembering what he and Tasuki had promised each other on the first day of the war: We lose no one._

_"'"And we won't," he silently swore. "No matter what that woman tries... I'll keep them safe. This time, I'll keep them safe."'_" Keisuke stretched, leaning back against the couch and flipping to the next page. "End Chapter Eleven."

* * *

**_Ye Olde Author's Free Chat: December 31, 2005; 12:18 AM_**

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, minna-san! (sings) _Should auld acquaintance be forgot..._

Aheheheh... speaking of which, would you mind forgetting my auld late chapter? This past month has been the true definition of chaos for me, and since I've been trying to work on RFS a bit as well, I had a hard time getting the edit for this finished. It probably would've taken even longer if I hadn't been so mild in my edits. I added some detail to the Koji/Akai fight scene, and some extra dialogue between Sora and Setsuka (Sora didn't really get a personality in the original, so I'm working on that this time around), but those are the only _major_ changes. As it was, the episode was still freaking _huge_. Now you see why I separated it where I did, huh:)

Soooo... what did you think? This is kind of the big ol' turning point episode, with secrets revealed and plot twists galore, not to mention the beginning of the Elements' battles with the Konan Warriors. Technically, this is the end of part one, but I like to pretend that it doesn't end until Episode Thirteen, after... but I can't tell you about that just yet! (insert evil laughter here)

**Character Profile – Yoh Houki (a.k.a. Dowager Empress Youtaikou)  
**(Even though she's a Watase character, not a whole lot is known about Houki, so I had to make up some things as I went along. I _did_ do my research, though, so everything is as accurate as I could possibly get it. Enjoy, minna!)  
Age: 21 (ish)  
Height: 5'5"  
Weight: 125 lbs  
Birthplace: Seirin Village in the Jusoh Prefecture, "southwest of the capital, a poor farming settlement of about 50 houses" (told you I did my research!)  
Birthday: June 1st (Gemini)  
Blood Type: A  
Hair: Purple and long. Like Nuriko, but more feminine.  
Eyes: Violet-pink  
Likes: Reading, poetry, playing with Boshin  
Dislikes: Magistrates (even though she plays at politics pretty well...)  
Favorite Food: Yams & strawberries  
Least Favorite Food: Sweet bean dumplings

Houki was an interesting character for me to play. On the one side, she had such a small part in the original that her personality was pretty flexible, but on the other side she _is_ Watase's character and if I get too flexible I'm liable to make some fans very angry. So I had to compromise, and with luck I did a pretty nice job of it. Admittedly, Houki can sometimes get the "Mitsukake treatment" in this group of seven, but I tried to give her as much playing time as possible without cutting out the antics of the four main characters and the other, more (ah-hem) "lively" Konan Warriors. All-in-all I think Houki is a fun challenge for me and, in the end, she really _does_ play a pivotal role in determining Konan's fate. I hope you enjoy watching as she grows and interacts with the other Warriors, and I doubly hope that I'm portraying Hotohori's lovely wife in a way that pleases my dearest readers.

Thanks to DDZ, Neko-chan, Amaya-san, Hurricanegurl, Alaia-chan, Chirikofan and Ayshia for reviewing! (Wow, I didn't realize that FY:NC was getting popular again 'till I almost rain out of breath listing the reviewers!). Hopefully I'll see you all in another month, but the next episode is a battle chapter, which means I'm gonna be adding a _ton_ of detail to the fight scenes. Ah well, I promise it'll be worth the wait, and I'll try to get it out as soon as humanly possible!

Happy Chrismahanukwanzakah!  
Your Authoress—Dee


	12. Episode Twelve: A New Challenge

**_Disclaimer_:** I still don't own Konan, Suzaku and all characters and seishi pertaining to them. Kiori and Ritsuka are and shall forever be mine, and that holds for all the other "originals" (you'll know 'em when they appear, trust me). Obviously the story is mine as well.

_**Rating:** _PG-13, for moderate language and violence.

* * *

**--Episode Twelve: A New Challenge--**

Keisuke glanced over at his companions, surprised to see that they still snoozed on the nearby sofa, utterly oblivious to the surprising events going on within the book. The college student grinned. "I can't wait to see their faces when I tell them how much they've missed. Then again, maybe I won't tell them at all... they'll just have to figure out that Tasuki's an Element all on their own." He frowned, turning his eyes back to the book in his hands, "And poor Kiori. So the rumors _were_ true... but at least she has Chichiri to look out for her..." Keisuke shook his head, flipping _The Universe Reawakened _open once more. "But it's no good just _talking _about it. Onwards and upwards, Keisuke! Let's see... _'Later that evening, after everyone had been treated to dinner, the seven Konan Warriors mapped out their battle plans...'_"

oOo

"Okay, we have a week to prepare no da," Chichiri began, setting his chin thoughtfully in his palms. "Now it goes without saying that Kiori and Houki will remain at the palace, and Ritsuka—"

"I'm going," she said stubbornly. "And nothing you, Houki-sama, or the Queen of England can say will stop me."

Akai frowned. "But Ritsuka-san, your arm—"

"What, this?" the college woman touched her bandaged shoulder gingerly. She winced in spite of herself, but managed to force a smile through the grimace. "C'mon, it's just a scratch, and I've got a week to let it heal. I'll be fine."

Kiori leaned back in her seat, cocking an eyebrow at her friend. "Really? That isn't what you said when I was bandaging it." She closed her eyes and scrunched up her nose, performing a passable impression of her redheaded friend. "Oooh ow Kiori! Not so hard with the wrapping! Owowowow, not alcohol, that's murder!" Kiori slapped a hand to her forehead, writhing against the invisible anguish. "Nooo, please, you're killing me! It's all over, everything's going black! Give Tasuki-chan a crack on the head for me, and you can have my Glay CDs! I die as a heroine in the hands of an evil nurse!" Kiori opened one eye, grinning mischievously. "Weren't those your _exact_ words?"

Ritsuka scowled and grumbled something rude into her teacup. Everyone chuckled at the flustered girl – everyone, that is, except Tasuki. The bandit seishi sat quietly at the end of the table, staring at his empty plate with a small, unreadable frown on his normally cheerful face. Chichiri shot the other seishi a concerned look – he'd been acting like this all evening – but decided not to say anything.

"Very well, then," Houki continued once the laughter had subsided. "I suppose that, despite her near-crippling injury, Ritsuka shall attend the battle. I suppose you will be joining her, Akai?"

The girl grinned. "Wild boars couldn't keep me away."

"Couldn't-a said it better myself," Koji agreed. "I ain't missin' a battle, 'specially since I'm the only one who ain't tasted a real fight yet."

"Three against two?" Kiori remarked. "That doesn't seem fair, does it?"

Koji frowned. "Hey, yer right." He glanced at the girl on his right. "Akai, you'd better stay behind."

"N-nani?" Akai fell out of her chair, but sprang right back up, pointing an accusing finger at the bandit's chest. "If you're so eager to make things 'fair,' then you stay behind!"

"But I gotta watch Ritsuka's back. She's talented, but these ain't jus' everyday fighters. We're up against _Elements_ here, y'know."

"All the more reason I should go along! The Holy Sword is bound to be helpful against their powers—"

"If yer gonna argue about this, then ya both might as well stay behind, 'cause I'm goin' too," Tasuki announced suddenly. He glanced up, managing a grin in Koji's direction. "I can't let Koji get ahead of me in th' body count, after all."

An awkward silence descended on the small table as the group exchanged wary looks. Houki cleared her throat nervously and flashed Tasuki a weak smile, but before she could voice her concerns Ritsuka's troubled – but much less discreet – voice broke the quiet. "Are you sure you wouldn't rather stay here, after what happened today? I mean, what if seeing those other Elements—"

Akai and Koji tackled her to the ground, but she'd already said enough. Tasuki's face clouded over, a mixed look of anger and hurt in his golden eyes. He stood and quickly left the room, slamming the door in his wake.

Ritsuka blinked. "What'd I say?"

Koji went against his own words about never hitting girls and slammed Ritsuka quite forcefully into the nearby wall. "Tactless idiot!"

Kiori sighed, frowning at the seishi's empty seat. "I knew that whole thing was a lot harder on him then he let on. Maybe someone should go talk to him, like..."

"I'm already out the door no da," Chichiri interrupted, standing and waving a dismissive hand at the rest of his companions. "After all, I'm the designated warrior-fetcher, ne?" Then he, too, vanished.

"...Uh, I was going to say Koji, but sure, Chichiri works too," Kiori finished.

Akai nodded at Koji, who was being chased around the room by a very angry, metal tray-wielding Ritsuka. "I'd say Koji-san's a little preoccupied as it is."

A resounding _bong!_ echoed through the dining room. Houki smiled slightly, placing a hand against her cheek. "Ritsuka certainly heals quickly. She slammed that tray into Koji's face as if her shoulder were perfectly fine. Quite amazing."

Akai and Kiori sweatdropped. "More like scary if ya ask me."

oOo

"Here."

Sora glanced up, blinking as she found the Shogun Hataku standing before her, a steaming cup of tea in his hands. "Oh," she murmured, accepting the drink with her free right hand. She currently had her left hand wrapped in thick cotton gauze, dangling limply in her lap. The girl blinked at the injury, then at the cup in her hands, almost as if in a daze.

"It isn't poison, you know," Hataku grumbled, taking a seat on the only chair in his small tent. He watched as Sora nodded somewhat, sipping at the liquid but barely even noticing the taste. The shogun stared hard at the young swordswoman through the shadows of the evening, trying to read her thoughts in the flickering lamplight. "So what did Setsuka-sama say to you?"

"That I lacked the discipline of a true soldier. That she was terribly disappointed in my hesitation. That victory would almost be in our grasp if I had only destroyed the Seventh Element. That I should take this lash," she lifted her injured hand weakly, "to remember my foolishness, and stay with the rest of the meaningless rabble of soldiers, if that is all I wished to become." Silence filled the tent for a few short moments, then, "Has she abandoned me?"

"I doubt it. You learn quickly, and your raw talent far exceeds that of the other Elements. She needs you, Sora-kun."

"But does she want me, after what happened...?"

Sora trailed off, still staring miserably at her new injury. Hataku sighed, scratching at his head. "Well then, if that answer isn't good enough, _I_ will need you, when this war's finished. Whether we win or lose, Sora-kun, a strong warrior like you will be vital to Takkan's future. Once you've grown up a bit, then—"

But the young Element's mind was far from Takkan's future. She met Hataku's eyes with her golden ones, searching desperately for an answer to her weaknesses. "Would _you_ have wavered, Hataku-sama? If you had seen Kaji up there – writhing, helpless – would you have hesitated to perform such an underhanded deed for her Ladyship?"

The Shogun's answer arrived with only a slight hesitation. "No. I'd have obeyed Setsuka-sama's orders, regardless of my personal feelings." Sora's entire body seemed to cave in on itself, but the Shogun added, "But I am _also_ not sixteen years old. And I certainly would have questioned Setsuka-sama's orders in advance." He rubbed pensively at the cross-shaped scar that laced his left cheek. "My relationship to the Lady of Takkan's is... _very_ different from yours, Sora-kun. My entire _life _is different from yours, so—"

She jerked her head back and forth fiercely, almost spilling her tea in the process. "Iie! That's not a good answer, Hataku-sama! My age can't be an excuse, nor can my relationship with Setsuka-sama! I live to serve her Ladyship; I can't let _anything_ get in the way of that! If I do... if I do... then I really _am_ just like any other soldier, just like part of this rabble, and I'm no good to you, or Setsuka-sama, or anybody!"

"That's a lie," Hataku snapped. The young Element's head whipped up at the remark. "I have never, in all my thirty years of living – in all my twelve years with this army – seen anyone as talented as you, Sora-kun. I have yet to see you reach your full potential. You have so far to go, and yet you've already become so much. And, considering I trained you from your first sword strikes until you defeated my strongest Captain, I think I have a say in what you are 'good' for, don't you agree?"

Sora stared at the shogun for several long moments, blinking steadily in the dim light. After a moment a small smile traced her darkened face, and she leaned down to take a quick sip of her tea. "Arigatou, Hataku-sama. I don't know if I ever told you that before. I owe you so much, Kaze and I both. I'll never forget when you saved us from that terrible orphanage, that place that was going to, to _sell_ to a pair of slave traders, _separate _us after we'd survived so much together, and how you took us back to the palace and turned us into real warriors, gave our insignificant lives meaning... I'll never be able to repay you, or Setsuka-sama. But I want to, you see. I really, _desperately _want to do just that. So I can't have her Ladyship just toss me so casually to the side. And I can't ever be simply a 'talented child.' I have to be more than that, Hataku-sama. I have to be perfection. For her sake... and for yours."

The Shogun scowled. "You don't need to do anything for _my_ sake, Sora-kun."

"But I still want to, Hataku-sama. I want to be worthy of your praise."

He flashed a crooked, sardonic smile. "That's the last thing you want, if you wish for Setsuka-sama's approval as well. I'm not exactly on her good side at the moment, you know."

The young Element nodded, sipping pensively at the steaming drink in her hands. "May I speak freely, Hataku-sama?"

"Have I ever encouraged you to do otherwise?"

Sora grinned at the remark, but her smile quickly turned into a concerned frown. "I'm worried about your relationship with Setsuka-sama. The two of you haven't been on good terms recently, have you?" The Shogun nodded. While he deeply distrusted most of Setsuka's 'pets,' his teacher-student relationship with Sora dated back almost two years, and he felt surprisingly at ease around the young, loyal girl. "That scares me, Hataku-sama. It scares me almost as much as the idea of being 'useless' to her Ladyship."

"And why is that? What Setsuka-sama and I fight over isn't anything _you_ need to worry about."

"No," Sora agreed, "I think it's something that all of _Takkan_ needs to worry about." The older man's eyebrows shot to the top of his head, but he didn't say anything. Sora took that as a sign to continue. "The deeper we get into this battle – and the closer we grow to victory... well, I know that Setsuka-sama is fighting for a righteous cause, but I sometimes worry that, the more we fight, the more she _becomes_ like the monsters we're trying to defeat. And that worries me, Hataku-sama. In fact it completely scares me. I don't _want_ the people of Konan to deal with the famines and deaths that Kaze and I had to go through. I don't _want_ their families to be slaughtered before their eyes when we take over, or their siblings to be ripped away and sold into slavery. I want it to be... I want it to be a peaceful transition, from a tyrant ruler to a kind one. Only I'm afraid it won't work out that way, not with how Setsuka-sama is behaving recently."

Hataku stood, scowling deeply at the young Element. "I agree with you, for what it's worth, but what does that have to do with _me_?"

Sora offered the Shogun a small, hopeful smile, and for the first time since her arrival she almost looked like a child again. "Because you're the only thing that can keep Setsuka-sama from losing her humanity. It's the same way with Kaze, you know – every time his ambition pulls him towards cruelty, I have to drag him back. The two of you have known each other for so long, and Setsuka-sama really cares about you. I think she'd do anything to destroy those feelings, but she can't, and that's what matters. When we've won Konan, Hataku-sama, it'll be you, Setsuka-sama's dearest friend, and _not_ Setsuka-sama herself that leads us into a peaceful future. That's what I think, anyway."

Hataku whirled away from the young Element, his cloak swirling out behind him as he moved to stand at the door of his tent. The stars outside twinkled brightly in the clear night sky, but the Shogun was staring at something much farther away than the tiny points of light. After a moment, he glanced back at Sora, that same grudging half-smile lighting his solemn features. "You're surprisingly sharp for a child, you know that, Sora-kun?"

She returned the half-smile, her face almost matching the Shogun's perfectly in the evening light. "It drives Kaze crazy, most of the time."

The air between the pair flickered, disrupting their peaceful moment. Tsuki appeared half a second later, ignoring Hataku and fixing his cold gaze on Sora. "Setsuka-sama says you may return to the palace." Sora's face lit up for a moment, but the brother cut her joy short. "She didn't expect you to receive so much sympathy in the Takkan Camp. It is hardly fitting for one who deserves punishment, she says."

The female Element stood, and her eyes met Hataku's for a short moment before she walked over to Tsuki, cupping his hand in her own. A flash of understanding passed between the two warriors, and somehow they both knew that they would not see each other again for a long, long time, but before Sora could even utter a "Sayonara" Tsuki closed his eyes and everything turned to darkness. When the young woman blinked again, she found herself standing in the hallway outside of her room.

"I must report to her Ladyship. I shall see you later," Tsuki remarked, heading towards the staircase. Sora frowned at the Element's back for a moment, then turned to retreat into her room as well, but Tsuki's quiet voice halted her progress. "I wouldn't get too close to the Shogun, if I were you. He is easily dispensable, and her Ladyship is looking for the perfect moment to do just that. He will not live through this war."

For the first time since her arrival at the Takkan Palace, Sora's eyes narrowed and her voice read honest contempt for the Element standing across from her. "Are those your words or your brother's?"

"Neither," he responded, turning his head just slightly to stare at her with his cold, emotionless eyes. "They belong to Setsuka-sama."

And then he disappeared, leaving Sora at the bottom of the stairs trembling, wide-eyed and somehow more frightened than she'd ever been in her life.

oOo

Chichiri found Tasuki not far from the dining area, leaning against a wooden banister and looking up at the night sky. The monk stood quietly next to him, following his gaze and waiting for his friend to speak.

"Tasuki... my constellation," the bandit finally said, nodding towards the faraway stars. "It means I was born as a Suzaku no seishi, sworn t'protect Konan and the Priestess." He rolled up his sleeve, staring hard at the faintly glowing symbol. "See, I got the mark t'prove it an' everythin'. I'm a Celestial Warrior, not some Elemental slave t'that woman. I'm _not_."

"I know, no da," Chichiri said.

"So why did I almost submit t'her, huh? I nearly joined her side, turned on you, Koji... everyone..." he clenched a fist angrily, Suzaku symbol pulsing in the dim light. "It was like... like some part-a me that I didn't know about tried t'take over. Some mindless desire t'follow that woman's every command, even if it was t'kill myself, even when it went against everythin' I believed..." the bandit slammed his fists against the railing, "an' I almost _did_ what she wanted!"

"But you didn't," Chichiri reminded him. "Because you _are_ a Suzaku shichiseishi, and a Konan Warrior too no da."

"That isn't why I beat her and you know it!" Tasuki snapped. "She had me roped, all she had t'do was pull me right in! Yer the one who snapped me out of it, reminded me who I was, really... Tasuki, Genrou, even Kou Shun'u... But not Kaji, _never_ Kaji..." Tasuki pounded his fist into the railing again, grinding his teeth in frustration. "What if ya hadn't been able t'reach me, huh? What if I'd turned on you an' the others an' done what she'd wanted?"

"But you didn't no da," Chichiri repeated.

"But what if I _had_?" he demanded again. The seishi bandit slumped dejectedly against the rail, staring hard at the ground. "What if I'd lost myself in that woman's eyes, in that mindless _want_ of hers an'... an'... an' jus' fergot about everything? Fergot that I was ever a seishi, that you guys were my real friends... what if it'd come down t'you an' me, fightin' t'the death! Did ya ever think-a that?"

"Then I suppose I would've had to kill you, because _I _wouldn't have forgotten, and I know that that's what you'd want me to do no da," Chichiri admitted softly. His hand reached out to grip at Tasuki's wrist. He held the arm up, facing the symbol inwards so his friend could see the faint strokes of his seishi mark. "But Tasuki, before you start condemning yourself, think about everything that's happened to you. You and I have seen so much this past year, more than most people ever will no da. Koji's been your friend since you were a kid. Even Ritsuka and the girls... are those the kinds of things you'd just throw away? Do you really think you would've switched sides _that_ easily no da?" Tasuki said nothing. Chichiri dropped his friend's wrist, but the seishi kept the arm up, eyes on his symbol. The monk shrugged. "I think I know you better than that, and I think you do too no da."

Tasuki nodded, though it seemed a bit reluctant. "I s'pose. But what if..."

"Well Tasuki, _if_ I hadn't confronted Hikou I'd still have two eyes, and _if_ Ashitare had never been born Nuriko would still be alive, and _if_ Yui hadn't allowed Suzaku to be summoned we'd both be dead, and _if_ you say the words 'what if' one more time you'll earn a staff to the head no da," Chichiri all but snapped.

Tasuki managed a faint grin. "Guess I can't argue with that." He heaved a tired sigh, pushing himself up from the guardrail. "Well, at least this way I'll never have t'find out if I'm really that weak... though I wonder if that's a good thing..."

"Maybe," Chichiri began, choosing his words with the utmost care. "Maybe you should stay here. Not because we're fighting the Elements," he added hastily, noting the fire building in Tasuki's eyes, "it's just, you seem pretty shaken up about all of this no da."

"I'm goin'," Tasuki said, and for a moment he sounded almost as stubborn as Ritsuka. "If only t'prove t'the others – Setsuka _and_ you guys – that I ain't one-a her pets." He paused for a moment, chin in hands, eyes turned upwards once more to the heavens. "Hey, Chichiri? I was thinkin'... what if – oh crap, I wasn't s'posed to say that," the monk held up his staff menacingly, but didn't strike his friend, "I mean, _d'you think that_, what Setsuka did t'me... d'you think she's doin' the same sorta thing to th' other Elements? Manipulatin' 'em, and usin' that power-a hers to get 'em t'fight? They are jus' kids, and that woman's pretty damn persuasive when she's got th' mind t'be..."

"She probably is no da," Chichiri agreed with an unhappy sigh.

"Unfortunately," a voice behind them remarked, "that doesn't change nothin'. We still gotta fight 'em, an' win, too. Even if they are jus' a buncha kids..." Koji walked up next to the two seishi, setting his hands behind his head and following their eyes to the nighttime sky. "Well, maybe we c'n try t'take prisoners."

"Where'd you come from?" Tasuki asked, blinking in surprise at the sudden appearance of his bandit comrade.

"Eh? Me? Oh..." Koji coughed and fumbled for an answer, rubbing at the back of his head. "Well, uh, I was jus' on my way t'bed an' I overheard ya, so I figgered I oughta, y'know..."

"Yer room's on th' other side of the palace," Tasuki reminded him, one eyebrow cocked in a silent question.

"Uh, ah-hem, well, I thought a little fresh air might... an' I, uh... okay, I was worried, so sue me!" Koji cried. He dove forward and grabbed Tasuki in a headlock to cover his embarrassment. "Gotta keep my eyes on my pal Genrou, don't I?"

Tasuki struggled in Koji's arms, choking against the tight hold. "Agh, y'won't have much to keep yer eyes on if ya strangle me first!"

Chichiri smiled – Koji always had a way of cheering up his bandit friend. The monk rubbed his hands together, smiling at the pair of brawling young men. "So, in a week we face our first two Elements no da. Ritsuka, Akai, Koji, Tasuki and I will be going; though, to be fair to the enemy, most of us should work as back-up..."

"Stay here," Tasuki said suddenly, freeing himself from Koji's grasp and turning to face the other seishi. "Chichiri, I think you oughta stay behind."

The monk stared at his friend, looking hurt, almost betrayed. "Tasuki, why—?"

"It's nothin' personal. In all honesty you could prob'ly take out both-a those Elements single-handed," Tasuki remarked, only partially lying to make his friend feel better. "But this could jus' be a diversion. What if th' real tough guys attack Konan while we're gone? Th' city'd be defenseless. One of us – a seishi, I mean – should stay behind, jus' in case."

Chichiri opened his mouth to suggest that Tasuki stay at the palace if he was that concerned, but saw the look in his friend's golden eyes. The seishi had something he needed to prove – something he had to show his friends, his enemies... and himself. The monk sighed and looked away, unable to hide the tiny frown on his smiling mask. "All right. If that's what you want no da."

Koji threw an arm around both his companions. "Hey, c'mon, cheer up Chichiri! You'll have a chance t'get an Element of yer own too! Remember, jus' like in th' rhyme! It said: 'A golden eye fer each—'" the bandit stopped short, realizing exactly what he'd said. Chichiri's eyebrows shot upwards, and both jerked their heads towards Tasuki, staring at the seishi bandit with rising, undisguised horror at the true meaning of those simple words.

Tasuki stiffened under Koji's arm, moaning softly. "Oh, no…" All the energy seemed to collapse out of his body and the bandit stumbled towards the railing, slumping over it and clasping his head in his hands. "'Chiri... Does that mean… does that mean that I'm…? That I'm gonna…?" he trailed off, leaving the awful ending for his comrades to finish.

Koji and Chichiri shot each other worried looks. The monk placed a surprisingly calm hand on his friend's shoulder. "I don't think it's what you think it is no da."

"How can't it be!" he cried, jerking his head up to meet his friends' eyes. Koji bit his lip, momentarily shocked by the amount of fear in Tasuki's normally tough features. "My death sentence is written right on that scroll, an' you say it ain't what I think it is?"

"Well, maybe not," Koji argued, regaining his composure and following Chichiri's line of thought. "When ya think about it, Kaji died when ya refused t'go with Setsuka. So technically, you already killed an Element."

"That's right no da," Chichiri agreed.

Tasuki stared back and forth between the two. "Ya really think so?" The pair grinned and nodded. They looked so certain it was hard for the bandit not to believe them. "Yeah. I hope yer right. No – I bet you _are_ right!" Tasuki flashed the pair a weak smile, gaining steam as the helpful half-truths refueled his confidence. "An' besides, jus' 'cause it's written on a scroll don't mean nothin', y'know? 'Cause it ain't like any of you guys're gonna sneak inta my room an' slip a knife b'tween my shoulders..." the bandit chuckled in spite of the nagging doubts at the back of his mind, "Well, 'cept maybe Red, but she's too loud t'sneak anywhere anyway."

As if on cue, a rowdy female voice all but roared across the courtyard, "Dammit Kiori, would you stop putting so much damn – ow – alcohol on my damn wound? I'm going to get – ow – drunk off the damn stuff through osmosis if you aren't careful, you little heathen – OW!"

The three young men burst into laughter, Tasuki the loudest of all.

"Listen, Tasuki, why don't you go get some rest no da?" Chichiri suggested once their chuckles had subsided. "It's been a tough day for everyone. Koji 'n' I will be along in a minute no da."

Tasuki flashed the pair a grin. "Yeah, all right. I'll see ya t'morrow." He rubbed at his arm, staring at the ground and looking thoroughly embarrassed. "Oh, an', uh... thanks, okay? You guys're th' best. I mean it."

"Damn straight we are!" Koji agreed, shoving his friend playfully. "Now get outta here, b'fore I sic the Dreaded Ritsuka Monster on you."

Tasuki turned, flashing the pair a parting wave before trotting out of sight. Koji waited until his friend was around the corner and out of hearing distance before he kicked the rail angrily, almost cracking it in half. "Ah, shit! Shit, shit, shit! Damn that legend, damn that woman, an' damn Genrou's involvement! If I had that Setsuka woman in front-a me right now I'd..." Koji ground his teeth together and kicked the rail again, ignoring the jar of pain it sent up his leg and the large fissure he left in the banister. He sighed. "Well, maybe our theory'll be right. Maybe Kaji's already dead..."

"Koji," Chichiri said suddenly, voice low and serious. "You have to promise me something no da."

The bandit co-leader glanced up, blinking, surprised by the seriousness in the monk's tone. "Uh, yeah?"

"Don't let him die. When you're out there fighting those Elements – no matter what happens – you can't let Tasuki die!" He drew a long breath, gripping the cracked wood in his hands and staring hard at the twinkling constellations of Suzaku. "I'm not losing another one. I won't."

oOo

Sunlight shimmered on the Takkan courtyard the next day, though the cheerful weather seemed to bounce right off of Kaze's tense shoulders. The youth stormed through the palace gardens, whacking at a bush in his way and receiving only a thorn for his troubles. He kicked at a nearby tree trunk, bursting through the foliage and making a beeline for the nearby training rings. He stomped his way through the doors, glaring at the few palace guards littering the small space. The men balked under the boy's ill-tempered gaze and quickly disappeared, leaving him alone with the remaining trio of Elements. "Have you _seen_ Sora?" Kaze snapped, glaring at each one in turn.

The brothers glanced idly at the youth, immune to his violent aura, but Mizu took a few cautious steps back, trying to make herself invisible against the nearby guard rail.

"You're perky this morning," Taiyou remarked dryly, ignoring the question. "Did someone ruffle your feathers again, little Element?"

"Stop bein' an asshole! Have you seen Sora 'r haven't ya?"

"Have not," Tsuki answered. "And if that is all you have to say, then please leave. Nii-san and I wish to train for our upcoming battle."

"I don't gotta do nothin', 'specially fer a girly-boy like you," Kaze all but snarled. He whipped his head around towards Mizu, who had almost reached the training ring's door. "Oi! Yer Setsuka's favorite! You heard about what she did t'Sora?" Mizu shook her head hard and made a dash for the exit, but Kaze sprinted quickly past the young girl, blocking her escape. His golden eyes penetrated deep into hers, filled with blind rage and betrayal, and it was all the young Element could do to keep from bursting into tears right there. "Don't act stupid. All of ya, stop playin' stupid! You know _damn _well what happened t'her, don't'cha? Only ya won't say nothin' 'cause yer too damn loyal t'that _bitch_!"

Silence filled the ring. Mizu took a few steps back, seeking out the older Elements for protection against Kaze's rage. The wind Element jerked his head from one to the other, waiting for some kind of response, but they only provided him with blank stares. "Fine then," he said, voice a low growl. "You wanna play dumb, then I'll _tell _ya where Sora is, an' I'll _tell_ ya what happened t'her." He paced quietly into the ring, forcing Mizu back until she was hiding behind Tsuki – for all the good his impassive presence might offer. He stalked around the three, practically spitting out his next words. "Last night, Setsuka took a knife from th' kitchens and sliced Sora's left hand open, front an' back. I ain't talkin' about some little warnin' whack either – it's deep. But hell, you've all seen it. You had t'be in Setsuka's throne room yesterday while Sora stood in front of us, bleedin' an' lookin' like she wanted t'die, while _that woman_ gave us a speech about Sora's mistake. 'This is what failure looks like,' she said, an' you all jus' stood there an' let her say it!"

"So did you," Tsuki murmured.

"Only 'cause I knew Sora didn't want me t'get in trouble 'cause-a her! She's always hated that... so I stood there, gettin' madder an' madder, an' wonderin' why no one else ever spoke up – an' then she sends Sora t'the Takkan camp, without givin' her a bandage fer her hand 'r nothin'! If it weren't fer Hataku she prob'ly woulda bled t'death, an' she _still _might never be able t'hold a bow again, 'r a sword in two hands, y'know, that's how bad it was..."

Taiyou swung his globe-tipped weapon over one shoulder, heaving a yawn. "Does this story have a point?"

Kaze whirled on the Element, whipping a knife from his belt and pointing it at Taiyou's chest. "You say another word, you sonofabitch, an' I'll kill you right now, you got that?"

The older Element's lips curled into a smirk. "You really think you could do that, Kaze? You, who couldn't even protect your little friend?"

"Shut up, damn you!"

"Taiyou-san, stop it," Mizu whispered.

But the Element was enjoying himself far too much to listen to anyone now. "You're just angry because you didn't have the courage to stand up for her when she needed you. You can't stand the way she looked at all of us, especially at you, practically _begging_ for someone to help her." Taiyou snorted. "As if that little failure has any right to seek pity from us. If she hadn't tainted herself with Hataku's foolish ideas of fairness, even against a cruel enemy like Konan, she might have amounted to something. Setsuka-sama offered her a wake-up call. She was _helping _her, you idiot. And if Sora doesn't listen to that lesson, then her Ladyship might as well just kill her, for all the use she'll be to us. I'll do it myself, when the time comes, if that is Setsuka-sama's wish."

"Please, Taiyou-san..."

"Shut _up_, I said, or I'll—!"

"No, you won't," Taiyou said. "You couldn't attack me. You're just like her, except that at least _Sora_ has talent. You, on the other hand, are merely a hotheaded brat with illusions of power that you can never obtain. Why else do you think you just walked past Sora this morning without trying to help her or even offer her a word of comfort, just staring at her as she scrubbed the main halls from top to bottom?" Kaze's eyes widened. Taiyou smirked. "Of _course_ I saw her, you idiot. Everyone in the palace must have by now. And of course I saw you, too. It's so amusing, watching friends betray one another, and then to hear them later, trying to _defend_ that betrayal—"

"STOP IT!" Mizu cried at the same time Kaze sprang forward, an enraged shout on his lips as he lunged for Taiyou's chest. His knife flashed in the spring sun, Tsuki's form flickered and disappeared, Mizu cupped her hands over her eyes and a blaze of golden light filled the training ring.

Mizu peered through her fingers, blinking back tears and staring at the scene before her. Taiyou stood, pinned against the wall but unharmed, surrounded by a thin golden aura. Kaze's knife sat wedged in the shield, barely half an inch from the older Element's heart, but Kaze himself lay on the ground, wheezing for breath. Tsuki stood above him, the blunt side of his staff pressed against Kaze's neck.

"I broke two of your ribs. Try that again and I will snap your neck," Tsuki said, true hatred blazing from his normally cool eyes. He glanced back up at his brother, releasing his hold on Kaze's throat. "Ani-ue, you're unhurt?"

For a moment open fear shone in Taiyou's face as he stared down at the Element who had nearly ended his life. Tsuki's voice seemed to bring him back to reality, and a moment later he smirked, plucking out the knife and allowing his shimmering barrier to vanish. "As if that runt could possibly hurt _me_. Come on, Tsuki, let's go out hunting for a while. We can't waste our time playing withtrash like this, not when we've got a battle in a week."

Tsuki nodded, turning to face Mizu and the exit. "Go to your room, little Element. And if you want the boy to live, do not tell Setsuka-sama about this. I did not kill him because he is our ally, but her Ladyship has the power to remove that status." His eyes slid towards Kaze, who attempted to rise to his feet. Mizu gasped as Taiyou aimed a vicious kick at Kaze's side, knocking him back to the ground with a muffled curse. Tsuki's eyes drifted back towards Mizu. "I cannot promise that my brother will show such restraint as I. Tell Sora to protect the boy, since he obviously cannot protect _her_." Kaze tried to rise one last time, and Taiyou's foot slammed into his side again, beating him down for good. "He cannot even protect himself."

Then the two brothers calmly strode out the training rings' doors, leaving Mizu alone with the gasping Kaze. The young girl stumbled over towards her injured ally, shaking her head sadly from side to side. "Oh Houjun..." she murmured, feeling another wave of tears about to attack, "if _we're_ supposed to be the good guys, what kind of people are _you_ living with, these days?"

oOo

"I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS!"

Kiori glanced up, blinking as Ritsuka stormed into the infirmary and slammed the door behind her. "Could you keep it down, please? Some of the people in here are actually _hurt_."

Ritsuka grabbed her friend by the arm, jerking her away from her patient and dragging her back towards the doorway. "Fine, then! Come with me, because there's _no way_ I could possibly keep quiet, not after _this_!"

"Kakashi-kun, could you—?" Kiori glanced pleadingly at a fellow volunteer, then back towards her patient. The young man managed a baffled nod before the college woman disappeared from the infirmary, practically carried off by her enraged friend.

Ritsuka didn't stop until she reached the girls' bedroom. She swung the doors open, closing them with another frame-rattling slam, threw Kiori onto the nearby bed and stomped across the room, flailing her uninjured arm and letting out a string of curses. "That _jerk_! That no-good, stuck-up, chauvinistic _jerk_!"

"What are we yelling about today?"

The redhead whirled on her friend, eyes ablaze, but Kiori just stared up at her patiently, waiting for an explanation. For some reason, that level-headed composure just irritated her more. "We're talking about what that jackass bandit did to us!"

"Tasuki or Koji?"

"Tasuki of course, though Koji agreed with him, he's a stupid man in the end, too!"

"And what did Tasuki 'do to us,' Ritsu?"

"Not to us, to me! To Akai! Ugh, if you could have _seen _the way she looked...!"

"I can't see _anything _right now, because _you_ aren't making any sense." Kiori sighed and stood, placing her hands firmly on her friend's shoulders. "Here, calm down. Take a breath, okay? Focus. Look at me... better now?" Ritsuka gulped in a few mouthfuls of air and nodded, though she looked like she was on the verge of exploding again. "Okay. Now." Kiori sat down once more, watching her companion with mild amusement. "From the beginning, please."

Ritsuka closed her eyes and clenched her fists. When she opened them again, a glimmer of control had returned to her quivering form. "So I was practicing for the big battle, right? 'Cause it's only a few days away? Anyway, Koji was showing me a few bandit tricks, and suddenly Akai bursts into the ring looking like the world's about to end. Naturally I figured Takkan had attacked or maybe someone had gotten sick or something, the poor kid was almost in tears, so I asked her what was wrong and... and..." she kicked at a nearby chair, spitting out her next words like they contained poison, "And it turns out that _that bandit_ told her that she and I were supposed to work as back-up while he and _Koji_ took care of the Elements! Me! And Akai, of all people, who could kick that jerk's ass in a swordfight, hands-down, no contest! But he wants the two of us to just sit back and watch the battle, like some kinda stupid _cheerleading_ squad, like a pair of helpless little _girls_...!"

"What did you do?"

"What do you _think_ I did? I went out, asked him—"

"Tasuki, right?"

"Yes, Tasuki, who else would I ask?"

"Well Koji was right there, so I figured you could've talked to him about it."

"No, he followed me to _that bandit_, and I asked him about it, and _he_ said it was true, and then _Koji_ said he _agreed_ with him! Said he didn't want us to get hurt—"

"Who said that?"

"Koji! You think _that bandit_ cares about me? He just wants to boost his own stupid man-ego! So he said it was true, and that he wanted to keep the battle fair, two-on-two and all, and Koji agreed with that too, and then I told him just what I thought about _that_, kicked him in the shins—"

"Who did you kick?"

"Tasuki, haven't you been listening!"

"I can't tell anymore, you refuse to use his name."

"He doesn't _deserve_ a name after this!"

"But Koji does?"

"It wasn't Koji's idea now, was it?"

"You wanna know what I think?"

"Yes! Please! What _do_ you think, Kiori?"

"I think you should ease up on Tasuki. You're too hard on him. He wants to keep us safe, all of us, just as much as Chichiri does. It isn't _his_ fault that he doesn't have any tact about it." Kiori stared up at her friend, fearless in the face of the redhead's fiery temper. "_And_ I think he's right."

Ritsuka jumped back like she'd been burned. "Wh... what?"

"I think Tasuki's right." Ritsuka opened her mouth to snap out a protest, but the brunette continued without hesitation, forcing her friend to revert to fuming silence. "It has nothing to do with your levels of talent. Akai's much more talented than Koji – in a few years she could probably give Tasuki a run for his money, even – and you have an excellent technique."

"You noticed?" Ritsuka puffed up a bit, grinning in spite of herself.

"Sure. My older sister played kendo in high school, and won some medals for it too. And you're a lot better than she was." Once again the redhead opened her mouth, and once again Kiori cut her off. "But that isn't the point. Regardless of how _good_ you are, neither of you have the experience. Tasuki's faced enemy seishi, demons, and half the Takkan army, and while Koji might not have _that _kind of track record, he has been dealing with life-or-death battles for the better part of his life. You and Akai have only been in a couple of real duels, and neither of you has ever gone up against anything like an Element. We don't know what sort of powers they'll have." Kiori looked down, biting her lip. "Personally, I wish you'd just stay back altogether. You're still hurt, you know, and I'll be... I mean, you're my friend. So I'm going to be really worried about you, while you're out there."

Ritsuka frowned. As usual, her anger wilted in the face of her friend's concern. "You don't have to worry about me," she murmured. "I know how to take care of myself. And it's not like I'm gonna do anything _stupid_. That's Tasuki's job, remember?" Kiori managed a frail chuckle. "Oh, c'mon Kiori, don't get depressed! Then _I'll_ get depressed, and the whole palace will start acting all sad! Look, my arm's fine, see?" She rotated it around to prove her point. "I'm strong enough to take care of things, okay? I really am. Can't _you_ at least have a little faith in me, even if those stupid bandits won't?"

The college woman glanced up again, smiling weakly. "I have faith in you, Ritsu. That doesn't mean I can't be scared to death for you. I'm scared to death for Tasuki-tachi, too."

"Well, they need it."

"Oh? And you don't?"

"I've already beaten Tasuki-chan, remember? Theoretically, that means I can survive anything."

"You _know_ that battle was a fluke."

"I'm sorry, did you say something? I couldn't hear you over the sound of the gods praising my awesomeness."

Kiori stood, shoving her friend playfully. "You are _so_ full of it!"

"Hey, hey! Careful who you're shoving, Kiori-chan – I'm a helpless little invalid, remember?"

oOo

The rest of the week passed tensely between the Konan Warriors. Words and household objects flew anytime Ritsuka and Tasuki crossed paths, though Koji and Kiori usually managed to drag their stubborn friends away before things turned _really_ dangerous. Akai lapsed into a sullen silence, and even Chichiri's kind words couldn't drag her from her three-day long pout. Koji found himself spending more and more time in the training rings and less and less time in his bed; Houki locked herself in with politicians in an attempt to forget the upcoming battle; Kiori poured over her math homework for the same reasons; and Chichiri paced the palace courtyards constantly, biting his tongue to keep from screaming out his frustrated helplessness. Somehow, though, they all managed to survive the next four days with fake smiles at dinner and faker smiles in the training rings, and before they knew it the day of the battle had arrived.

Chichiri, Kiori, Houki, and Akai's friend Aoi gathered together at the northern gate, ready to see their four companions off. Tasuki checked the location of the sun, which had just begun its descent into the horizon. "Well, it takes about twenty minutes on horseback t'get t'where they wanna fight. We oughta get there right at sundown."

"An' if not, there's nothin' wrong with bein' fashionably late," Koji remarked, trying to lighten the grim atmosphere that seemed to hang above the group.

Kiori looked up at her college friend, managing a tiny smile. "Good luck, Ritsuka, everyone. Hurry back."

Ritsuka flashed Kiori a grin and a thumbs-up, trying to act happier than she felt. "Twenty minutes out, ten minutes to finish the jerks off, twenty minutes back, and three hours celebrating in a Konan bar. I'll stagger home by midnight, just in time for the homecoming party!"

Koji let out a whoop of joy. "_Now_ yer speakin' my language, Rits'!"

Kiori and Aoi laughed in spite of themselves, and even Houki had to hide a grin behind her sleeve. Chichiri's mask was the only part of him smiling.

The monk clasped hands with Tasuki. "Ki o tsukete (Be careful) no da. Setsuka wouldn't have said we could send as many as we wanted against her two if they weren't powerful. If things get tough..."

"Relax, Chichiri, we'll take care-a everythin'," Tasuki assured him with a smirk. "An', if by some _slim_ chance we get inta trouble, I'll call y'right out."

Forced to accept that answer, Chichiri nodded. He glanced at Koji for a second – the bandit nodded confidently, gripping the hilt of his daggers to strengthen his earlier promise.

Akai mounted her horse, dancing her fingers along the scabbard of the Holy Sword at her waist and murmuring a small prayer for victory. Once she completed her ritual she glanced back up at the monk, pulling herself from her sulky mood long enough to say, "What's that saying of yours, Chichiri-sama? 'Everything will work out all right in the end'?" He nodded and Akai forced a smile. "Well, I'm sure it will! Tasuki-sama will let you know when the battle's over, so you won't have a worry in the world!"

"Good luck, Akai!" Aoi said. "Bring me back a souvenir!"

Akai chuckled at her friend's words, then seemed to remember that she was still glowering and scooted down on her horse, jerking her head to the side and frowning as hard as she could. Ritsuka shot Tasuki a death glare; the seishi bandit sighed, rubbing hard at the back of his head. "Well, I guess we oughta be headin' out. No sense in makin' those Elements wait any longer'n we have to."

"Take care," Houki said.

So they set off, kicking up small clouds of dust as they steered their horses towards the northern plains of Ikou. The remaining four companions waved at the quickly disappearing silhouettes, staring hard into the north until the warriors vanished against the horizon. Houki nodded resolutely. "I am sure they will be all right," she murmured. "Shall we return to the palace?"

Aoi turned to go, but Kiori kept her eyes on the monk at her side, who had barely moved since the group's departure. She turned to flash a tired smile at the Empress. "You two go on ahead. I'll be along in a minute." Houki returned the smile, following her young companion back into the safety of the palace. Kiori stared up at Chichiri for another long moment, following his masked gaze to the unseen battleground. The young woman touched a hand lightly to his arm. "You wanted to go pretty badly, didn't you?"

He nodded, eye still fixed on the spot where the group had vanished. "Not so much because I wanted to fight... it's just..."

"You're sort of like the seishi Onii-chan (Big Brother), aren't you?" Kiori interrupted. "You look after everyone, keep them safe. Only now, Tasuki's gone off to fight without you, and you're afraid something will happen to him and you won't be there to help. Am I right?"

"You're a very good judge of character no da."

"Heh, arigatou," she said with a small blush. "But listen, you shouldn't worry so much. Tasuki's been through a lot, right? I'm sure he can take care of himself."

"That's what we said about Nuriko and Hotohori," Chichiri whispered. Louder, he said, "It's not just Tasuki no da. Akai's still so young, and Ritsuka's never done this sort of thing before, and Koji can be pretty reckless sometimes..."

Kiori frowned. She reached out a hand to grab at his sleeve once more, but changed her mind at the last moment. "Chichiri..."

The monk gripped his staff tightly, eye narrowing behind his mask. _'Suzaku, keep them safe no da. And if you can't... let there be some way for _me_ to do the job.'_

oOo

Tasuki watched the two girls galloping ahead of him, frowning at their stiffened backs. "What is their _problem_?" he grumbled under his breath. "I jus' don't get it..."

"Maybe you ain't tryin' hard enough."

The seishi nearly jumped out of his saddle, whipping his head to the right to find Koji riding alongside him. Koji stared ahead at their companions with equally concerned eyes, though his held a note of understanding in their depths. Tasuki scowled. "I ain't the one not tryin' – it's _them_! Akai's barely said a word t'me since I told her, an' every time Red walks by she's gotta try t'get inta a fist fight – damn near broke my nose, th' little brat..."

"Well Genrou, how would you feel if someone told you that _you _couldn't get in a piece-a th' action against these Elements? That you had t'sit back an' watch yer friends do all the work?"

"I'd like t'see you try it!" Tasuki bellowed. He blinked and Koji grinned. The seishi looked away, pouting visibly. "Okay, I see yer point. But I'm jus' tryin' t'look out fer 'em. Don't they _get_ that?"

"Have you ever told 'em that?"

"Well no, but—"

"But women can read minds, huh?"

Tasuki heaved an exasperated sigh, glaring at his friend through narrowed eyes. "Why d'you always have t'make me look like such an idiot?"

Koji grinned. "Well, it's not like I gotta _try_ that hard..."

The seishi bandit snorted, shoving out with one hand and nearly knocking Koji off of his horse. Before the bandit leader could retaliate, Tasuki kicked his stallion into a faster gallop and rode up between the two female warriors. Akai looked at him for a brief moment before turning away, blinking hurriedly; Ritsuka didn't even grace him with a glance. Tasuki coughed, tugging awkwardly at his collar. "Hey, listen..."

"What? You gonna send us back to the palace now?" Ritsuka snapped. "Won't even let us frail little girls _see_ blood? Afraid we'll faint, or maybe get in the way?"

"Would you _stop_ that already?" Tasuki shouted right back. "I dunno where you get all these paranoid ideas, Red, but I ain't tryin' t'run a conspiracy against women! If anythin', they're runnin' one against _me_! I jus'... it's like..." he looked away, feeling incredibly awkward, "I dunno what those Elements're gonna be like, what kinda powers they'll have 'r nothin', an' I don't wanna throw you inta somethin' that even _Chichiri_ might have trouble handlin'. If it was up t'me, I'd-a made all _three_ of ya stay back, Koji too, an' 'Chiri an' I woulda taken care-a these kids, but there's no talkin' Koji out of a fight, an' _someone_ had t'stay back t'guard th' palace, so—"

"Tasuki-sama," Akai interrupted, voice barely audible over the whistle of the wind, "I understand what you're saying, I really do. And I've never – I don't _ever_ want to question your judgment. You're a seishi, after all, and I know that you'd never do anything unless you thought it was the very best thing, but – and I'm very sorry for saying this, Tasuki-sama, I really am, but I think you may have made a... small mistake."

"You're _wrong_!" Ritsuka translated, whipping her head around to meet the bandit glare for glare. "Just because Akai and I have less training doesn't mean we're useless! We _can_ help, and we _will_ help! If these Elements are as strong as you think they are then you're going to _need_ us, and you're going to regret your decision if you find yourself bleeding all over those plains without anyone to watch your back—!"

"That doesn't matter," Tasuki said, and his words had such force behind them that both girls fell silent. He glanced ahead, towards the battleground that drew nearer and nearer with every passing second. "That's why I decided that ya oughta come along, so that if Koji 'n' I _need_ help, we have it. But I don't really care if I wind up 'bleedin' all over those plains,' as you put it. So long as th' rest of ya make it back okay, that's what matters, y'know? So I gotta do whatever I can t'take care of ya. I don't care if yer mad at me. Ya can hate me forever as long as ya make it through this war alive. That's th' only thing I'm worried about, anymore."

Akai's face softened. "Tasuki-sama..."

"I don't need _anyone_ to take care of me," Ritsuka muttered, jerking her head away and glaring at the approaching Plains of Ikou. "Especially not _you_."

"Fine," Tasuki barked right back. "You don't gotta believe me. You just gotta listen t'me. Okay, Red?"

"Two figures approachin', dead ahead!" Koji called, riding forward to catch up with his friends. He glanced around at his trio of companions, grinning amiably. "Has everyone kissed an' made up now? 'Cause we've got some bigger fish t'fry now, an' I don't wanna have t'play referee t'my own pals while I got an Element at my throat."

Akai nodded, managing a tiny smile. "Hai, Koji-san, things are... better. I'm still not happy, but if it's what Tasuki-sama wants, then I'll respect that. I understand it, I guess. I'm sure Ritsuka does too."

The redhead stared ahead at the dim figures on the horizon, one hand clutched at her reins and the other at the hilt of her sword. She kept her voice calm and emotionless, but her narrowed eyes and tense form told a different, much more rebellious story. "Oh sure, I understand. I understand _perfectly_."

oOo

Tsuki stood atop the one small hill on the Plains of Ikou, shading his eyes against the western sunlight. "Dusk has nearly passed. Do you think they decided not to come?"

"According to Setsuka-sama," Taiyou said, leaning back in the soft spring grass, "our enemies are cruel, evil cowards. But they think we're just children – easy prey. They'll come."

Tsuki sat in silence for a moment, sharpening the edge of his weapon on a rock. "Ani-ue? May I ask a favor?" Taiyou glanced up, surprised to hear a request coming from his indifferent brother. "I'd like the seishi, the one we call Kaji, for my own."

Taiyou chuckled. "Going for the big boys, are we? Well, I don't suppose that would be much of a sacrifice on my part – just see that you make him suffer. He deserves it, after turning his back on us, his _real_ allies." He stroked the round, golden globe on the end of his staff, a bloodthirsty grin flitting across his hardened features. "Personally, I want that other seishi, the monk. I think he will be a good challenge, and his carcass will be quite a prize to give her Ladyship."

As the last shafts of sunlight began to slip below the horizon, Tsuki's sharp eyes picked out a few darkened figures riding from the south. "They have arrived. Four of them."

Taiyou stood up, squinting against the stinging rays. "Your eyes are a lot better than mine, Tsuki. Can you see who it is?"

As they drew closer, the younger brother spotted two flashes of bright red hair. He nodded, allowing a brief smile to cross his face. "Kaji is here, along with one of those women from the other world. And…" he paused, waiting for the travelers to draw closer. "Ah, I see. There is a dark-haired man, the bandit I believe. The one that Kaze met on the road."

Taiyou's eyes glinted with excitement. "And the fourth? It's the monk, right?"

Tsuki shook his head. "No, it's..." the Element's face stayed as emotionless as always, but his voice read mild surprise. "It's a girl. A child, no older than Tsuchi-kun if I'm not mistaken."

"Yer kiddin'!"

"Have I ever joked about anything in my life?"

Taiyou threw back his head and laughed. "Ha! Now I've seen everything! Do they _really _have such inflated egos? Sending some common thief, a child, a woman and only one seishi out to fight _us_? Tsuki, you may have Kaji all to yourself. I can squash those other three like ants!"

"Such arrogance is dangerous, Ani-ue," Tsuki murmured. "They would not have been chosen as warriors if they didn't know how to fight. We should be prepared for the worst."

His brother only laughed louder. The Konan Warriors stopped within twenty feet of the pair just as the moon began to appear in the night sky. Tasuki glanced over his shoulder at the rising crescent, turning back to the duo and grinning. "Sorry to keep ya waitin', but we got held up. Y'know how it is with all those blubberin' girls wavin' farewell. Still, better late than never, na?"

Taiyou smirked. "You're in unusually high spirits for someone who will not see the light of day." He shrugged, taking a few relaxed steps towards his enemies. "But then again I suppose you _should_ enjoy yourself, since you won't be doing much laughing after tonight."

"Well you won't be doing much of anything!" Ritsuka retorted irritably. "And if you keep up that cocky attitude, Element-san, you'll find my sword shoved right up your—"

"My name is Taiyou," he interrupted. "This is my brother Tsuki. And who might we have the pleasure of killing this evening?"

"Four Konan warriors who're gettin' tired of yer big head!" Koji snapped back, swinging down from his horse. He quickly counted the number of blades on his belt – three throwing knives, plus his pair of daggers – and wondered for a moment if he shouldn't have packed more. "But, if we _have_ t'do this th' traditional way..." he executed an overly elaborate bow, touching his forehead and sweeping an arm out towards his companions. "They call me Koji the Dashing, and these are my most esteemed companions, Ritsuka the Terrible, Akai the Destroyer, and Tasuki."

Akai blinked. "Wow Koji-san, I didn't know you could speak so... formally."

The bandit grinned, rubbing at the back of his head. "Aw, thanks! I grew up right outside th' capital, y'know! I jus' like th' mountain accent better 'cause it's got more color in it!"

Koji saw a flash of orange out of the corner of his eye and stepped to the side, narrowly missing Tasuki's swinging foot. The seishi bandit glared at his companion, shaking a fist in a mock threat. "How come everyone else gets a good title, an' I'm jus' Tasuki, huh?"

"Please, like a seishi _needs_ a title. Ya want me t'start callin' ya Genrou the Great 'r somethin'?"

"Well, yeah, actually!"

Taiyou sweatdropped. "_These_ are our enemies? They don't seem too... professional, do they?"

"Perhaps that's what they _want _us to think," Tsuki suggested. He held up his wicked, curved weapon – which, oddly enough, resembled the shape of the moon that evening. The Element's soft voice drifted across the clearing, interrupting the Konan Warriors' minor skirmish. "It's a pleasure to meet you, though introductions seem a bit useless, seeing as how one of our sides will not be leaving this field alive."

Akai glanced up, once again all business. "I was thinking the same thing," she remarked. "Your brother's got some sense, Taiyou. Let's skip the sharing session and move on to the fight, shall we?"

Taiyou chuckled. "So commanding for such a small girl. All right then, how shall we do this? Would you like to all take us on at once? I'm sure we'd be easy prey for you, that way."

"Four against two? That ain't how I work," Tasuki told him, stepping forward and resting a hand against his tessen. "We're lettin' our two _best_ fighters rest this one out. Koji 'n' I'll be takin' you on... oh, an' fer future reference, we ain't gonna be the ones dyin' today, buddy."

"I'm sick of talking," Ritsuka cut in, unsheathing her sword in one swift motion. Tasuki stared at her, but the redhead never once looked at him; her attention was focused completely on Taiyou's golden glare, and the rounded staff resting in his hand. "Let's get this battle underway. I think I'll start off with you, cocky brat!"

The college girl charged her opponent, sword cocked at the side of her head for a fast, skillful strike. Three Konan Warriors' voices cried out in protest – Tasuki's the loudest of all –

"Ritsuka-san!"

"What th' hell're ya doin'?"

"Dammit, Red, NO!"

–but the young woman didn't even seem to hear them. Ritsuka's voice rose in a battle cry and she jumped forward, sword raised above her head, ready to land a killing strike against the smirking Taiyou...

oOo

"'_...And, with a clash of steel and magic, the first battle between Element and Warrior began.'_" Keisuke stared at the rest of the page, completely blank, and almost screamed. "What? END CHAPTER TWELVE! Here?" he sighed, burying his head in the ancient book. "Dammit, and I was gonna take a _break_ after this chapter, too..."

* * *

**_Ye Olde Author Freechat: March 2, 2006; 11:15 PM_**

Ni-hao, minna-san!  
Yes, I know, I'm evil. I couldn't help it, though! The episode size was getting out of control (because I added a ton of scenes for the _purpose_ of splitting it, heheh), and I just had this great image in my head of this episode ending with one of those anime cell freeze shots, with Ritsuka leaping for Taiyou, the other Warriors standing behind her... I had to make it happen, or my muse would've beaten me up (again). So don't blame me. It's my muse's fault. ;)  
And my deepest apologies for the lateness of this chapter. 80-percent of this was _completely_ new, if that's any excuse, and Real Life has kind of attacked recently. I'll try to get the next one out a little quicker, but I don't want to make any promises that I can't keep.

**Character Profile – Yamada Akai  
**Age: 14  
Height: 5'2"  
Weight:102 lbs  
Birthplace: Tanigawa Village, in Konan  
Birthday: October 5th (Libra)  
Blood Type: O  
Hair: Violet; about chin-length with short bangs; keeps it back with a red scarf tied above her hairline.  
Eyes: Red-violet.  
Likes: Training, stories (especially "seishi tales"), & Aoi ;)  
Dislikes: Losing, people treating her like a kid, math  
Favorite Food: Potstickers  
Least Favorite Food: Tofu

Akai is an unusual character, because I can't really remember how I came to create her. FY:NC sprung up around a central scene (which appears in the next episode, actually) and I gradually developed a plot _around_ that scene. When I was writing it in my head, I realized that I needed an extra character, a "fighter," to help with the action. I started doodling a girl with a sword, and then I thought, "what if she wields Hotohori's Holy Sword," and suddenly Akai was born. She wound up being a very young character – especially considering that all the other Warriors are twenty and above – probably because I wanted to write for someone close to my age (I was fourteen at the time, y'know). I was on a "Slayers" kick when I started working on this fic, so I wound up modeling Akai off of Amelia quite a bit (especially the hero-worshipping part). As I kept writing she developed her own unique personality though, and became a surprisingly popular character (my content-editor Val-chan is positively in love with her). I hope that all of the new readers can grow to love Akai as well, and please cheer her on through her hardships along with the rest of the Konan Warriors!

Thanks to Alaia, InsanitySquirrel, Amaya-san, Burpy-Cookies, Ayshia and Hermione-the-mudblood for reviewing the last chapter! Wow, I love getting to list so many names... it makes me feel all fuzzy inside. Hopefully you're still around for this one too, because I love hearing from all of you! It keeps me going, on those long winter nights of editing and re-editing and re-writing and... well, you get the idea, heheh. I'll get the next episode out as soon as possible, so please hang onto that cliff for just a little longer!

Thanks! – Dee


	13. Episode Thirteen: A New Sacrifice

**_Disclaimer_:** I still don't own Konan, Suzaku and all characters and seishi pertaining to them. Kiori and Ritsuka are and shall forever be mine, and that holds for all the other "originals" (you'll know 'em when they appear, trust me). Obviously the story is mine as well.

_**Rating:**_ PG-13, for moderate language and violence.

**Ye Olde Preemptive Author's Note: May 30, 2006; 5:05 PM**  
Ni-hao, minna-san! And sorry for the delay. School attacked, and this chapter was too important for me to half-ass the edit. Hopefully it's worth the wait. No character profile or after-chapter author's note this time, but I did want to cover a few things before I got started.

**_The New Season: _**This chapter marks the end of 'Season One' of FY:NC (since this fanfic is supposed to play out like an anime after all). The next season will feature a few nifty, uh… features. The episode titles will change a bit (because I'm getting tired of "new" everything), and every chapter will have a 'next episode preview' at the end (this chapter does that as well, to give you an idea). Thank you all for sticking with me so far, and I hope you enjoy the second, more serious part of FY:NC just as much as you did the first part!

**_MUSIC!_** Because all battle chapters need music. So…  
**_For All Scenes Featuring the Battle… _**I recommend "Velvet Underworld" (from Weiss Kreuz), the instrumental guitar version of "For Real" (from Saiyuki), about half of the "LOTR: Return of the King" soundtrack, and the opening themes from Shaman King (such as "Over Soul" and "Northern Lights").  
**_For All Scenes Between Kiori & Chichiri… _**The Haibane Renmei soundtrack works fairly well. I'd also recommend "Sadame" (from the X anime) for the dream sequences.  
**_Oh, and… _**I've marked a place near the end of this chapter where you should play "Mizu-Kagami" (it's from Fushigi Yuugi, for those of you who don't know, you silly people). It'll help with the mood tremendously, so you should find a copy of the song someplace. It's fairly popular so it shouldn't be too tough to find.

You can find many of these delightful songs by searching the archives of bestanime . com. (And sorry for the spaces. It's the only way I can write HTML on this website).

And now, without further ado, I take you back to your regularly scheduled episode of "Fushigi Yuugi: The Next Chapter."

* * *

—**Episode Thirteen: A New Sacrifice—**

Keisuke flipped to the next page as quickly as he could move his hands. "Now, let's see how Ritsuka did against that guy… oh, it starts up _there_ instead, does it? Fine, then. Um… _'Meanwhile, far away from the battlefield and ignorant to the events occurring there, the Sky Element searched for her companions so that she might relay an important order from their Lady…'_"

oOo

Sora hurried down the stairs towards her room, feeling lighter than she'd felt in a week. "Kaze, Kaze!" she called, taking the steps two at a time. "Kaze, you're down here, aren't you? Setsuka-sama says that we all need to report to her chamber to watch Tsuki and Taiyou's battle – we'll be using Mizu-chan's crystals, of course – and she's allowed _me_ to come along as well! She's finally forgiven me! I can rejoin all of you, and—" Sora slipped open the door and stopped short, eyes widening in alarm. "Kaze!"

The Wind Element glanced up from where Tsuchi was currently binding his abdomen, wincing as the younger boy tugged on the bandages. "Oh, hey Sora. That's nice t'hear 'bout you. Tsuchi 'n' I'll be there in a second."

"What's going on? What _happened_ to you?"

"Tsuki 'n' I got a little carried away durin' trainin'," Kaze said with a shrug, refusing to meet Sora's searching gaze. "Nothin' t'worry 'bout. Tsuchi said it'll be fine in a couple-a weeks."

"Liar," she snapped. She glared at the younger Element, who flinched under her stare. "What did he do to himself? And _why_ didn't anyone tell me about this?"

"K...Kaze told me not to say anything," Tsuchi murmured, turning his attention back to his work. "And I don't know anything about it, Senpai. I really don't. Mizu-chan just brought him to me and said 'please help him,' so I did." He glanced up through his bangs, offering the flustered girl a small smile. "And Kaze's right. It's really not _too_ bad – just a few broken ribs. As long as he doesn't move around too much he should heal up just fine in a few weeks, especially after the medicines I've been mixing for him."

Sora whirled her accusing glare back on her friend. "Tsuki has excellent control – in a practice round, he would _never_ hit someone this hard. You provoked him, didn't you?" Kaze stared at the ground and shook his head. "You _did_! Oh, Kaze..."

"I didn't provoke _Tsuki_," he grumbled, rubbing at the bandages. "It was Taiyou. Tsuki jus' had t'stick up fer th' jerk, s'all. An' he deserved it, too, with th' things he was sayin' about you..."

Sora's golden eyes flared. Even Kaze shrunk back a little under that murderous glare. "Oh, the things he was saying about _me_? Then why couldn't _I_ have handled it, Kaze? Why did you need to fight a useless battle, antagonize your own _allies_, all for something that that fool Taiyou said – and he said it just to aggravate you, I'm sure! You are so—"

"He said you _deserved_ what Setsuka did ta you!" Kaze snapped, standing and nearly knocking Tsuchi over in his haste. "He said – he said ya were a failure, an' Setsuka was doin' ya a favor, punishin' you like that, and that none of us had any right t'try an' protect you..." the young Element paced the room, reliving his earlier anger with vivid clarity. "He's such a bastard, Sora! He's th' scum-a th' earth! He didn't deserve t'live after what he said, and I didn't want him to, I wasn't gonna let him do that to ya! I—"

Sora stormed over to her friend and slapped him hard across the face. Kaze stared at her, blinking, uncomprehending. The female Element lowered her hand, a calm fury flashing across her pale face. "Stop it, you idiot. Your job isn't to protect _me_. You don't serve _me_, remember? You serve Setsuka-sama, and no one else. Whatever decision Setsuka-sama makes is _always_ the right decision. We are bound to her until death." Sora held up her bandaged hand. "Taiyou was right. I _did_ fail, and failure cannot be tolerated, not from an Element, and especially not during a war. Setsuka-sama was merciful to me because she has faith in me. And I will _never_ betray that faith again."

"S-Sora..." Kaze touched a hand to his reddening cheek. "You can't _really_ be serious about all that? I mean, I know ya talk like Setsuka-sama's th' most important thing in yer life, but... but I didn't think ya really _meant_ all that stuff! When it comes right down to it, all we've ever really had is each other, right? An'... an' that's why that's th' most important thing. Right?"

"No, Kaze," Sora answered. "If Setsuka-sama gave the order, you would kill me in an instant. You might cry while you did it, and you might hate yourself for it afterwards, but you would still obey her. Our lives and desires belong solely to her Ladyship. You just don't realize it quite yet." The young woman glanced over her shoulder towards the frightened healer in the corner. "Come on, Tsuchi-kun, Kaze. Setsuka-sama is expecting us upstairs."

She turned back towards the door, but Kaze caught her wrist, jerking her sharply around. "Uso (That's a lie)!" he snarled, staring hard into her golden eyes, the eyes that so heavily resembled his own and all the other Elements. "I don't care what you 'r anyone else says, I'm not jus' gonna obey every one-a Setsuka's orders! If I hate what she says, then I ain't gonna do it! I won't! I'll do what I wanna do... I'll live my _own _life..."

Sora smiled, but there was no hope or cheer in that smile. Just a terrible sadness for what her friend still refused to understand. "Of course you will." She reached out her uninjured hand and set it lightly on his red cheek. "Listen, I'm sorry I hit you. I just hate the thought of you getting into trouble because of me. You're a better friend than I deserve."

"Nah, I really ain't. In the end I jus' got the hell beaten outta me by those two," Kaze grumbled, blushing under her touch. He glanced up at her through his white bangs, a tiny frown on his young face. "Hey, Sora? You wouldn't really kill me if Setsuka ordered ya to, would'ja?"

"Never," she lied.

"'Cause you 'n' me, even if we got nothin' else, we always got each other, right? An' that's th' one thing that won't ever change, right? You 'n' me, Sora. We'll look out fer each other. Forever."

"Sure, Kaze," she agreed, turning towards the door. "Let's go, okay? We don't want to miss any of the battle, and Setsuka-sama told me to hurry."

oOo

Ritsuka charged her opponent, sword raised in a skillful strike. Taiyou didn't even bother to move, but waited instead for the redhead to reach him, a small, arrogant smile on his young face. Ritsuka jumped forward and swung down, expecting to get her hit blocked by the boy's staff, but she never even touched him. A shimmering honey-yellow shield sprang up around the Element, halting Ritsuka's sword with a resounding _clang_!

The redhead's eyes widened. "What the hell!"

Taiyou sneered. "You didn't really think I was just your run-of-the-mill fighter, did you? I'm afraid it doesn't take much work to block a pitiful little attempt by that weed-cutter you call a weapon." Ritsuka jumped away from the shield and leveled her sword into a low defensive position at her hip, watching him warily. He raised his staff to chin level, the globe on the end glowing brightly. "Since you seem so hungry for blood, I'll give you the honor of becoming my first kill for the evening."

From across the field, Akai set a hand to her sword, biting her lip nervously. "What's he doing?"

"I dunno," Tasuki admitted. "But it kinda looks like when 'Chiri powers up for a ki blast, and…" the bandit's eyes widened. "Oh, shit." Koji and Akai looked to the seishi, but he had already taken off, a panicked, "Red, watch out!" ripping from his throat.

Taiyou fired. Ritsuka managed to dodge to the side just in time, though the heat from the blast singed the edge of her Konan-tailored pants. The redhead panted, watching as the Element readied himself for another blast.

"Dammit Red, get outta there!" Tasuki cried. He drew his tessen but never had a chance to unleash his favorite spell. A curved blade swung out of nowhere on a beeline for his neck, forcing the seishi bandit to screech to a halt, ducking to the ground and raising his tessen. The diamond weapon crashed against the blade and knocked it to the side, missing Tasuki's head by mere millimeters. The bandit regained his footing, whirling to face his new enemy. "Who—!"

Two pale golden eyes stared into his impassively, a wickedly curved scythe resting at his side. "I will be the one you fight today, Kaji."

Tasuki glared at the other Element. "My name is Tasuki, an' don't you ever ferget that!" He raised his tessen above his head, took a short step back, and shouted, "REKKA—"

The Moon Element disappeared, forcing Tasuki to stop mid-spell. The air hissed just slightly behind the seishi and he pivoted just in time to whip out his sword and block a strike from Tsuki, who had teleported directly behind the seishi. Steel struck steel, sending shockwaves up both fighter's arms. Tasuki growled and shoved the Element back a few paces, raising his tessen once more and attempting to utter the spell he knew so well. "REKKA SHIN'EN!"

The Element smiled coldly and disappeared once more, the flames missing him by a hairsbreadth. Tasuki knew it was coming _before_ he sensed it this time and jerked around to block another backwards hit, speed the only thing saving him from the merciless, wicked blade.

oOo

Akai's eyes darted back and forth between Ritsuka and Tasuki, taking in the two strange battles. _'Tasuki-sama will be fine, he can hold his own against anyone… Ritsuka-san, though…' _Akai gasped as the redhead narrowly escaped another ki-blast from the Sun Element. Ritsuka regained her footing in an instant and threw herself upon Taiyou again, but he merely batted her away with one of his shields and raised his staff, powering himself up for another strike. The redheaded woman backed away, panting visibly. _'Is she already getting tired?' _Akai thanked the stars that it took the Element a good ten seconds to power up for a shot – it gave her time to think and Ritsuka a chance to get her wind back.

"We gotta do _somethin'_!" Koji snapped at her side, gripping one of his throwing knives, his eyes shooting across the field in a fashion similar to Akai's own crimson gaze. "But _what_? Ordinary swords 'n' daggers don't work against that kid's shields."

Akai's eyes widened. "Ordinary swords won't work, but maybe..."

She gripped the handle of the Holy Sword, the sacred Suzaku weapon that had once belonged to Hotohori, and, for a short time, to Miaka, the Suzaku no Miko. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Tasuki battling with the other Element; they were fairly well-matched, but Akai's heart skipped a beat every time that boy reappeared behind Tasuki, his scythe raised for the kill.

"I can't stand around like this anymore!" Koji snapped. "Maybe it won't do no good, but I'm goin' down t'help Ritsu! Maybe—"

"Koji-san," Akai interrupted, the Holy Sword already an inch out of its sheath, "go give Tasuki-sama a hand, please? I'm gonna see what I can do about this Taiyou fellow."

"What? No way! Genrou c'n take care-a himself jus' fine, it's Ritsuka that—"

Akai whipped her head around, staring hard at the bandit with a commanding fire lighting up behind her eyes. "I have a plan. It's a long shot, but I think I might be able to do something against that guy's barriers. Do _you _have a plan against him?" The bandit glared at her for a moment, then looked away, defeated. Akai managed a tiny smile. "Don't pout, Koji-san. I've been doing it for a week now – and trust me, it's not much fun. Besides," she added, glancing towards the battling seishi, "I need to prove something to Tasuki-sama."

"Well, don't do anythin' stupid in th' process," Koji grumbled. "I wanna drink sake with _everyone_ when we get back t'the palace."

"I don't drink."

He drew one of his daggers and threw her a wink. "Then tonight'd be a good time t'start, na?"

Akai giggled, turning her eyes back to Taiyou, whom Ritsuka had just unsuccessfully charged. Her mind whirled as she took a step forward, trying to work out what was about to happen, when a quiet kansai accent stopped her. "Oi, Akai-chan?"

She glanced over her shoulder, surprised to find Koji watching her with a surprising amount of seriousness. "Yeah?"

"Be careful. An' hey… good luck, all right? Kick some ass."

She smiled, if only for a moment. "Finally treating me like an adult, huh?" he shrugged, returning the smile with his own. "I'll take care of myself, I promise. You do the same thing, Koji-san."

As the bandit leader turned and raced to Tasuki's aid, Akai went into action. She darted across the field and stepped up in front of Ritsuka, unsheathing her sword and pointing the blade at Taiyou. The Element cocked an eyebrow, swinging his staff up over his shoulder and eyeing the two girls with vicious amusement. "How boring. I'm given a child and a woman to battle? You're insulting me."

"If you think… we're helpless girls… then you got another thing coming!" Ritsuka growled between her panting breaths. The redhead's chest heaved as she shot a sideways glance at the warrior girl. "Got any bright ideas?"

"Just one," Akai murmured, then turned her attention back to Taiyou. "You should never underestimate your opponents, _especially_ when you give the seishi to your brother." Her eyes darted towards the other battle, pleased to see Koji hovering at the edge, respectfully staying out of Tasuki's fight but willing to intercede at a moment's notice. "Not tough enough to handle him, huh?"

Taiyou's eyes narrowed, and he gripped the staff in both hands once more. "Children should be seen and not heard!"

"Ha! Two years ago you were still suckin' on a bottle yourself, Sunny!"

The Element's amusement deserted him altogether. He scowled, pointing the glowing tip of his weapon straight at Akai's chest. "You know, my original plan wasn't to kill little girls. But in the case of a brat like you, I think I can make an exception."

"I'm _trembling_," Akai said sarcastically. _'Perfect,' _she murmured inwardly. _'He's not even _looking_ at Ritsuka-san anymore. This just might be our chance.'_ She gripped the Holy Sword tightly, crouching into a fighter's stance and muttering orders to the redhead out of the corner of her mouth. "Ritsuka-san, sneak around behind him. I'm going to try a little, um… sword trick on this guy, and while he's busy blocking my attack he might not focus his shield on his back. Maybe you can sneak in and get a hit."

"That's kinda cheap," Ritsuka remarked.

"So are shields that block weapons," Akai shot right back.

"Hey, I didn't say I didn't _like_ the plan," Ritsuka said with a tired smile. She began edging her way around the Element, keeping a wary eye on him at all times, but he barely seemed to notice. The end of his staff flared brightly, he uttered a few short, guttural words under his breath, then sent the life force blast careening directly at Akai. The Palace Warrior didn't even bother to dodge, but instead pointed her sword at the orange ball of energy, digging her feet into the ground as the powerful ki-blast flew across the clearing and straight into her sword.

Akai's hands burned as the raw power filled her weapon, sending little sparks of fire licking up the handle to tickle at her palms. The warrior girl gritted her teeth, bit back the pain and immense power running up and down the blade, and slashed forward with her sword, sending the energy blast straight back at Taiyou.

The Element's eyes widened. He threw up a hasty shield, breathing a sigh of relief as the heat from the ricocheted attack singed his hair but didn't quite manage to harm him. He didn't see or even sense the redheaded fighter charge him from behind until the last second. Taiyou felt the point of a sword dig into his back – instinctively he curled his body inwards and threw his power out in all directions, sending Ritsuka tumbling head over heels several yards away from him.

Akai dashed to her friend's side, offering her a hand up. "Are you all right, Ritsuka-san?"

She ignored the hand, standing shakily. "Yeah, I'm fine. Heh, even nicked the little brat, though it was only a scratch." She grinned up at her friend, open astonishment written across her face. "Akai, that thing you did, with the sword! It was amazing! I had no idea you could do that!"

"Yeah. Neither did I," Akai said sweetly.

Ritsuka face-vaulted. "Suicidal idiot!"

The duo looked up just in time to see a ki blast heading their way – they jumped out of the way not a moment too soon. Taiyou glared at them, golden eyes blazing almost as strongly as the yellow-orange life force surrounding his body. "You will pay for that cheap trick, Konan Warriors! At first, my intent was just to kill you. But now... oh, now I am going to make you _suffer_!"

oOo

Setsuka watched the battle from her throne room, the four other Elements viewing it as well through Mizu's seeing-crystal. Setsuka smiled, pleasantly surprised by the battle pairings. "I send out the brothers, and they only bring one seishi? I must admit I'm shocked."

"H…hai, my Lady. It would have been much smarter to send out their strongest warriors first, as we did," Sora agreed timidly. When Setsuka nodded her approval, the young Element felt as if a door that had slammed shut between them had finally opened again. She relaxed and added, "Perhaps I _should_ have headed a direct attack on Konan, Setsuka-sama—"

"Perhaps... and perhaps you could have killed Kaji right," Setsuka said in a low, dangerous purr. "Just because I have allowed you to return to the Elements does not mean I have forgotten your mistakes. You are lucky that you were only mildly punished for your failure; do not provoke me by hinting that I made an incorrect move in this war, my dear."

Sora looked down at her tightly bandaged hand. "I… I would never do such a thing, Setsuka-sama." She clenched both of her fists, closing her eyes tightly to block out the pitying glances from her companions "That was not my intent, I assure you! Your will is my will, my Lady, as it always will be. I apologize if I suggested otherwise."

"Mm… apology accepted."

The Sky Element felt someone touching her hand. She opened her eyes again to see Tsuchi smoothing down the bandages. When their eyes met, he offered her a weak smile. "I hope that salve I made is helping," he murmured. Sora nodded and his young, innocent smile widened. "That's good to know. I put a lot of my power into it – with luck it'll heal as good as new in a few days or so."

Kaze shushed him. If he had heard any of the conversation, he didn't let it show. Instead, he watched the battle with excited golden eyes, clenching and unclenching his fists at his sides. "Man oh man, what I wouldn't give t'be down there givin' those four a whippin' they wouldn't ferget..."

"Silence, Kaze," Setsuka said irritably. "You must learn the value of patience." The rebellious, battle-hungry boy scowled and looked away, but didn't dare argue. Her Ladyship actually chuckled softly. "This is quite a stroke of luck for us, wouldn't you agree, Mizu-chan?"

"Hai, my Lady," the girl agreed, breathing a sigh of relief. _'Thank the gods you stayed out of this, Houjun. If something were to happen to you at the hands of one of the people I call allies, well... well, I just won't think about that.'_ "It's definitely one of the best things that's happened so far."

Setsuka misunderstood her young Element's relief and nodded. "Indeed, and it will be the first event in a string of victories that will win this war for me – for all of Takkan, I mean to say."

oOo

Kiori wandered about the palace grounds aimlessly – or at least, she told herself she wasn't going anywhere in particular – looking for something to do and trying to keep her mind off of her friends in battle. After nearly ten minutes of hemming and hawing near Chichiri's room, she finally admitted that she'd been going to see him from day one and knocked on his door.

"Come in no da," a familiar, friendly voice said from the other side.

She slid the door open, just barely able to make out the monk in the almost complete darkness of his room. Kiori closed the door behind her, squinting through the shadows. She saw Chichiri sitting on his cloak in the middle of the room, cross-legged. A few scrolls lay scattered about his small sitting space, and a single candle on the nightstand served as his only source of light. He smiled at her through the shadows, gesturing towards the nearby bed. "Have a seat no da."

Kiori glanced around the room, sweatdropping a bit. "Actually… I'm sorry. I'm interrupting something, aren't I? I can leave, if you need me to."

"Oh, no, it's nothing," he assured her with another smile, the sort of smile that always put her at ease, for whatever reason. "I was doing some research, but I gave up on that a few minutes ago no da."

"Research?" Kiori's eyes lit up curiously, and she stepped across the threshold. "About the Elements?"

He nodded, watching as the young woman picked up a scroll and took a seat beside him on the floor. "After seeing Setsuka, I thought I might have an idea." Noticing her excited look, he held up his hands in defense. "I didn't really find anything, though. Sorry no da."

"What was your idea? Maybe I can help you look."

"Setsuka's hair no da," he explained, placing his chin in his hands and staring into the darkness ahead of him. "That golden-blonde color is only found in one tribe in this area. Nakago's tribe, no da."

Kiori frowned. "But I thought they were all killed."

"It was generally considered genocide, but, as with any massacre, there were survivors no da," Chichiri explained. "Tribes were able to sneak people across borders, oftentimes with the help of citizens. I know for a fact that a lot of people in Konan gladly helped the refugees escape from Kutou no da. Seeing Setsuka, I thought there was a chance that she – well, probably not she herself, but at least one of her parents – was from that tribe."

"But what good does knowing that do for us?" Kiori asked. She blushed a bit in the darkness. "Sorry if I'm asking stupid questions. I guess I'm not much help."

"It's fine no da. You aren't from around here," he assured her, still staring into that blankness before him as if expecting the answer to appear from the shadows. "What I _thought_ was that… well, Nakago's tribe worshipped a demon god called Tenkou."

"And you think _he_ might be the source of the Elements' powers?" Kiori finished hopefully. When Chichiri nodded, she grinned and patted him on the shoulder. "Hey, nice work Chichiri! I don't think I ever would've made that connection!"

"There's no proof though no da," he murmured. "Trust me, I looked," he gestured to the scrolls littering the room, and Kiori couldn't help but giggle. "And besides, there's a big problem with it no da."

"Mm?"

"Tenkou was a false god. A false god that, thanks to Miaka and Taka, was destroyed almost a year ago."

Kiori sighed, mirroring Chichiri as she set her chin in her hands. "I hadn't thought about that." The young woman chewed on her lip for a moment, turning an idea over in her head. "But what if… what if he managed to leave some remnant of his power behind? I mean, the Elements would've been born before he was destroyed, and if he was as strong as you said he was... or is that not possible?"

"It's possible… probably no da," Chichiri agreed. "But to do that, Tenkou would need some kind of medium to use to harness his power, something that would still give the Elements their strength even after he'd died. I don't know what that would be and, like I said before, the Konan histories aren't very helpful. Short of sneaking inside the Takkan palace and asking Setsuka about the Elements and her involvement with them, I don't think there's any way we'll know for sure no da."

"Which makes this a lot harder for all of us, 'cause there's no way to attack the problem at its source," Kiori concluded, heaving another, harder sigh. "So Ritsuka-tachi are just going to have to beat those Elements, I guess." Chichiri said nothing. Kiori smiled. "Well, I'm sure they'll be just fine! It's not like Tasuki can't handle anything that comes his way, and the others are pretty tough, too." Only silence greeted her. The young woman glanced to the nearby candle, noticing a stick of incense glowing beside it. "What's all that for? Do you need to be so relaxed when you're researching?"

"Not really no da. Like I said, I gave up on the research. Now I'm just trying to relieve some stress no da," he murmured.

Kiori leaned back against the monk's bed, breathing in the sweet, soothing odor of the incense. "Mm, this _is_ relaxing. Even the thought of my math exam doesn't worry me right now."

Chichiri sighed. "I wish it would work that easily on me no da."

The college student bit her lip, frowning at the unusually glum seishi, but forced cheerfulness into her voice and said, "So, how do you relieve stress, hm? Junk food binge, rock music on full blast – oh, wait, you don't have that I guess – go out and get completely smashed? I wouldn't recommend that one, but some people..."

"I meditate no da," he replied shortly.

"Now there's one I've never heard before," she said, trying a chuckle that didn't quite sound genuine. "That must be the monk in you, right?"

"It helps clear your mind, keep things collected, orderly," Chichiri explained. He sighed. "Or at least, it's _supposed_ to. I can't seem to focus today no da..."

Kiori didn't say anything for a moment. Then, quietly, she said, "You must be _really _worried about Tasuki and the others, huh?"

"So are you no da."

She flashed him a crooked smile. "Was it that obvious?" Kiori's grin slipped into a frown, and she seemed on the verge of saying something, but at the last moment she glanced towards the window, and the cheerfulness pushed its way back into her voice. "But I still have faith in them. Tasuki is so strong, and Ritsuka and Akai have a lot of talent, and even though I haven't known Koji for very long I can tell that he can take care of himself, too. So I'm trying not to worry too much."

"It isn't that I don't have faith in them no da. It's just…" Chichiri stared at the ground. "How do I explain this? It's not _just_ about them no da. It's like... this new group of seven, fighting an enemy group of seven with unknown, possibly dangerous abilities... I don't know, it just brings back a lot of memories, I suppose... and not all of those memories are good ones no da. I can't stand the thought of losing another seishi, another friend..." he chuckled humorlessly. "Gomen. I guess it's a little selfish of me no da."

"Selfish?" Kiori whipped her head around to stare at him. "Chichiri, wanting to keep your friends safe is about the most unselfish thing I've ever heard in my life! Even if it's partly because you don't want to get hurt, you still care about them, don't you?"

"Of course no da."

"Then what you're saying, and what you're wanting to do, it's… it's noble, Chichiri. It's about the noblest thing I think I've ever heard, really." She looked down, smiling wryly. "Trust me, that's not selfish. _I _know selfish. At least you're thinking about other people. You're _always _thinking about other people." She chuckled, though there wasn't any humor in the action. "Sorry if I sound bitter. I think I'm a little jealous of you, sometimes."

Chichiri frowned and reached out, searching for her hand in the darkness, but couldn't seem to find it. "Kiori, you're not—"

"Do you think you could teach me how to meditate?" she interrupted, smiling once again, forcing all that brightness into a voice that seemed so soaked with sorrow. "It sounds like it'd be a great skill to have, if only to help me calm down when I get worked up about something."

The monk stared at her, trying to comprehend the sudden change in topic. After a moment he nodded, returning the smile, though he couldn't keep the tinge of sympathy out of his voice. Some scars just needed to heal on their own. Perhaps this was one of those scars. "No problem no da! It's really not as hard as it seems – just listen to what I say and you'll catch on pretty quick. Okay, first I want you to try to clear your mind, just think of absolutely nothing no da. Or, if you have to think of something, make it the most relaxing thing you know. All right, now just breathe when I say no da. Breathe in, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven... hold it, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven..."

oOo

The four Konan warriors were very quickly finding themselves in a lot of trouble. Akai kept up her act of absorbing and attacking, but it never seemed to do any good – Taiyou simply blocked her blasts and unleashed another deadly shot of his own, beginning the game anew. Blisters had already begun forming on the girl's hands from the constant heat of her weapon, and with every round of catch-and-fire, catch-and-fire, she lost a little more energy and control. Ritsuka bounced around in the background, waiting for some kind of opportunity to hit Taiyou from behind, but the boy kept his eye on her and his shields remained as strong as ever, and the redhead could barely get in a decent strike before she had to dodge one of his deadly ki blasts.

Tasuki was holding his own against his enemy, blocking every slashing move the boy could throw at him, but even _that _battle had begun to fall in the Element's favor. Tsuki teleported back and forth without even breaking a sweat, while Tasuki had to constantly whirl on his heel to block and attack. Tasuki's body and senses were in excellent condition, and he even managed to deal Tsuki a few mild slashes across his right shoulder and side, but even a seishi couldn't spend almost a full hour of slashing, dodging, and attacking without feeling the tug of exhaustion. Still, he fought doggedly on, sword in one hand and tessen in the other, ducking the wicked curve of his enemy's blade and searching for an opening that he could never quite reach.

Ritsuka took a step back from her battle, fighting to catch her breath. Koji bounced up behind her, keeping an eye on the battle between Tsuki and Tasuki. "How goes it?" he asked lightly, twirling a throwing knife between his index and middle fingers. He received a few gulping breaths as an answer. "That bad, huh? Or you jus' it rotten shape?"

"My shape is fine…" the redheaded huffed. "I just… can't compete with… you three idiots… who're lucky enough to live in a world where you _can_ train every day with your weapon of choice… No Biology assignments around _here_, damn you all."

Koji chuckled. "Well, aside from why yer world sucks, you doin' okay over there?"

"Not so hot. Akai's trying her best, and her best is more like a tickle to that guy than a real attack. I'm about as useless as a two-year-old..."

"I know th' feelin'," Koji grumbled. He spotted an opening and the knife flew from his fingers, but Tsuki just teleported away before the blade could reach him. The bandit swore heavily under his breath. "That Element treats me like I'm jus' some dirt on his shoe... but what c'n I do against some guy who's there an' gone so fast _Genrou_ can barely keep up?"

Ritsuka took another gasping breath, squinting as Akai threw back another ki-blast back into Taiyou's waiting shield. "Well, we'll just have to show them that just because we don't have Suzaku weapons we're no easy enemies, ne, Koji?"

He grinned dangerously. "Y'hit the nail on th' head, Ritsu – eh, d'you mind if I call y'that?"

"Nah. Unlike Tasuki-chan, pet names don't bother me."

"I'm gonna tell him you call it a pet name."

"Good. It'll probably just annoy him even more."

"Speakin' of annoyin' him, this stunt ya pulled, runnin' inta th' battle an' all, is gonna get ya killed if you ain't careful."

"You really think Element-boy can take me down?"

"I dunno about that, but _Genrou's_ gonna skin you alive when we get home."

"Oh." Ritsuka sniffed. "Let him be pissed. See if I care. I didn't travel across two worlds just to be your cheering squad, y'know." She shifted the grip on her sword and took a step back towards Akai, but stopped at the last minute. The redhead glanced over her shoulder, shooting Koji a smile that was almost repentant. Almost. "Hey… you aren't mad at me too, are you Ko-Ko?"

He chuckled. "Nah. I'd-a done th' same thing."

The redheaded woman couldn't help but laugh as she steadied her sword and threw her exhausted body back into the fray.

oOo

_Snowcapped, frosted mountains. A sense of dread, a sense that if they didn't hurry, they'd be too late... much, much too late... Rounding a tall peak, seeing a door, a boulder moved out of its way. Single eye trailing to the limp figure of a courageous brother in the arms of a fellow fighter. The limp figure that was completely void of any life force whatsoever... "Mitsukake, heal Nuriko already!"…Tasuki, refusing to admit, refusing to believe the truth... Silent bowed head. The painful knowledge. Tears springing to everyone's eyes. They were too late to help... nothing could be done, now...They had not been invincible, after all._

Chichiri wrinkled his brow. "Concentrate," he murmured to himself. This sort of thing hadn't bothered him in so long…

_A seishi. No, a monster. A monster that now lived in the body of a boy, a boy called "friend," "seishi," "brother." The barrier had saved them, barely, but would it last? Would it hold against that thing, that thing which none of them could dare destroy, because it still possessed a child's face... The evil eyes wavering, returning to the innocence they once held. "Iie..." An inner struggle. The spirit's device plunged into the heart of a young fighter, forced by the fighter himself, all to save the people he loved... "I AM A MEMBER OF THE SUZAKU SEVEN!" _

The monk clenched his palms against his knees. _'Come _on_ Chichiri... Clear your mind no da...'_

_The palace. A place where safety was guaranteed, for the moment anyway, though friends were fighting to keep it that way. Another fellow warrior, quietly working through exhaustion and pain to continue doing what he'd done all his life… He'd needed to rest, he'd _known_ that, but he never did. And he never complained… And then there was the child, the sick child… The selfless sacrifice of his own ki, a blast of a dying wish, and all to save the ungrateful lives of the dead and dying soldiers. Why did this one hurt so much more than the others? "Mitsukake, PLEASE don't do this!" And the warriors... the fighters who didn't care... didn't even know what had happened, just kept mindlessly fighting... Tears streaming from both eyes for the one who had suffered so much, and could still give so much, and could never, ever give anything again… _

Chichiri shook his head hard and tightened his focus, searching for a single point of nothingness and finding only lost memories. _'What is wrong with me? I can't let all of this get to me no da.' _

_An Emperor in trouble. Off to fight an enemy he had no chance of beating. The fast pounding of horse's hooves, his and Tasuki's. They had to hurry... they had to help... without his Suzaku powers... They rounded the bend to see it, the young leader with a child on the way, attacking the cruel Kutou general… Knowing what would come, almost expecting the ki blast that ripped right through him… skidding to a halt on the cliff, unable to stop the horrible event from happening; only able to cry, helpless as always. "HOTOHORI-SAMA!"_

Chichiri sighed. What was wrong with him today? He had to stop thinking about those dreadful events that had troubled his sleep for almost a full year. But those questions were in the past. He had moved past the tragedies of those years and remembered the pleasant moments, now. He'd learned how to do that. So why were the memories coming back _now_? And, so much worse than that, the questions that came _with_ the memories: Why couldn't he have gotten there sooner? What could he have done differently to save them? What, why, if, if...

_Trodding down a riverbank, feet leaden with the weight only exhaustion could bring. Searching for someone... hoping beyond hope, distrusting the dread in his chest... maybe he'd been washed up before being drowned, maybe there was still time to fix everything... yes, yes, there would always be more time, there _had_ to be more time…_

The monk's entire body tensed. _'No. Not this one. _Anything_ but this one.'_

_His eye, or what used to be an eye, still flared with pain, still drizzled blood across his tattered robe and face. He ignored the wound, knowing he must look like a monster but not caring. If _he_ were still alive, then it wouldn't matter... none of it would make any difference if he could just make things right..._

A whimper escaped Chichiri's throat, but he was too far gone in his half-dream to pull back now. All he could do for the moment was watch, and remember, and wonder: 'W_hy this? Why this horrible memory?_' The one that hadn't plagued him in over a year, not since he'd settled everything with his old friend...

_There. On the shore, a body that was too pale to be alive. "Hikou!" Stumbling with exhausted feet to the riverbank, next to the person he'd once called his best friend, lying face-down in the mud... oh, Suzaku, he was _so _cold… But no, he couldn't be dead... he had to live... they had to make everything better, and go back to the way things were… Come on, Hikou, wake up, please, get better, and… Oh, Suzaku. No pulse. Just wet, freezing, still skin. "No…" Throwing himself on the shore next to the body, sobbing as if his heart would break. Everything had fallen apart in his hands… and now, _because_ of his hands, Hikou was…_

oOo

Tasuki took a gulping breath of air, jumping back and whirling in midair to face the nearby Element, who stood watching him with mild amusement on his young, impassive face. The seishi glared at him. "Yer a pretty cowardly kid, ain't ya? Can't even stay in one spot an' fight like a man!"

Tsuki shrugged. "But I'm not a man. I'm merely a little boy, easy prey for a powerful seishi like yourself. That _is_ why you came out here to fight, after all."

Tasuki's eyes widened. "What? Who th' hell told ya _that_ load of bull?"

The Element ignored him. "However, you are a man, and should fight as such." Tsuki winked out of sight, then appeared just to the right of the seishi. Tasuki whirled and brought up his sword, nicking the boy's cheek, but Tsuki wasn't after his life. His crescent-shaped blade darted forward, sliding past Tasuki's sword and colliding with the tessen. The Element swiped outwards, knocking the fan from the seishi's grasp. Tasuki snarled and slashed out again, but Tsuki teleported away once more, landing lightly a few feet from the bandit. "By your own definition, fighting 'as a man' means no magical weapons, wouldn't you agree?"

Tasuki glanced towards the tessen, lying on the ground a good ten feet from him, then back up to the boy. His eyes narrowed dangerously. "If you think yer fightin' fair—"

"I never said I was," he said. "I am, however, getting bored with this battle. You are tired, and it would be useless to toy with you any longer than is necessary. I don't believe you could stop me, if I were, for example, to do this—"

Before Tasuki could blink the Element disappeared, and a moment later the butt of a staff slammed into the seishi's back, knocking him into the grass. He let out a started yell, flipping over just fast enough to block the downward swipe.

Tsuki nodded, and the smallest hint of a smile flickered across his lips. "As I thought. Now, you die."

oOo

_As the tears continued to roll freely down his cheeks, Houjun knelt beside his friend, placing one numb, shocked hand to the cold skin of the dead man's neck. "Oh, gods, Hikou…" his voice trailed off in a whimpering whisper. "I'm so sorry. So, so sorry…" He gripped his friend by the back of his shoulders. _'The least I can do is give him a proper burial… who else will…' _he thought bitterly, and flipped the other young man over. His single eye widened as he saw the face behind the matted hair, except the hair wasn't matted with water anymore, but with something thicker, stickier, and much more crimson. "No…"_

"NO!"

Kiori, who had dozed off about halfway through her first meditation session, jerked awake at the monk's frantic shout. "Eh?" She peered through the shadows to find him sitting straight up, entire body tense and breath coming out in anxious gasps. "Chichiri?"

Still lost partially in his own mind, the monk jumped up, lashing out with a fist and nearly hitting his startled female companion in the process. "No, no, no! Not Tasuki, you hear me? Not him! I won't lose him too!"

"Chichiri calm down!" Kiori gripped his shoulders with surprising strength, forcing him to meet her eyes. She waited until understanding seeped into his half-asleep gaze, then took a breath and asked as calmly as possible, "What happened?"

He dropped his clenched fists slowly, shaking his head as if to clear it of the images. "I'm not sure... a dream no da? No... It felt more like..." As Tsuki's staff slammed into Tasuki's back on the battlefield, Chichiri too felt the blow, eye widening as he understood what had just happened. "A warning."

"A what?"

Chichiri threw the door open in an attempt to get some light. The crescent moon bathed the room in silvery shadows, allowing the monk to see as he snatched up his robe from the floor and his hat and staff from where they leaned against the wall. "I have to go to the battle no da," he said, more to himself than his puzzled friend. "Tasuki... everyone... they're in trouble. If I don't hurry, I think... no, I _know_ they're going to die no da."

"You – you're leaving!" Kiori yelped. "Because of a dream?"

"Not a dream," he corrected, striding out of his room and making a beeline for the stables. "A warning no da. From Suzaku, maybe. I'm not sure, but I _know_ that's was what it was, and if I don't do something it might become reality no da."

She followed him at a quick trot, surprised to find her hands trembling at her sides. "So, what, you're going to grab a horse and run off just because you think Suzaku sent you a message? What if you're wrong? They might be fine, and you might be leaving for no reason."

"It doesn't matter no da," he said with a shrug, entering the stable yards. "Either way, they'll be safe. That's the important thing."

"But what about _me_, Chichiri? I don't have a connection with the battle! If you leave, then how will I know what's going on with everyone? I'll go absolutely crazy sitting around here, wondering how everyone is doing – how you're doing… it'll be an absolute nightmare for me, and—" The monk shot her a startled look and the college woman screeched to a halt, clapping a hand over her mouth. "Oh, God. What am I saying? I…I'm doing it again. Are you _listening _to this? Ritsuka-tachi's lives are in danger and all I can think about is myself!"

Chichiri turned, eyes widening as he finally noticed how violently the young woman's body shook. "Kiori…"

She jerked her head from side to side, taking a quick step back. "I-ignore me, okay? I know you need to go... I _know_ that, I really do… I'm just, I don't know..."

In two short steps he crossed the space between them, catching Kiori's trembling hand when she tried to turn back to her room. "You're as worried about them as I am, aren't you?"

She snapped her eyes towards the ground, cheeks glowing in shame. "No. I'm just worried about how hurt _I'll _be if something happens to them. It's completely different."

"No, it's not no da." A tremor rippled through Kiori's body and Chichiri's eyebrows shot to the top of his head. "For Suzaku's sake, Kiori, you're _shaking_, you're so scared. Why didn't you say anything before?"

She sighed. "I was trying to act like I wasn't earlier to make you feel better. And, it's weird, but when you're around, I don't feel like I have to worry as much. As if everything'll be all right, like you always say. But if you leave, it's one more person to think about, plus I don't have that assurance from before..." she groaned and snatched her hand away from his grip, rubbing at her temples and blushing violently. "Ah, I sound like an idiot!"

When she glanced back up again, she couldn't have been more surprised to see the monk smiling at her, ever so slightly. "You make a lot more sense than you think no da. I understand. I'm like your security blanket no da."

"I guess that's one way to put it..." She lowered her eyes, heaving another sigh. "Listen, I know you have to go... and I know I'd just be dead weight if I came along, but I have such a _bad_ feeling about all of this, I just... I just wish there was some way I could know what was going on. Then maybe I wouldn't feel so helpless all the time..."

Chichiri nodded. In one swift movement he lifted his robe over his head, spreading it out on a clean spot on the stable floor. "Well, we can fix that no da." He pulled a small fishing knife from his belt and started to make a cut about five centimeters away from the edge.

Kiori grabbed at his wrist. "Hey, wait a sec! You can't just slice that thing up, you need it teleport, and what good would it do me anyway?"

He shook his head. "I can still teleport if a small part of it is missing – and I don't really _need_ the kesa to do that, it just makes the spell easier no da." He continued to saw away at the material, careful to make it a clean, swift cut. "And see, if you hang onto this strip, and I wear the rest, it'll work like a medium. This way, we're directly connected no da."

Kiori held up the piece of cloth, blinking as she felt a pulse of crimson heat jump through the robe and into her hands. She tied the fabric around her waist like a sash. "It's like how you and Tasuki are connected with your symbols."

"Hai, and how Tamahome and Miaka were with their rings no da," he explained.

Kiori followed silently as he led his horse out of the stable and down through the city gates, fingering the soft material between her thumb and index finger. Though she'd managed to stop the trembling in her hands, she couldn't quite seem to shake the dread hanging at the back of her mind. "Ne, Chichiri?"

"Mm?"

"Promise me... promise me you'll come back in one piece, okay?"

He smiled. "I'll come back with Tasuki, Ritsuka, Akai and Koji too, how's that no da?"

Kiori managed a faint grin. "Great. Good luck!"

Chichiri kicked the animal into a dead sprint, smile dropping as soon as his back was to the college girl. He had to hurry... if he didn't... if he didn't... _'Well, I won't no da. Not this time... Not these four...'_

oOo

Tsuki took a small step back, jerking his staff away from the seishi's sword. Tasuki fought to regain his footing, fought to get a good handhold on his sword, but the Element was just a little bit quicker. He swept his staff back to his shoulder and then swung it forward in a curving arc, aiming straight for the seishi's exposed chest.

"Genrou, CATCH!"

Tasuki glanced to the side just in time to see his tessen come winging across the clearing. He reached up with one hand and caught the weapon, flipping it open and barely managing to block the swinging scythe. Tsuki scowled and shoved downwards with all his might, hoping to slide his blade around the tessen and into his enemy's heart, but another shout echoed across the clearing.

"Here's one fer you, too!"

The Element glanced up out of the corner of his eye just in time to see a throwing knife whiz towards his head. Tsuki jerked backwards, grimacing as the blade sliced through his cheek before clattering to the grass a few feet away. He whirled on the unseen thrower, caught two flashes of silver, and managed to teleport away just before another pair of knives sliced through his own chest and neck.

Tasuki took the opportunity to scramble to his feet. He glanced around to find his disappearing enemy, but instead saw only Koji, waving cheerily at him from across the clearing.

"Knock knock! Who's there? It's Koji, come t'bail his buddy's sorry ass outta trouble again! Ah, Koji, how can I ever repay ya? A bottle-a sake an' a meal at th' best Inn in Konan oughta do it. What're friends for after all, na? A-ri-ga-tou!"

Tasuki flashed a tired smile. "Koji, yer like a second Chichiri, y'know that?"

Koji smirked and offered his friend a thumbs-up. "Gotta look after my pal Genrou, don't I? I promised Chichiri I'd keep ya alive, and I ain't a man t'go back on my word. Besides, y'think I'm gonna let you weasel outta that bottle-a sake yer gonna owe me when this war's o—"

Neither warrior had given much thought to where Tsuki had gone, though they didn't have much time to wonder. The air behind Koji flickered and solidified, though Koji never saw it coming, and all Tasuki saw in the moonlight was the bright flash of a curved blade slashing through the night sky, and then the silhouette of his friend crumpling to the ground with a shout.

"Koji!" Tasuki raced over to his friend on tired legs, crouching next to the bandit leader. "Oi, Koji, you okay?" He touched a hand gingerly to the bandit's back, cursing when his hand came away covered in blood.

Koji pushed himself up on his elbows and looked at his friend through one eye, the other closed tightly in pain. "Never better, Gen—" he tried to stand, but immediately fell to his hands and knees again. "Kuso. Shoulda been prepared fer that... didn't get me deep enough t'do any _real _damage, I don't think... hurts like hell, though..."

He attempted to rise again, but Tasuki set a hand to his shoulder, pushing him back down and holding him there for a moment. "Hey, jus' stay here, all right? Try not t'move too much, and once this is over we'll get ya fixed up at the palace." Koji nodded and Tasuki stood. He whirled to face Tsuki, who stood waiting for him a few meters away.

"How is he?" the Element asked. "I didn't kill him, did I?"

"Yer a pretty sorry fighter, kid," Tasuki growled, "when ya can't even back-stab a person right!"

"Had my intention been to kill him, I assure you that your friend would be dead," Tsuki said. "But I did not come here to battle with common thieves – I came here to fight a seishi. His ridiculous knives were becoming a nuisance, though, so I had to get him out of the way."

"You got a lotta nerve, brat!" Tasuki snapped, pulling on whatever reserves he still possessed and attacking the Element with a passion. "And I'll be sure ta fricassee every one-a them damn things t'night!"

Tsuki actually smiled, but said nothing as he darted away from Tasuki's searching weapons, always one step ahead of his seishi enemy.

oOo

Chichiri's horse's hooves pounded the soft earth of the north Konan plains, heading for the Plains of Ikou. The monk's animal panted heavily beneath him, but he couldn't afford to slow down yet... If he lost one minute, even one tiny millisecond, then…

The image of Tasuki's bloodied, sightless eyes rose up into the monk's vision and he shuddered, urging his horse on with a few kind words. He could see the faint flares of ki blasts and flames growing closer by the second. "Just a few more minutes and I'll be there," he murmured to no one in particular. "Please let that be soon enough."

The monk slipped off his mask, tucking it into the folds of his kesa. He gripped the horse's reigns, a strong, determined fire sparking in his single eye.

_'I was too late to save Nuriko and Hotohori... even when I was there I couldn't do anything to help Chiriko and Mitsukake... Oh Suzaku, don't let it happen again! Give me the strength and the speed to save the only brother I've got left...'_

oOo

Akai gasped for her breath and battled to keep a bloodied grip on her weapon. She stared across the clearing in exhausted wonder at the smirking Taiyou, fighting to keep her feet from collapsing under her own weight. _'As hard as I fight,' _she thought breathlessly, _'it doesn't do me any good. He just… just stands there, and shields himself and smiles… and there's _nothing I can do about it

The Sun Element threw another blast of power at the young warrior. Akai braced herself and raised her weapon to absorb the attack, but for the first time that night her enemy's strength beat out her own. The power within the Holy Sword burst outwards, knocking the sword out of Akai's hands and throwing her backwards into the grass. She tried to rise, but couldn't quite get her feet to work properly. _'Oh, if I could only get a couple minutes' breather…' _the warrior girl moaned as she willed her tired body to move. _'Please, please…'_

Ritsuka saw her friend fall on the battlefield, but worse than that, she saw what the exhausted Akai _couldn't _see – Taiyou, striding towards the girl, weapon swinging lazily at his side. The young woman gathered what little energy she had left into her legs and charged towards Taiyou, ready to kill or be killed if she could save Akai in the process.

oOo

Taiyou lifted Akai's chin up with the globe on the end of his staff, golden eyes glinting in the moonlight. "Well well, now it finally ends. You've been quite a nuisance, little warrior, but a persistent one nonetheless." He sighed, though the smile on his face was anything but sympathetic. "It's almost sad, you know, to see such pitiful attempts die at such a young age..."

"Leave her alone you bastard!"

Taiyou turned at the sound of the enraged voice, which very well may have saved his life. Ritsuka's plunging sword, aimed for a killing strike to the center of his back, instead plunged deep into his shoulder blade.

The Element roared in pain and jerked forward, ripping the sword from his torn back. Akai caught a brief glimpse of his face, stretched tight in shock and agony, but didn't have much time to enjoy the expression. Taiyou snarled, whirling and swinging his staff in a short arc. Ritsuka took a shaky step back, but wasn't quite fast enough – the metal globe connected solidly with her ribcage, sending her flying with a squeak of dismay. Taiyou, eyes filled with rage, set a hand to his shoulder, gasping at the needles of fire that laced his body. "_You_!" he growled, orange ki flaring around his form. In two short steps he cut the distance between them and swung out with his weapon again, again, again, punctuating each vicious hit with a screeching curse.

"You-" _Crack!_ "Vile-"_ Smack!_ "Little-" _Whack!_ "Pest!"

Ritsuka gritted her teeth hard as Taiyou's last hit snapped her ribs and sent her rolling down the small hill. The Element pursued her with each step and slammed his weapon on one of her outstretched hands, grinding it downwards until he heard bones crack. "To think I almost considered letting you go free! Do you _think_ you deserve mercy after a stunt like that?" he jerked the weapon away, glaring down at her with all the contempt and blind rage he possessed. "Well, you stupid girl? Answer me!"

The redhead looked up, cradling her shattered hand at her side, holding her broken ribs with the other. Despite the lances shooting up through her side and fingers, she managed to stick her tongue out at the Element and grin. "Kiss my ass."

Taiyou backhanded her across the face and raised his staff, pointing it directly at her chest. "Try dodging _this _one, bitch," he growled, then took a step back and began muttering one of the most powerful – and painful – spells he knew. Ritsuka attempted to rise, but collapsed immediately, too worn out and injured to do anything but stare into Taiyou's deadly ki blast and await the inevitable.

oOo

Chichiri rounded the hilltop just in time to see Ritsuka fall, struck by a series of blows from an orange-haired opponent. He watched as the two exchanged a few words, then saw the Element raise his faintly shining staff.

The monk's eye widened. "Ritsuka." Letting instinct take over, he tossed his hat into the air and teleported to the battlefield, praying that he wouldn't be too late.

oOo

The steady glow rose to a near-blinding blaze. Taiyou took a short step back, eyes narrowed in concentration, mouth smirking even as he muttered the words to his killing spell. And then, without a speck of warning, he drew back his staff and swung it forward, releasing the brilliant ball of energy and sending it careening at his nearby target. Ritsuka threw up an arm in a hopeless attempt to protect herself, closing her eyes against the deadly light and allowing one tiny, terrified sob to escape her throat.

A thick, unpleasant heat washed over her, licking her cheeks and hands but never actually touching her. Timidly, almost afraid to see what had happened, Ritsuka opened one eye. The college girl's gaze traveled up a familiar green pant leg to a blue-and-white robe and, finally, to a head of light blue hair. She gulped. "Chi… Chichiri?"

"He's putting everything he's got into this one," the monk remarked more to himself than to the young woman behind him. "It's a good thing I got here when I did, or you could've been in a lot of trouble no da."

"I think being on the ground with cracked bones and a million aches and pains counts as 'a lot of trouble,' don't you?" Ritsuka asked wryly.

"See you haven't lost your sense of humor," he said with a tiny smile. He dropped one hand from his staff, leaving the other up to maintain his shield. With the free arm he grabbed his hat and held it up. "Get in no da."

Ritsuka stared at him as if she thought the heat from Taiyou's blast might have fried his brain. "Beg pardon?"

"Get in," he repeated. "Listen, you'll be safe in here no da. I'm going to toss the hat out of the way of the battle. Once you feel it stop moving around you can come out no da. If you feel up to it, go check on Akai or Koji." He smiled, though it wasn't his usual, cheerful "daijoubu" smile – this one made the redhead shiver. "I'll handle things from here."

Ritsuka frowned. "I didn't need your help."

"I guess you didn't, if you wanted to die," he remarked coolly, turning his eyes back to the battle. "But I doubt that you did." Sensing the redhead's bristling ki, he added a quiet, "You did a very good job, Ritsuka, but this kind of power is beyond you no da. Please just rest for now. So, would you…?"

The college girl scowled and dove into the kasa. Once she had disappeared into the hat's depths Chichiri tossed it out of harm's way, watching as it glided to a peaceful halt several meters from his position. Only then did the monk finally turn his full attention on his opponent, blasting away the remnants of Taiyou's attack with the tiniest flick of his staff.

The Element smiled. "So, the other seishi finally makes an appearance?"

"I like dramatic entrances no da," the monk replied. He readied his staff, setting his index and middle fingers to his lips and uttering a short incantation.

The wave of crimson light slammed into Taiyou's barrier, sliding off around its edges. The Sun Element slammed his staff into the ground, effectively disintegrating the ki blast with a short charge of his own power. The light disappeared. Taiyou snarled. "If that's the best you can do then you may as well just drop your weapon now and die. I came out here to fight a seishi, not a third-rate magician."

Chichiri smiled. "You're in luck, then. That was just a warm-up no da."

oOo

From within the darkness, Ritsuka felt herself bump to a gentle halt. She reached towards the pinpoint of light above her and, when she realized that a tiny summer breeze was drifting past her fingers, she scrambled out of the kasa in the most dignified manner she could muster. She winced, grabbing at her injured side and watching as Akai plodded over. "Didja check on Koji?" Ritsuka demanded as soon as her friend was within hearing distance.

Akai nodded. "He said he's all right, but I want to head back over in a minute to help him get that wound patched up." She sat down hard on the ground beside the older woman, flashing a tiny, exhausted smile. "It's a good thing Chichiri got here when he did. Another second and I don't think you would've have made it, Ritsuka-san."

The young woman looked away, heaving a tired sigh. "You have _no_ idea, Akai."

The two female fighters turned their eyes towards the battle between Taiyou and Chichiri, watching the fight with wide eyes. Taiyou sent off a blast of golden energy at the monk, who deflected it to the right and dashed to the left, blocking two similar, smaller attacks before raising an arm and flinging off a shot of his own Suzaku-gifted power. Taiyou's shield flew up, narrowly blocking the quick attack, but as soon as he lowered his defenses another ball of energy sailed at him, and the Element had to throw himself to the ground in order to avoid it.

"Chichiri's fast," Ritsuka murmured.

"And smart," Akai added. "He's watching the edges of Taiyou's shields, see? Chichiri can tell when he's about to lower his shield, and he attacks then. I tried the same thing, but his control is a lot better than mine, so he can do it the _right_ way."

The monk braced himself against his staff as golden power surged towards him. A tiny bit of Taiyou's blast slipped through his shield, searing the top of his shoulder. Ritsuka winced as a thin trail of blood trickled down the monk's sleeve. "Taiyou's not too bad himself, though."

"Ritsuka-san!" Akai dove atop of her friend, and both of them narrowly missed getting hit by the back draft of one of Taiyou's deflected attacks.

The redhead cursed and clutched her wounded ribcage. "Damn, they're fast! When did they get so close to us, anyway?" She cupped her hand around her mouth and shouted to the nearby monk. "Hey, careful where you block those, Chichiri! We're getting a little too close for comfort over here, and movement isn't exactly my forte right now!"

She thought she saw the monk chuckle, but couldn't be certain, because a moment later he and Taiyou braced their feet against the ground and pushed off, rushing one another in a dead charge. Taiyou laughed and threw up a barrier at the last minute, but gasped when Chichiri's staff slipped straight through the golden shield, dealing the Element a fierce blow across the face. Taiyou yelped and took two quick steps backwards, just managing to bring up his own staff to block the monk's second downward strike. "My barrier... How can you...?"

Chichiri shoved away from the Element, holding his staff level to his face and managing a faint, dangerous smile. "You're surprised? My staff – along with the Holy Sword and Tasuki's tessen – are weapons destined for the warriors of Suzaku. They're weapons _of_ Suzaku, in a sense. An enemy's shield – especially that of an Element, not even one of the gods' seishi – wouldn't be able to hold against a direct attack from a Suzaku weapon."

Akai stared down at her sword. "So... if I'd attacked him straight on..." Two very chibi Konan Warriors sweatdropped. "I might've killed that guy a long time ago?"

Ritsuka sighed. "Chichiri _really_ should've told us that before we got here."

Taiyou frowned. "Hmph. I suppose I should be impressed." He jumped backwards, landing lightly on his feet and aiming his staff at the monk. "But just because I'm not a direct pick from the gods doesn't mean I'm a pushover. Let's see how a _great seishi_," he snarled the words with visible contempt, "does against this!"

The boy muttered a quick chant, sending off a stream of quick, powerful ki blasts all in a row. Chichiri threw up a barrier easily enough, but the blasts kept coming, and the power crashing into his shield had the force of anger and pride behind it. _'Seishi or not, he's tough, that's for sure no da…'_

Out of the corner of his eye, Chichiri caught a glimpse of the battle raging at the top of the hill. The monk gasped; in his hurry to save Ritsuka, he hadn't bothered to notice his struggling brother seishi, on the verge of exhaustion, just barely able to block the other Element's relentless, darting attacks.

Chichiri's heart jumped into his throat. _'Tasuki's in trouble. He's tired, and that Element knows what he's doing. In a few minutes, he's going to get Tasuki with a blow that he'll be too tired to block no da.' _The monk bit his lip. _'This is bad. Ritsuka's hurt. Koji's hurt. And Akai's just as exhausted as Tasuki. _I_ could hit that Element, if I time it right, and probably kill him in one shot too, but...'_ the monk glanced back at the snarling Taiyou, pushing all of his strength into those successive blasts, _'but creating this barrier is already using everything I've got. If I drop the barrier, I can fire... but if I drop the barrier...'_ His mind raced, trying to find a solution that would keep his companions alive. _'Oh Suzaku, what can I do?'_ he asked himself helplessly.

Four images flashed quickly through the monk's mind...

...A loyal warrior, mortally wounded, snapping the neck of his dangerous enemy...

...A brave youth stabbing himself to save his friends from certain death...

...A quiet healer using the last of his life force to help the dead and dying...

...A noble leader facing off against an enemy he had no chance of defeating...

Chichiri smiled – a perilous, suicidal smile with little hope of life – and touched two fingers to his knee. _'Tasuki!'_

The other seishi glanced up, noticing the monk for the first time. For half an instant, their eyes met across the battlefield. Chichiri nodded, and Tasuki grinned. He knew exactly what his friend wanted to do.

Reaching into his reserves and finding a trickle of energy left, Tasuki tapped his seishi power and sprinted to a spot directly across from Chichiri, raising his weapon and taunting Tsuki to attack. The Moon Element turned his back on both his brother and the other seishi, intent on his kill, never once suspecting his enemy's unspoken plan.

Chichiri slammed the point of his staff into the ground and uttered a powerful spell as quickly as his skills allowed. A shaft of red ki shot out across the ground, creating a sizzling line as it went, and shot straight through the Element's undefended back. Tsuki flared crimson for the briefest moment, his body jerked as if a puppeteer had just tugged at his strings... and then someone cut the strings, his weapon slid from his hand, and he crumpled to the soft, moonlit earth.

oOo

The silver gem around Setsuka's neck shattered into a hundred pieces. The Lady of Takkan let out an ear-piercing scream, grabbing at her heart and doubling over on her throne.

Three of her four Elements jumped to their feet, frightened cries on their young lips.

"Setsuka-sama, doushita no?"

"What happened, are ya all right?"

"Are you hurt, do – do you need anything?"

Setsuka gasped for air but held up a hand, preventing her servants from rushing to her aid. "I… I am unhurt," she assured them, pressing a trembling palm against the arm of her chair and raising herself into a shaky sitting position. "Tsuki is dead. That seishi killed him," she said, desperate to get her clamoring heart to slow down.

"Tsuki?" Sora said. "But then, why are _you_…?"

"My connection to him – to all of you – must be much stronger than I'd thought," Setsuka explained, gulping down another breath of air. "Still," she murmured to nobody, "it should all be worth it, if what He said is true…"

"Beg pardon, my Lady?"

"Never mind, Sora. I should be fine in a moment."

The Elements crowded around Setsuka, murmuring words of concern and anxiety for their leader – all the Elements except for one. Mizu sat, transfixed in her seat, eyes still focused intently on the scene playing out in her crystal – and, most importantly, on the monk who had been at the receiving end of a powerful Taiyou ki-blast...

oOo

**_/ Play – Mizu-Kagami /_**

Chichiri's shield dropped at the same time he fired, allowing Taiyou's deadly stream of shots to strike the target they had sought. The blasts hit the monk full-on, throwing him back across the charred battlefield before he finally rolled to a halt nearly ten meters from where he'd been hit.

Kiori's head snapped up from her English workbook, eyes widening as her hands grappled at the pulsing cloth tied around her waist. "Chichiri."

"Oh my God," Ritsuka whispered under her breath. Ignoring the pain that ripped through her abdomen, she attempted to stand, half-running, half-crawling across the ground to where the monk lay. "Chichiri!"

All Tasuki could see from his angle was a red explosion that hit Tsuki and a separate, golden one that struck a spot that was far too close to his seishi friend for comfort. He did, however, feel a searing pain shoot through his side and up and down his left arm – a pain that he knew belonged to someone else. "No." Exhaustion completely forgotten in his haste, Tasuki turned on his heel and scrambled across the battlefield, blinking back red-and-golden spots as he sprinted towards where a limp form had hit the ground – a form that he hoped beyond hope _wasn't_ what it looked like.

"And where do you think _you're_ going?" Tasuki just managed to jump out of the way of one of Taiyou's ki blasts, whirling to face the snarling Element. "We still have a battle to fight, seishi! And you will pay in _blood _for what has happened today, I—"

Akai stepped between the two warriors, Holy Sword cocked at her side and ready for battle. She threw her enemy a weak grin. "Why bother with Tasuki? He's tired, while I've had a few good minutes of rest. As you know, I'm a tough little pest to fight off." She glanced over her shoulder at her fellow Konan fighter, mirth disappearing from her features as she murmured, "You go check on Chichiri. I can handle Element-boy over here."

Tasuki barely heard her. Without a question he dashed to where Ritsuka knelt beside a battered, bleeding body. Akai turned back to Taiyou. "If you'd like to check on your brother, be my guest. I'd let you do that, as long as you didn't try to get away."

Ice laced Taiyou's next words, but there were tears trailing openly down his cheeks. "He's already dead. I felt it before I ever saw it." He shook his head hard and ran a sleeve across his face. "It doesn't matter anyway. We... _I_… was sent here to kill you, and that still holds."

"Fair enough." Akai launched herself at her opponent, trying to lose herself in battle and forget about what had just happened... and about what might happen...

oOo

Kiori swung herself onto the back of an unsaddled stallion and kicked it into a dead run, medicine bag banging hard against her side. "No more sitting around, not anymore. Chichiri's hurt... badly... he needs my help... oh, please, hang in there!"

oOo

Koji kept his eyes on Chichiri, biting his lip as he watched first Ritsuka and then Tasuki make their way to the limp body. He tried to stand, desperate to join them, but fire flared up across his ripped back and the world spun around, forcing him back to the ground. The bandit leader grimaced, but he obeyed his body for once and stayed still. Koji took a deep breath to steady himself, then turned his swimming vision back to the monk. "Suzaku…" he muttered through gritted teeth. "I ain't never been one fer prayer, but… please, _please_ make sure 'Chiri gets outta this all right. Fer his sake, an' fer everyone else's."

oOo

Tasuki stumbled over to his fallen friend just in time to hear the tail end of Ritsuka's sentence. "Baka! Of all the stupid things to do..." she blinked away her tears, barely noticing when Tasuki appeared at her side. "You must've known you couldn't attack _and_ defend at the same time!"

Chichiri, single eye half-closed against the pain, managed a tiny smile. "But I'm the big brother, right? I have to... look out for everyone else no da..."

Tasuki took a seat on his friend's right, eyes quickly taking in the damage of Taiyou's blast. A deep gash – which the bandit also felt to a certain degree – covered the monk's left side from chest to hip, drenching his shredded tunic and the spring grass in sparking bits of golden magic and blood. Several other nasty cuts and bruises – including a jagged slash across the right side of his forehead – also spelled danger for the monk. His left arm sat at an unnatural angle beside his bleeding abdomen, and Tasuki knew immediately that the fall had broken it, probably in a couple of places.

Chichiri noticed his searching eyes. "I think I've got a couple broken ribs too, but s'hard to tell..."

Tasuki stripped off his coat and handed it to Ritsuka, who used it as a makeshift bandage to plug up the gushing wound in the monk's side. Gods, but Tasuki couldn't remember the last time he'd seen so much blood. "Hey, Chichiri, don't worry about all that. Yer gonna be okay, na?"

He winced, blinking up at the other seishi through a misted eye. "That Taiyou's pretty powerful no da... hit me full on, three times, I think… a lot harder than even I guessed... had t'protect you and the others, though..."

"D-don't try t'talk," Tasuki gripped his friend's uninjured hand. "Just, just hang on, okay? I'll go get one-a the horses, and Red'll take you back to the palace. Kiori'll fix ya up, an' you'll be fine."

He started to stand, but Chichiri kept a surprisingly firm grip on his hand, forcing the seishi back to the ground. "Don't. Please. Just… just stay here no da. I want to die... with friends nearby. Like the other seishi did, all right?"

"Don't talk like that, Chichiri!" Ritsuka snapped, voice cracking on the words. "Don't even talk at all! You're gonna be okay, we'll see to that. You're a seishi, remember? You and Tasuki... you're an unbeatable team."

Chichiri smiled again, even as his eye drooped further closed and his body shuddered against the pain. "We did make a good team, didn't we? You knew just what I wanted back there, at the end no da. I never had to say a word. We made a damn good team, Tasuki."

"We still do, we always will!" Tasuki cried. "Yer gonna live, you hear me Chichiri? We're gonna beat these Elements, t'gether, an'..."

"Tasuki," Ritsuka interrupted, voice quavering with each word. The bandit seishi jerked his head up, about to unleash his frustration on the redhead, but stopped at the sight of her tear-soaked face. "The bleeding won't stop," she whispered, choking on the words. "Your jacket… I'm trying, but it just, it isn't…"

"Tasuki? Ritsuka? You're still there, aren't you no da?"

The two snapped their heads down again. Tasuki's body tensed. Ritsuka bit her lip until it bled. The monk was looking right at them, but he couldn't see a thing. "Y-yeah," the bandit finally managed to gasp out. "We're still here, 'Chiri. We ain't… we ain't gonna leave ya."

"Gomen no da… I knew you wouldn't… it's just, it's hard to focus, for some reason…"

"Don't apologize," Ritsuka practically demanded. She propped Chichiri's head up in her lap, wiping a thin trail of blood out of his face. "There, how… how's that? Comfortable?"

"Considering the circumstances, not bad," the monk said, managing a tiny chuckle. His misted eye closed for a moment, and he drew a long, shuddering breath.

Tasuki, terrified that it would be his last, squeezed his friend's hand so hard he thought he might break it. "Chichiri, matte! You can't! I..."

The monk opened his eye slowly, looking past his friend rather than at him. "Tasuki, can you promise me something no da?"

"Anything!" he said. "I'll do anything you want, anything at all, just please don't die on me Chichiri!"

The monk clasped his friend's hand tightly. "Look after the others for me, please. Ritsuka, Koji, Akai, Houki-sama, Kiori... especially Kiori... Protect them from that woman and her Elements... like I would've done no da."

"Chichiri, you're—"

"Promise me, please?"

Two tears slid down Tasuki's cheeks, striking his friend's torn shirt. "Y-yeah. I promise. But Chichiri, you won't, I mean, you _can't_..."

The monk sighed unhappily, and for the first time that evening he actually looked like he could feel the pain coursing through his body. "Gomen nasai, Tasuki. I came out here meaning to help everyone, but it looks like all I did was hurt you even more in the process no da. Maybe Ritsuka's right… it was pretty dumb of me..."

"What? No, Chichiri, I never meant that!" She sniffed hard, clenching her hands against the monk's tattered robe. "I never... I was just... Chichiri, you're one of the smartest, bravest people I know! You're the glue of our team, you know that!" She tried to push away the tears that refused to stay back. "That's why... that's why... we need you, Chichiri! You can't just leave us, not here, not like this..."

A ragged cough tore from the monk's throat, silencing the college girl. "I wish I could stay, Ritsuka. I _want_ to stay, but I…" He coughed again and another shiver rippled from his head to his feet. Ritsuka bit back a sob and said no more, watching as Chichiri's eye turned to Tasuki's golden ones. "Tasuki, can you get my mask for me? It's in my kesa no da. I'd... I'd like to die with it on."

"Would you stop saying things like that!" Tasuki cried. "If you die out here... if you leave me alone..."

"Tasuki, please," Ritsuka pleaded. The bandit glanced up at her for half a second, startled by the sudden change in his friend's appearance. The fiery young woman seemed to have caved in on herself, slumping to the ground, the battered monk still in her lap, unable to do anything but stroke his hair and brush away trickles of blood as he grew weaker and weaker beneath her helpless grasp. "_Please_," she whispered again. "Just give him what he wants. It's all we can do anymore."

Tasuki looked back down at his friend, felt the life force draining from the broken body, felt an emptiness growing inside his own chest – and nodded numbly. "Yeah. Sure. Okay." He rummaged around through his friend's cloak until he found what Chichiri had requested. He held the enchanted material up to the moonlight, memories of three unforgettable years running through his mind.

"Tasuki?" Chichiri said, voice barely a whisper anymore.

"I've got it," he assured him. Tasuki leaned forward and placed the mask lightly on his friend's face, where it seemed to mold perfectly to his features, magically wiping away the grimace of pain and the cuts and bruises until Chichiri looked just like he always did. A forever smiling face, filled with patience and humor, and always so much kindness for those around him…

Tasuki couldn't stand it anymore. The tears he'd kept at bay finally escaped, dripping onto his friends chest and mixing with the blood and magic from his fatal battle. The bandit jerked forward, still keeping a death-lock around Chichiri's fingers with one hand while the other grabbed at the monk's shoulder, shaking him gently to keep him conscious, to keep him going, if only for a little longer. "Chichiri, wait! Don't leave me! Please Chichiri! You can't! You gotta pull through this! If you die... if you die…"

The monk smiled, mask making it look as if he hadn't a care in the world. "Ne, you don't need to cry, Tasuki. I'm sure everything'll work out all right in the end... no da..."

Ritsuka felt his form go limp in her arms. Chichiri gave one short, shuddering breath as his hand slipped out of Tasuki's, coming to rest at his side on the red, blood-stained earth. Then, silence.

"Chi… Chichiri?" Tasuki called, still grasping at his friend's shoulder. "Chichiri!"

No answer.

The seishi slumped forward across the body, tears streaming helplessly down both cheeks. "No," he whispered, forehead resting lightly on the monk's shoulder. "No, no, no, no, no…"

"He died the way he lived," Ritsuka murmured numbly. "He must have been in _agony_... but he smiled right through it, did you notice that? He never once stopped smiling, even as the pain was killing him... he was only worried about us..." She trailed off, burying her face in her hands and sobbing helplessly.

Tasuki pulled back after a moment, still unable to stop the tears, still unable to say or do anything except watch his friend's face. His friend, the quiet protector, who always had a good word and a cheerful "no da" to make everyone feel better... good-natured, helpful... how could someone like that be taken away, all in one selfless action?

"It's not fair," he snarled. Tasuki closed his eyes tightly, collapsing back on his heels and slamming a fist into the ground. "Goddammit Suzaku, this isn't how it's supposed ta happen!"

Ritsuka looked up at the grief-stricken seishi. "Tasuki-chan..."

Tasuki stared at the ground. Chichiri was dead, he thought numbly. The heart and soul of the Suzaku seishi, the unnoticed leader... a true friend, _his_ friend... was dead. _'I never even thanked him, not really... I always just assumed he'd always be there... protectin' me and everyone else... Only now...'_

"Arigatou," he whispered, knowing it was too late to say everything he needed to say. Tasuki pushed his friend's sweat-drenched hair back and wiped a trickle of blood off of his mask. "There," he murmured to no one in particular. "Now he looks like himself – an eternally smilin' fallen hero. Like he… like he would've wanted." The seishi crumpled forward again, burying his face in the monk's battered cloak. "Chichiri... I'm so sorry..."

oOo

Koji turned his head away from the scene, blinking hurriedly at the tears that kept threatening to fall. He didn't have to hear the others to know what had happened. "Beware of repercussions... so this is what th' rhyme meant. Dammit, dammit all!"

oOo

Ritsuka jerked her eyes to the ground, gritting her teeth and seething at her utter helplessness. "Damn that Taiyou."

Tasuki's fists clenched against the monk's chest, as if hearing Ritsuka's words had brought him back to reality. He jerked his head up, eyes darting to the nearby battlefield, where Akai still grappled with the remaining Element. "_Taiyou_," he repeated, spitting the name as if it were poison. His Suzaku symbol flared a bright, angry red. "Taiyou..."

The seishi stood, unsheathing both sword and tessen and gripping them until his knuckles turned white. He walked slowly, deliberately, towards the bluff where Akai stood, eyeing her opponent and debating her next move. The tears in his golden eyes dried up with each step. There'd be time enough to cry later. There was something else he needed to do, now.

"Akai!" Tasuki ordered, voice racked with grief. "Step aside!"

The warrior girl obeyed without question, sheathing her sword and backing away. She glanced over at the bandit and gasped at the stains that streaked both of the bandit's cheeks. Tears sprang to her eyes as she whipped around to face the lifeless body of one of the seishi she so highly revered. "Oh, no." The girl crumpled to her knees, turning her eyes away from the terrible scene and back towards the seishi bandit – and the only warrior who could possibly defeat their enemy now.

Tasuki growled dangerously, blind rage filling his golden eyes. "C'mon Taiyou! You an' me, one-on-one t'the death!" He crouched in a fighter's stance, exhaustion forgotten in the midst of his sorrow and anger. He pointed his tessen at the Element, crimson aura building up around his trembling body. "You killed him, so now... so now I'm takin' you out!"

oOo

"_'...The last remaining member of the Suzaku seishi faced off against his deadly enemy, vowing to avenge the death of his beloved friend.'_" Tears flowed unchecked down Keisuke's face. "End Chapter Thirteen." He sighed, putting his head in his hands. "God, not this again."

--  
Tasuki: Chichiri... I can't believe it... all these years you've always been there, watchin' over us... I guess I took it for granted. But now, yer...  
Taiyou! I won't let you get away with this! I don't care what happens t'me, yer goin' down!  
The Next Episode of _Fushigi Yuugi: The Next Chapter:_ "An Unexpected Hero? The Battle Between Elements!"  
This can't be the end, Chichiri...  
--


	14. Episode Fourteen: An Unexpected Hero

**_Disclaimer_:** I still don't own Konan, Suzaku and all characters and seishi pertaining to them. Kiori and Ritsuka are and shall forever be mine, and that holds for all the other "originals" (you'll know 'em when they appear, trust me). Obviously the story is mine as well.

_**Rating:**_PG-13, for moderate language and violence.

**_Musical Selection: _**"Piece of Heaven" from Weiss Kreuz & "Rusty Nail" by X Japan (for the battle scenes)

* * *

**--Episode Fourteen: An Unexpected Hero--  
The Battle Between Elements!**

Taka jerked out of bed with a start, glancing back and forth as if expecting to find someone in the room with him. Had he been dreaming? He couldn't remember anything, but... something must have happened, something horrible, somewhere. Why else would he be drenched in such a cold sweat? His hand inched towards the phone by his bedside, but it rang before he could even pick up the receiver. Taka jumped out of bed and snatched it up. "Miaka?"

"Taka?" the person on the other line said.

"Oh thank goodness you're okay," both cried.

Taka frowned. "Eh? Me? Why wouldn't I be?"

The former Suzaku no Miko worked hard to keep the tremor out of her voice. "I... I'm not sure. I just woke up, suddenly, and I had this feeling like someone I loved was in trouble. I immediately thought of you, so..."

"The same thing just happened to me," Taka said. He sighed, running a hand through his short hair. "Hen no da (Too weird)…"

"Say that again," Miaka snapped into the phone.

"Eh? 'Hen (Weird)?' What about it?"

She heaved a tired sigh. "Oh, nothing. For a moment something you said had me thinking that I knew what was wrong, but... you don't think anything's happened to Onii-chan or Yui-chan, do you?"

Taka shook his head, even though she couldn't see him. "I wouldn't worry too much about it, Miaka." He chuckled a little, forcing a cheerfulness into his voice that he couldn't quite make real. "We ate late tonight. Maybe all that chicken sitting around in our stomachs is giving us weird dreams."

"Maybe..." she said. "I'm sorry to bother you."

"Hey, no problem, I was just about to call you myself. Get some sleep, all right? It's pretty late."

"You sound like my mom," Miaka said with a giggle. "All right. Oyasumi. Love you."

"Love you too," Taka hung up the phone, staring into the murky blackness of his room and thinking about that line, the line Miaka had said was bothering her. "...no da..."

oOo

"C'mon Taiyou, you 'n' me, one-on-one t'the death!"

Mizu and the other Elements heard and saw Tasuki's challenge through her seeing-crystal, a hundred different emotions running through each of their young minds. Sora frowned and murmured into Kaze's ear – because of course she could never let her Lady hear such treacherous thoughts, "It's strange, but I almost feel sorry for them. Even though I know this is war… still, to watch a loved one die is a bit too familiar for my tastes…"

When her friend didn't respond, she chanced a glance at his face. The Sky Element's frown deepened into a disapproving scowl – the look of intense excitement etched across Kaze's features made her want to slap him again. He flicked his eyes over to hers for a small moment and whispered back, "I dunno what y'have t'feel so sorry for. We killed one-a their strongest, _an'_ Tsuki's dead." He pulled his lips back in a half-snarl, half-smirk. "That's what th' bastard gets fer breakin' my ribs like that."

Sora felt her cheeks flare with anger and she whirled her head in the other direction, towards Tsuchi. She studied him for a moment, trying to understand his bunched-up eyebrows and puzzled frown. "Ne, Tsuchi-kun? Daijou—?" The boy shushed her and pointed forward, to the trembling back of their youngest member. "Ah, Mizu-chan…"

A single tear ran down Mizu's cheek, spotting the triangle-patterned robe she wore around her shoulders. "Houjun."

"Mizu-chan, whatever is the matter?" asked Setsuka, placing a gentle hand on the girl's shoulder.

"Ah!" The Water Element jerked her head up and scrubbed a hand over her eyes. "It's… ah… It's Tsuki, my Lady. I'm sorry, but he was one of us, and now to think of him… d-dead…" At the word "dead" her eyes filled with tears again and she whirled, clutching at Setsuka's robe. "Gomen nasai, Setsuka-sama. May I please be excused? _Please_?"

Setsuka stroked a hand lightly over Mizu's hair, glancing back at the other Elements. The Lady of Takkan smiled serenely. "Of course you may be excused, Mizu-chan. And you needn't apologize. The death of a friend—" Kaze tried hard not to snort at the idea "—is always difficult. Why don't the four of you go to bed, and not worry about all of this anymore? But please, as you sleep tonight, take comfort in knowing that Tsuki did not die in vain; with him goes a powerful, evil enemy."

Mizu tore out of Setsuka's arms and dashed out of the room before the others even had a chance to stand, her crystals buzzing miserably behind her.

"Poor Mizu-chan," Tsuchi said with a sigh. "She took his death so hard. I didn't know the two of them were friends."

"I didn't think Tsuki _had_ friends," Kaze snickered.

Sora shot her comrade a death glare, then turned back to her mistress. "Setsuka-sama, aren't you going to bed as well?"

"Oh, in a moment, my dear," Setsuka assured her. "I must go to the battlefield now, to retrieve Tsuki. I should be back before long."

"Before long?" Kaze raised an eyebrow. "But ain't th' site of th' battle almost a four days' walk from—"

Setsuka held a finger to her lips, effectively silencing the boy. Her golden ki glowed about her body, though now the young Elements could pick up sparks of silver in the icy life force. She flashed them a small, secretive smile, then disappeared in a flash of light.

Kaze's eyes widened. "Tsuki's power... but how…?"

Sora rubbed hard at her temples. "Don't think too much about it, Kaze. There are some things about Her Ladyship that we simply shouldn't question." The Sky Element glanced at Tsuchi, surprised to see him still biting his lip in that look of utter confusion. "Oi, Tsuchi-kun. I'm not tired yet, and I know Kaze's always full of energy. Why don't we go down to the kitchens and see if we can find something to eat?"

"I don't understand…" Tsuchi murmured, scrunching his eyebrows together as he stared hard at the floor. "Setsuka-sama told us that our enemies were cruel and evil, and that's why we had to defeat them. But…" he jerked his head up towards the older Elements, searching for answers in their twin gazes. "But all of them are so emotional about the death of one of their own, while Mizu-chan is the only one of us who even _cares_ that Tsuki-san is dead!"

"That's not true," Sora said, shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot. "Just because we didn't like Tsuki doesn't mean we don't _care_ that he's dead. He was a powerful ally. His skills will be missed."

"That's exactly what I'm talking about!" Tsuchi cried. "All Sora-senpai can think about is his 'value' as a fighter, and all Kaze can think about is how much longer it'll be before _he's_ fighting a Konan Warrior. And I can't even think about anything, really, except that I'm worried about Mizu-chan, and I'm just trying to understand all of this. But that doesn't count as _care_! There aren't any tears in that, Senpai!"

Kaze stretched his arms behind his head, raising an eyebrow at the boy. "So we didn't like Tsuki, big deal. It's not like he gave us much of a personality _to_ like, y'know. What's yer point here, Tsuchi-kun?"

"My point?" the young Element glanced down again, clasping his hands tightly behind his back. "I… I'm not sure, exactly…"

A comforting hand clapped down on one of Tsuchi's shoulders. The boy's eyes widened and his head shot up again, only to find Kaze grinning down at him and flashing a thumbs-up. "C'mon, yer too young t'be thinkin' such heavy thoughts. Leave all that mess t'her Ladyship an' Sora-chan th' Worrywart over here." The Sky Element flushed but said nothing. "Now I'm pretty sure I jus' heard mention of a kitchen raid. You up fer it, kid?"

Tsuchi rubbed hard at his nose, but he couldn't stop a small smile from spreading across his face. "How do you get away with calling me 'kid'? You're only a year older than me, you know…" He turned his gaze towards the two older Elements, nodding resolutely. "Okay! I won't think about it, not right now anyway. I'll just trust in her Ladyship. After all, everything she does is for the right reasons."

Sora nodded. "Absolutely."

But even as he followed his friends back down the hallways of the Takkan Palace, Tsuchi couldn't help but think to himself, _'We _are_ right... aren't we?'_

oOo

Kiori had been riding hard across Konan's plains when she felt the dimly throbbing life force in the kesa-sash at her waist plummet to almost nothing. She sucked in air, gripping tightly at the reins and praying that it didn't mean what she thought it meant. "No... please, please, no... not Chichiri, God no, not Chichiri..."

The monk's ki pulsed once, then seemed to vanish altogether. The young woman felt tears in the corners of her eyes as she grabbed the cloth in her free hand, throwing her will into each of her words. "Hang on, please... CHICHIRI!"

oOo

Ritsuka had stayed with the fallen monk even after his final breath, too exhausted in both body and mind to bother moving. She blinked hurriedly at the tears that threatened to fall again, berating herself the entire way. "Stop it, Ritsu. It won't help anything, getting all weepy like some little kid… you've, you've got to be a man about this…"

The college student stopped mid-sentence, her breath catching in her throat. She jerked her head down towards the monk, unable to believe what she'd just felt – and what she might have just seen. Was it possible... however briefly, however shallowly… had Chichiri just taken a _breath_?

"Chi... Chichiri?" He didn't respond, and if his chest was moving the redhead certainly couldn't sense it. Ritsuka sighed heavily, fighting back another sob. "All these stupid tears must be playing tricks on my eyes, I guess."

oOo

Taiyou eyed his new opponent with a confident smile. "You? Battle _me_? Have you completely lost your mind? You're as exhausted as your friends, and if you fight me you'll be as dead as that one, too."

"Urusai!" Tasuki shouted, tears glistening in his eyes.

Akai, who had hurried out of the seishi's way and up the hill to check on Koji, now looked up. The injured bandit followed her gaze, both watching as their enraged, sorrow-filled friend crouched into a dangerous fighting stance. The warrior girl's eyes widened, and even Koji had to breathe a short, awe-filled sigh.

"So_ this_ is what it means to be a seishi…" Akai whispered.

Tasuki gripped the handle of his tessen tightly as his eyes burned into Taiyou's cool gaze. The symbol on his arm flared like a beacon, and his crimson ki seemed to wash the entire field in a brilliant, blood-red glow.

"Even if I die... I don't care if you kill me, Taiyou. That doesn't matter... but..." Tasuki unsheathed his sword in one swift motion and pointed it straight at his enemy's chest. "But I won't let you escape, I won't let you get away from here alive. Not after what... you did to Chichiri!"

oOo

There! Ritsuka was sure of it this time. Chichiri's eyelid had definitely twitched, just a little. She grabbed at his uninjured arm, grappling for a pulse.

The redhead nearly fainted from relief. "Yokatta." It was only the tiniest, smallest bit of a heartbeat, but he was alive. Somehow, he was still alive. "Chichiri, please hang on! I'll just... I'll..." Ritsuka looked around helplessly, then turned back to the monk, gripping his hand between her own. "Hang on to that thread of life, Chichiri! Please, for Tasuki-chan's sake!"

oOo

Tasuki charged, tessen held at his side like a shield and sword pointed forward for the killing strike. Taiyou raised his staff to guard, but at the last moment Tasuki pivoted on his foot and darted to the right, slashing forward at an unguarded spot between his enemy's ribs. The Sun Element gasped at the movement and jerked out an arm, throwing up a small golden shield. Tasuki's blade glanced off the edge of it, but before he could try a second strike Taiyou batted the sword away with his staff, taking a couple of cautious steps back and smiling at the bandit seishi with a new respect in his eyes. "Well, you _are_ fast. It's a good thing I don't have to worry about being quick when I have these force fields, don't you agree?"

The seishi didn't bother answering. He planted his feet and swung his tessen around, the familiar spell already on his lips. "REKKA SHIN'EN!"

The blaze lit up the valley in a dancing pattern of red-and-gold. As soon as the flames cleared enough for Tasuki to see, the seishi threw himself back into the fight, hoping to catch his enemy off guard, but his sword only bounced harmlessly off another golden barrier, and Taiyou blocked the searching tips of the tessen without much trouble. The two glared at one another for a short moment, then backed away, both fighting to catch their breaths.

"Nice," Taiyou heaved, trying to remain composed. "I had to use… my full strength on that one. You aren't bad at all… for an injured idiot."

"Damn his shields," Koji muttered as Akai ripped off part of her shirttail and laid it across the nasty cut on his back.

"How's that?" she asked, eyes flitting back and forth between the injured bandit and the battle raging on in front of her.

Koji waved a dismissive hand, barely noticing the strip of cloth across his back – or even the pain leaking out from beneath the blood-stained material. He, like Akai, couldn't turn his eyes away from the battle, and whatever energy he might have had left was focused entirely on pleading with Suzaku to help his friend win.

oOo

Setsuka reappeared on the battlefield, towards the bottom of the valley and some distance away from the others. She watched with cold, calculating eyes as Taiyou threw up another shield and Tasuki slammed him with a blast of fire. The Element's barrier quivered under the blow but remained intact, however shakily, but the seishi bandit didn't even give him a chance to recover. Tasuki stepped into close range again, pressing out with his sword whenever he thought he caught an opening and, even though Taiyou always, always blocked it, each time the shield came a little bit slower, a little bit weaker, and the haggard look in his eyes betrayed his growing fatigue.

The Lady's hand strayed to the glowing red gem on her neck, but as soon as her fingers brushed the bright jewel she had to pull away, gasping for breath. "By the gods… he's practically on fire himself. I've never felt _anything_ like this before, not from any of the others." She watched as Taiyou swung his staff around, narrowly deflecting Tasuki's searching blade. "If that seishi's own fatigue does not catch up with him, and soon, Taiyou will never be able to survive."

She smiled viciously, glancing over to where Chichiri lay, still cradled in the redheaded woman's lap. "Still, he had his uses for a time." Her eyes strayed back to the battle; she, like everyone else present, couldn't seem to take her eyes off the seishi who battled with nothing but a fistful of energy and raw, powerful emotion. "Perhaps I underestimated my enemies. I always knew they were strong, but this... this _feeling_..." Her smile curled into a sneer. "Then again, maybe I can use even _that_ to my advantage."

The Lady of Takkan glanced over at Tsuki emotionlessly. He had served few purposes in his short time with her, other than delivering messages to and from the Takkan camp, which she could do on her own, now. Setsuka sniffed contemptuously and turned away from his body. Unnoticed by the Konan Warriors, she teleported over to where Ritsuka was sitting.

oOo

Kiori glanced down at the piece of kesa in her hand, allowing a tiny smile at her latest discovery. Every time she felt Chichiri's life force begin to diminish, she squeezed that cloth as hard as she could and shouted out the monk's name. He returned to her every time, if just barely. But that "just barely" would have to be enough until she could reach the battlefield and attend to his injuries in person.

_'Still, I can't waste even one second congratulating myself on something as trivial as _that_. Chichiri's life could lay in the balance of that one second,'_ she chided herself, urging her horse forward and following the feel of the monk's life force. _'I can't let him die... not Chichiri, not the first person who ever understood me, the first person who I ever...'_

She sped up as his life force dimmed again, gripping the sash until her knuckles turned white. "Chichiri, don't you dare die on me!"

oOo

Ritsuka never even glanced up when the Lady of Takkan appeared just a few meters behind her. She was far too busy worrying about the task at hand. The redhead kept her eyes planted Chichiri's face and her hand grasped to his wrist, always seeking that tiny bit of a pulse that kept fading and returning, fading and returning. She kept up a string of muttered encouragements under her breath, unsure if he could hear her but knowing that it made her feel better, at least. "Come _on_ Chichiri, I know you can pull through this... so just wait up, and once Tasuki-chan finishes whipping this kid we can go back to the palace and fix you up... huh, and me too, while we're at it, these busted bones are killing me..."

Setsuka watched her for a moment, a hungry grin flashing across her features at the sight of the injured redhead, then turned her attention to the surrounding area. _'If I can just find a rock of some sort, or maybe a branch…' _Her eyes fell on Chichiri's staff, which had jerked out of his hand when he'd hit the ground. She bit back a laugh and picked it up with special care, but the small rings jingled despite her efforts.

The sound made Ritsuka's head snap up. She whirled, half-expecting to see Koji and Akai moving towards her, but instead found herself staring into the beautiful, cruel face of the Lady of Takkan. "Hey, what—?"

The end of the staff crashed into the side of Ritsuka's skull. The redhead collapsed with one short, strangled cry, and moved no more.

Setsuka chuckled viciously and knelt beside her victim. She grabbed at the girl's wrist, preparing to teleport back to the palace with her, when the jerking movements of the nearby body caught her attention. The Lady whipped her head around to face the fallen seishi and gasped. Chichiri's chest was rising and falling! His breaths huffed out in such short, shallow gasps that it was almost impossible to tell, but there was no mistaking it. The monk had managed to survive – for the moment, at least.

"These seishi really are as amazing as everyone says," Setsuka admitted, a hint of awe in her voice. Her blood-red lips curled back into another deadly smile as she realized exactly what this meant. "A female hostage is all well and good, but this seishi..." she chuckled, "this seishi will be priceless."

oOo

Akai had managed to help Koji to his feet, and with one of his arms slung across her thin shoulders the pair had begun the slow and steady journey towards their other injured companion – and the body of their fallen friend. The Palace Warrior caught a flash of movement out of the corner of her eye and happened to glance away from the battle just as Setsuka struck. "Holy..."

Koji's half-asleep gaze flickered upwards. "Hey, ain't that..." he jerked awake with a start. "What th' hell is _she_ doin' here?"

Akai didn't bother to answer, but instead ducked out from under Koji's arm and drew her sword, sprinting across the battlefield with whatever fragments of energy she still had left. "Let go of him you witch!" she screamed as Setsuka pressed her palm against the monk's battered chest. "Don't you dare lay a hand on Chichiri-sama, you hear me!"

The Lady of Takkan glanced up, still smiling her nastiest. Setsuka seemed on the verge of standing and fighting back, but just as Akai drew within striking distance she disappeared, laughing at the girl's vain efforts. Akai swung her sword at the air, crying into the evening sky, "Come back here with Chichiri-sama!"

oOo

Kiori frowned. "Something's wrong," she thought aloud, clutching at Chichiri's kesa. "Only…" she bunched her eyebrows together, trying to search for the life force that had seemed so near just seconds ago. "It isn't that he's dying… it's like, like he's farther away. And more to the west, too…"

The college woman turned her eyes to the horizon, heart leaping in her chest as she spotted the red and orange flares of battle just beyond the next hill. Ignoring the link that urged her to change directions, she continued on towards the fight.

oOo

Tasuki backed away from the Element, surprised to find that his feet didn't quite want to obey him like they had just a few minutes before. He gasped for breath, skittering to the side as one of Taiyou's ki blasts careened towards him, creating yet another crater in the battle-scarred landscape. Tasuki squinted his eyes against the golden glow of his enemy's staff and shoved all of his energy into his feet. _'There's no way that kid can attack an' defend all at once,' _he thought hurriedly. _'If I hit him right after he does one-a those shot things, I can get him.' _He gulped down another mouthful of air, feeling his legs quiver beneath him. _'One hit. Gotta get him in one hit.' _Taiyou drew back his weapon, powering up for another deadly explosion.

"Now!" Tasuki snarled as the ball of energy burst out of the staff.

His legs tensed beneath him and he sprang to the side, narrowly avoiding the ki-blast before whirling and charging at Taiyou in a dead sprint._'One hit…'_ he hissed to himself, sword cocked at his shoulder. _'That's all – I'll – need!'_

Taiyou saw the bandit coming, though just barely.

Tasuki swung.

Taiyou swung.

The two weapons clashed against each other, blade grinding against staff, and the twin pairs of golden eyes met across the weapons for the briefest of moments.

But then Taiyou smirked and jerked back his weapon, ducking to the side and leaving Tasuki with nothing to grapple but air. The seishi cursed and whirled to attack again, but his feet faltered and he stumbled for the tiniest bit of a second. That was all the time Taiyou needed. The Element took one step back, drew his staff to his shoulder, and swung the weapon forward with all of his might.

The heavy metal globe at the end of the staff slammed into Tasuki's shoulder with a sickening crunch, echoing around the clearing like a death knell. The seishi drew one quick, shuddering gasp of pain, and his eyes nearly rolled back into his head as the sword slid out of his numbed hand and fell to the ground with a foreboding thud. The power of Taiyou's hit sent Tasuki stumbling forward a few more steps, until he finally lost his footing and dropped like a stone.

Akai held her breath. "No. Not Tasuki-sama too..."

Ritsuka stirred in the warrior girl's lap, eyes fluttering open. She attempted to sit up, but a wave of throbbing pain that raced from temple to temple sent her right back to the ground. The tips of her fingers touched the blood-drenched coat Tasuki had loaned Chichiri. Ritsuka rolled over, watching the bandit with concerned, half-closed eyes. "Tasuki-chan..."

"Hmph. Yappari (I thought so)," Taiyou remarked, leaning heavily on his staff. "If you'd figured out that little weakness of mine sooner, you might've actually scratched me. But you didn't learn until you were too tired to do it right, and it was indeed your undoing, friend Element." He heaved his staff back into his hands, pointing the globe at the fallen seishi. "Any final requests, Last…?"

Koji's jaw dropped. Akai's hand flew to her mouth. Even Taiyou trailed off, eyes widening in complete disbelief.

Tasuki, against the bleeding slashes that Tsuki had inflicted, against the arm that dangled limply at his side, against the legs that threatened to fall out from under him and against every screaming muscle in his body – against all of that, Tasuki started to stand. His ki flared out around his body as he turned slowly, deliberately, each step another challenge, until he faced his Elemental opponent once more. The seishi gripped his tessen in his trembling left hand – it wasn't his strong hand, but he'd have to deal with that. His eyes met Taiyou's in a blaze of hatred. "Final request? Only to see you dead, bastard!"

Ritsuka chuckled weakly. "That's more like it, baka."

The Element heaved a sigh, eying the seishi with a skeptical glance. "This must be some kind of a joke. You're actually getting up for another round? How's that shoulder feeling? I must have crushed every bone in it, judging by that noise." Tasuki staggered and Taiyou scoffed. "Look at that, you barely have the energy to stand. I could kill you with one shot."

"I already told you," Tasuki growled between gasping breaths, "it doesn't matter if I die. If that's the way it goes, then I'll take it like a man. I can handle that. But the one thing... the one thing I_can't_ allow... is fer an asshole like you t'get away from here alive." He pushed himself into a fighter's crouch, tessen resting at his hip. "Ready, Element?"

"Whenever you are," Taiyou said with a small chuckle.

Akai bit her lip, brain whirring at a thousand miles an hour. _'This is bad…' _she lamented, scanning the battle with a trained warrior's eye. _'Tasuki-sama's exhausted his seishi strength_and_ his human strength almost to the max, and his flames won't even work against Taiyou's stupid shield…'_

The warrior girl's eyes lit up. "That's it!" Akai glanced down at Ritsuka, who still had her half-open eyes pinned on the battle. "Ne, Ritsuka-san? I just remembered something important that Chichiri-sama told us, and I'm about to get very loud, so sorry if I hurt your ears, okay?" Then she threw back her head and screamed out from where she sat, "Tasuki-sama! Listen to me! Your flames can't penetrate the barrier, but your _tessen_ can!"

The seishi glanced blankly over at Akai, blinking at her a few times, desperate to process her words. _'My flames… an' th' tessen…?' _He looked down at the metal fan in his hand, then back at Akai, then back at the tessen. Then, as everything clicked into place, he gripped the weapon and nodded, attempting a grin that fell just short. _'One last sprint,'_ he pleaded to Suzaku, wherever he was. _'All I need outta your power is one last sprint, an' then you can take it away, for all I care. But I need one more, okay?'_ Tasuki's symbol flared again; it was time. He coiled his legs underneath his body and launched himself at the Element.

Taiyou smiled contemptuously, throwing up a shield as Tasuki got within range. _'Ch! Ahou. He should know by now that it doesn't matter how fast he tries to run – he can't penetrate my barrier.'_

Taiyou was right. Tasuki himself _couldn't_ penetrate the force field. But the Element had forgotten something that Akai hadn't: even an Element couldn't stand against a weapon created for a Suzaku shichiseishi.

Tasuki drove his tessen through the orange barrier, pressing the tips of the fan right against Taiyou's forehead. The Element understood what was happening too late. "Nande..."

"REKKA SHIN'EN!"

Flames burst into the sky, enveloping seishi and Element alike. Koji, Akai and Ritsuka squinted their eyes against the brilliant light, holding their breath and waiting to see what had become of their brave, reckless companion.

oOo

Kiori saw Tasuki use his tessen just as she rounded the hilltop. Her horse pulled back, unwilling to enter the valley where the fire raged so fiercely. Kiori shaded her eyes and cursed under her breath. "What the hell…?"

oOo

After what seemed an eternity, the inferno thinned out and finally disappeared. Taiyou – or what was left of him – lay splayed out on the battlefield, little more than a charred husk. Tasuki stood on trembling legs several yards away, watching the smoke clear with watering eyes. The flames had shredded his white undershirt, and burn marks laced his chest, face, and forearms, but he seemed otherwise unharmed. He'd managed to avoid the worst of the blast, at least.

"I won..." he muttered as if awakening from a dream. With the battle finished, the seishi's strength at last deserted him and he crumpled to his knees. He buried the tips of his tessen in the earth, setting his hand atop the hilt and his forehead on top of his hand. The pain in his shoulder was unbearable, and the burns along the front of his body throbbed dully, but Tasuki hardly noticed it. He was only thinking about one thing... or rather, about one person. "I won, but... but what th' hell difference does it make, anyway?"

Koji bit his lip hard; he could tell by the up and down movement of his wounded friend's shoulders that he was crying.

"Koji! Ne, ne, Ko-ji!"

The bandit leader looked over his shoulder, searching for the familiar voice. Still blinking back purple spots from the earlier blaze, he watched a young woman riding down the hill towards him. It took him a moment to realize that he knew that short brown hair and those shy, patient green eyes. "Kiori?" he asked weakly.

The college girl jumped off her horse and rushed over to the bandit. "Oh, Koji, you're bleeding! Here, let me help…" she threw open her medical kit and dug around for some bandages, saying as she did, "What happened?"

He sighed, shaking his head. "Way too damn much, Kiori... way too damn much. Tasuki, 'n' th' battle, an' then there's Chichiri... damn those Elements..."

Kiori sighed, gently stripping off the bandit's outer shirt and stretching a long strip of white cloth around his chest. "Koji, you really aren't making much sense."

"Wari (Sorry), Kiori, it's just... dammit all, it's everythin'," he gestured helplessly to his bandit friend, sobbing miserably in the midst of all that destruction; to Ritsuka, who sat clutching Tasuki's jacket to her chest like she was afraid _it_ might disappear too; and finally to a teary-eyed, numbed Akai. "And that woman... an' Chichiri..."

Kiori's breath caught in her throat. "Koji, where's Chichiri?" He muttered something she couldn't hear. "Koji, where is he?"

"I don't know," the bandit leader admitted. "Akai went t'go see what was goin' on, you'll have t'talk t'her... dammit, dammit all..."

Kiori opened her mouth to snap at her fellow warrior, but remembered that he was injured, tired and obviously troubled by whatever had happened. "Okay," she said gently. "I'm gonna go talk to Akai now." She pinned up the bandage, patting his back to make sure everything would stay in place. "You just rest here, okay? Don't push yourself."

He managed a quick nod. Kiori jogged across the field, flashing a worried look at Tasuki before deciding that it was best to leave him alone for now. Sometimes people just needed to cry. The college woman trotted up to Ritsuka, jaw dropping at the sight of the bleeding gash in the side of her friend's head. "Oh my God, Ritsuka! Are you okay? What happened?"

"They took him!" Ritsuka sobbed miserably, burying her head in a clean patch of Tasuki's jacket. "That woman... she took him with her, and like an idiot I just sat there and let her... like some silly, helpless little _girl_ I let her knock me out and take him! Dammit, dammit, _dammit_!"

Kiori rubbed her temples and took a deep breath. "Ritsuka, I don't understand. Who took _who_, and what...?"

Akai walked up quietly behind her friend. "There was a battle, Kiori-san. Chichiri-sama was... he was..." she gulped hard. "Chichiri-sama was... he was trying to save us—"

"_ME_!" Ritsuka interrupted. "Trying to save _me_, because I couldn't defend myself... because I'm such a helpless _idiot_..."

Akai went on. "Chichiri-sama killed Tsuki, but the other brother, Taiyou, he hit Chichiri-sama at the same time. He was hurt, badly... and then... Kiori-san, Chichiri-sama, he..."

"No," Kiori whispered, gripping at her kesa-sash. "Chigau yo (You're wrong), Akai!"

The warrior girl misunderstood her words. "I'm sorry, but it's true. Tasuki-sama fought Taiyou, and just now won, only... only that _woman_, that Setsuka, she..."

"Akai, spit it out, please!"

"She took him, she took Chichiri-sama!" Akai blurted, fists bunching up at her sides. "That wicked... how _could_ she, Kiori-san? Hadn't he suffered enough? Oooh, I can't bear the thought of him in that horrid place... What would that twisted witch want with his body, anyway?" The warrior girl sniffed hard, feeling tears gathering at the corners of her eyes again. "And I almost had her, too..."

"He's not dead," Ritsuka said, voice barely above a whisper.

Akai whirled on her. "He... he's what?"

"He's not dead," she said again. "He was alive... somehow..." the college woman slammed her fist into the ground. "I shouldn't have let her take him! How couldn't I have heard her behind me, until that last second... dammit, he could have lived! But now... oh, Chichiri..."

Kiori glanced back and forth between her friends – at Akai, bravely fighting back her tears, and at Ritsuka, who couldn't seem to stop crying. She closed her eyes and tightened her fists around Chichiri's sash. _'No! I will _not_ let Chichiri's life end this way! Not at the hands of that woman! Not Chichiri... I won't!'_

The words were out of her mouth before she even had time to think them. "I'm going after him."

Ritsuka's head snapped up. "N-nani…?"

Her friend's green eyes, normally so peaceful and timid, now seemed fierce and alive with a protective passion – and something else as well, something Ritsuka couldn't quite place. "I'm going after Chichiri. I'll find him at that palace, and I'll bring him home. Alive."

"But Kiori-san," Akai protested, "you don't know where the Takkan Palace is, and even if you got there, how would you plan on getting in and finding him?"

"I don't know how I'll get him out," she admitted. "I'll figure that out when I get there. As for finding him…" she held up part of her kesa-sash. "Chichiri gave me this before he left. We're… connected, sort of. It led me here, and my voice helped keep him alive for a while. So, so maybe it can save him, too."

Akai straightened her tired shoulders. "Then I'm coming with you. If you run into trouble you'll need someone with you who can fight, and—"

Kiori smiled sadly and shook her head. "Akai, you're exhausted. Don't try hiding it – you can't do everything, you know. Besides," she glanced over her shoulder at the two bandits, then down to Ritsuka, still sitting on the bloodied ground, "look around you. These guys are hurt, and just as tired as you are. They need someone to get them home safely. I think…" she took a deep breath, "I think this is something I'll just have to do on my own."

"But_ why_, Kiori-san? You're not a warrior – why are you risking your life like this, and all by yourself, too?"

The college woman glanced at the ground, noticing the monk's kasa lying nearby. She walked over and picked it up, dusting bits of grass off the top and turning the battered straw hat over and over in her hands. "It's funny…" she murmured, more to herself than to the other girls, "but I was thinking about it, and you know, I don't think I've ever done a thing for anyone else in my entire life. Even working at the infirmary, I'm just doing it so I can feel useful, so I can see people smile at me and tell me how grateful they are for my help. The more I think about it, the more I think I'm probably the most selfish person in the world, really." She chuckled. "I'm a coward, too – the thought of going into Takkan by myself makes me want to find a bed and hide under it. But, for some reason, when I pictured Chichiri trapped in there, the idea 'I'll rescue him' just popped up in my head, and as soon as I said it I knew it was going to happen." She glanced back at Akai, smiling that sad smile of hers. "I have no idea why I'm doing this, to tell you the truth. Strange, isn't it? But, I just..."

Akai opened her mouth to protest again, but Ritsuka cut her off. "Let her go, Akai. She's the only hope Chichiri's got." The redhead forced herself to stand, meeting her friend's eyes. "My scroll told me to follow my heart in any decisions I made. Well, I guess I'll have to, since I sure as hell can't trust my head after a hit like that." It was a weak attempt at a joke, but Ritsuka felt that she had to say something to lighten the dead weight in her chest. "And my heart's telling me to let you go... maybe my heart's as stupid as my brain, but it's all I've got to go on, right now. Ganbare."

Kiori wasn't sure why, but suddenly she felt like crying, too. "Ritsuka..."

"Here," the redhead unbuckled her belt, complete with scabbard and sword, and handed them over to her friend. "You might need that, in case you run into trouble. It's the least I can do, after how stupid and useless I've been."

"You never been stupid or useless a day in your life," Kiori said, buckling the weapon around her waist. "Arigatou." Her eyes flicked over to the warrior girl again. "Akai, can I use your horse? Mine's wiped out."

The palace warrior nodded, following Kiori over to where her animal stood tethered to one of the few nearby trees. "Kiori-san, are you_sure_ you want to do this?" she asked again.

"I've never been more certain of anything in my life," she said, setting her jaw in a resolute line, but the look of strength disappeared in an instant as her eyes lit up and she slapped her forehead. "Accha (Oh, crap)! I almost forgot!" Kiori rummaged through her medicine bag and pulled out a roll of bandages. "I took care of Koji, more-or-less, but you'll need these for Ritsuka and her head, and for Tasuki and his..." she glanced at the motionless seishi, "well, for everything, I suppose. Here's some salve to put on those burns, too. Oh! And one more thing," she reached into the bag again, this time snatching out a small vial. "Give this to Ritsuka and Tasuki. I think Koji should be all right without it, and you might need him to help keep Tasuki on his horse."

"What is it?" Akai asked, holding up the vial and studying the thick liquid inside.

"A sedative, of sorts," Kiori said with a small chuckle. "One tube of it will knock out a full-grown elephant for a week. Just give each of them a drop; it'll keep 'em out for a couple nights or so." She sighed, looking at both redheads. "They need it, for their injuries. Emotional _and_ physical."

Akai nodded again, tucking the vial into her shirt. She watched as Kiori looped Chichiri's hat over her head, letting it settle at the base of her neck. Seeing that kasa, Akai couldn't help but sniffle back another wave of tears. "Kiori-san, please bring him back safely. Tasuki-sama... Ritsuka-san... Houki-sama, Koji-san and I, we all need him."

Kiori smiled at her friend. It was a sad smile, and yet, for the first time in a long time, it was also filled with so much hope. "So do I, Akai. Which is why I'll come back with Chichiri, or I won't come back at all."

Akai returned the smile. "Y'know, my mother used to say that even the most peaceful of people could become fierce warriors, when they were protecting the ones they loved."

"Mm? What's that supposed to mean?"

The warrior girl shook her head. "Nothing, Kiori-san. Have a safe journey." Akai waited until Kiori had swung herself into the saddle, then turned on her heel and jogged back to where Ritsuka had crumpled to the ground again. The redhead watched with sad blue eyes as Kiori adjusted the reins and shot a glance back across the clearing. The two waved at each other, but there was something heavier in Ritsuka's wave, something that suggested a final farewell instead of a brief parting.

Kiori sighed. "I'll be back, Ritsu," she murmured under her breath. "I promise."

She kicked the animal into a fast run and, following the feel of her sash, turned northwest. She rounded a hill, and was soon lost to sight.

Akai wrapped a hasty bandage around Ritsuka's head and helped her stumble over to one of the horses. Once she'd assisted the girl in mounting and given her a quick drop of Kiori's sedative, she moved to check on Koji.

"Where's Kiori goin'?" he asked, heaving himself up with the aid of his younger friend.

Akai made sure the bandit was steady before releasing her hold. He swayed a bit, but managed to stay on his feet without much trouble. The warrior girl flashed him a smile that she didn't really feel. "Kiori went after Chichiri. Good news – he isn't dead yet."

"Yet," he echoed cryptically.

Akai shifted from foot to foot. "I'm sorry to ask this of you, Koji-san, but..." her gaze trailed towards Tasuki. "He's in no condition to walk, and there's no way I can get him onto a horse by myself..."

The bandit flashed her a crooked smile. "I think I c'n manage _that_ little bit-a work, Akai-chan."

The two steered one of the five horses over to the seishi, who hadn't budged since his battle with Taiyou. Akai touched a timid hand to his shoulder. "Ano… Tasuki-sama? We need to get going. Back to the palace."

The seishi offered her nothing more than an exhausted grunt. Akai sighed and eased him onto his heels, tending to his heavier injuries while Koji tucked his tessen back into its sheath. Tasuki said nothing throughout the exchange, and barely even moved when Akai's hand accidentally brushed up against a nasty burn across his chest.

Koji shot the girl a worried glance. "We need t'get him home, an' quick. I'm startin' t'think he's goin' inta shock 'r somethin'."

Akai nodded and reached down a hand to help heave Tasuki to his feet, then slapped her forehead in a perfect imitation of Kiori from earlier. "Accha, I almost forgot too!" She tugged the small vial of medicine out of her pocket, holding it up in front of the bandit. "This should help," she assured Koji before turning back to Tasuki and murmuring in a quiet, soothing voice, "Ne, Tasuki-sama, drink this please."

He didn't seem to hear her, so Koji leaned forward and dipped the small bottle up to his friend's mouth. "C'mon Genrou, if ya don't take yer medicine like a good boy then I ain't givin' ya any sake later."

He opened his mouth enough for the drop to slide in, then promptly dropped his head again. Koji and Akai sighed. "Here comes the hard part," the warrior girl muttered, bracing her hands under Tasuki's uninjured shoulder.

With Akai tugging at his arm and Koji shoving at his back the two managed to hoist the battered bandit to his feet, taking extra care not to touch his shattered right shoulder. Tasuki blinked back a few sleepy tears, glancing up at the four riderless horses and Ritsuka's mount, all of whom had followed Akai and Koji to the battlefield. "Ch'chiri?" He murmured through a head that felt like it was filled with cotton.

"I'll explain everythin' on the way there," Koji assured him, helping his friend into the saddle and clambering on behind him. "In th' meantime, jus' try t'relax, okay Genrou?"

oOo

"'_And so the Konan Warriors, after a desperate, vicious battle, finally returned home – where they could do nothing but survive, and rest, and pray for their comrades' safe return.'_" Keisuke heaved a sigh and rubbed a hand over his eyes. "Yareyare. This book'll give me a heart attack for sure. End Chapter Fourteen."

--  
Akai: Tasuki-sama defeated his Element, and Chichiri-sama's alive… for now, at least. Ooooh, what's that horrible Setsuka going to do with him? If she lays even one hand on him I'll… I'll…!  
Kiori-san, I'll take care of everyone back at the palace – so please, make sure that you bring Chichiri-sama home safely. And don't get into any trouble yourself, either! Like joining up with outlaws and things like that, and… eh? Who's that woman you're talking to? Ki-o-ri-saaaan!  
The Next Episode of _Fushigi Yuugi: The Next Chapter_: "On Enemy Ground – The Aid of Earth and Water!"  
Take care, Kiori-san…  
--

* * *

**_Ye Olde Author's Free Chat: June 28, 2006; 11:34 PM_**

Ni-hao, minna-san!  
Hope the wait wasn't too long! I really _did_ try to get this one out as quickly as possible, since I knew at least a few of the readers were planning to strangle me. Ah-heh… well, hopefully this chapter has changed your mind about all of that! Or at least, you've held off the death sentence? For a while? Please? You'll never find out if Chichiri survives or not if you don't…

I didn't change very much at all to this episode except adding some detail and a few bits of dialogue here and there (though I did slice it in half again, since the original was ridiculously long). I'm not a big fan of battle scenes – unless I'm in a frustrated mood, in which case they're great stress relief – but I love writing about Tasuki kicking ass… even if he gets his ass kicked in the process. (Sniffle) Poor Tasuki-chan… he's so brave, though! He makes me want to try harder, too! (Does that mean I'll be getting the next episode out in a couple of weeks? Well, I wouldn't hope for _too_ much…)

**Character Profile – Mitsuragi Koji**  
(Okay, remember how I had to take some liberties with Houki's profile? Multiply that by about a _billion_ with Koji. I tried, but I wound up making up most of this, including his last name! And yes, for you disbelievers out there, it is K-O-J-I, _not_ K-O-U-J-I! I simply refuse to spell it with the 'u'! Why, you ask? Probably because I'm lazy…)  
Age: 22  
Height: 5'9"  
Birthplace: Gengetsu Village  
Birthday: November 30th (Sagittarius)  
Blood Type: B  
Hair: Um… let's go with midnight blue. I usually just describe it as 'dark' because I don't wanna get into any color battles with people.  
Eyes: Hazel  
Likes: Archery contests, drinking games, & bandit sing-a-longs  
Dislikes: Needles & know-it-alls  
Favorite Food: Crabs rolls & sweet cakes  
Least Favorite Food: Scallops

Heheh… Koji ga daiiiiiisuki! There's really no other way to word it. Koji was probably the happiest accident that ever happened to FY:NC – and to my writings as an FY author, too! I threw him into the story on a whim because I needed a seventh Konan Warrior and I didn't feel like making up another OC (told you I was lazy). I had a couple of things planned out for him, nothing really exciting, but then I started writing for this cheerful, reckless, kind, hilarious bandit and I just… sorta… fell in love with the guy. I won't say he's my favorite FY character (Chichiri will hold that spot 'till the day I die, mostly likely) but he definitely ranks in at a close second. He's fun to write for in fight scenes, and his interactions with Akai, Ritsuka and Tasuki are a hoot. Since Chichiri and Tasuki have kinda moved into lead roles in this story, Koji serves as great comic relief too, and keeps everyone from getting _too_ serious about things. I hope that you'll cheer for him along with me, and maybe you'll fall in love with my quirky portrayal of Reikaku's second-in-command, too!

Thanks to DDZ-san, Ayshia-san, Alai-san, Seira Ayuda-san, caspercat22-san, and Amaya-san for reviewing Episode 13 (also thanks to inuphantom & Bishiglomper, who didn't review but gave me an earful about the last chapter on Gaia)! Thank you all for your kind sympathy towards Chichiri... and your death threats towards me. Oddly enough, I appreciate that sort of thing. It means you care. :) Hope to see you again in the review pages for this chapter, and don't forget to come back for the next episode to hear about Chichiri's fate! I'll have it up ASAP, I promise!

Hope you're all having de-lovely summers!  
Your Authoress—Dee


	15. Episode Fifteen: On Enemy Ground

**_Disclaimer_:** I still don't own Konan, Suzaku and all characters and seishi pertaining to them. Kiori and Ritsuka are and shall forever be mine, and that holds for all the other "originals" (you'll know 'em when they appear, trust me). Obviously the story is mine as well.

_**Rating:**_PG-13, for moderate language and violence.

**_Translation Note: _**Koji refers to the head doctor, Uji Yukeda, as "Sensei." While this term is most commonly used and translated as "teacher," it's really just a general term showing respect for people in educated service positions – people like doctors and lawyers, for example.

* * *

**-Episode Fifteen: On Enemy Ground-  
The Aid of Earth and Water**

Keisuke barely paused for breath between the words "End Chapter Fourteen" and "Chapter Fifteen," but instead plowed forward with "Dammit, Setsuka, why'd you have to make this so _difficult_?" and "Listen, Suzaku, God, Buddha – whoever's running things in this crazy world – do you think you could help Chichiri pull through this mess all right? I don't want to have to break the news to my sister… though, to tell you the truth, I think Kiori and Tasuki will hurt a lot more from it than Miaka… Anyway, you think you could pull a few strings and work things out all right? Please?"

He waited for a moment, as if actually expecting an answer, then buried his forehead between the pages. "I'm praying to a book," he muttered through a groan. "I _told_ Miaka this stupid thing was linked to the occult…"

oOo

Since he was the youngest soldier in the Konan army, Akai's friend Aoi had been "volunteered" into working the midnight watch on the north wall the evening of the battle. The boy heaved a yawn, stretching his arms high above his head and propping his chin on the edge of the ramparts. "Boring boring boring," he half-sung to himself, matching the tune to a popular Konan drinking song. "Midnight watches torture soldiers, yes they do, yes they do. And will something ever happen? No it won't, no it won't... Tsu-ma-ra-na-i yo-ru da!"

Aoi trailed off, sharp eyes catching a faint movement on the horizon. "Eh?" He picked his head up from the stones, leaning as far out over the ramparts as he dared and squinting through the evening shadows. Yes, those were definitely horses, five of them, he guessed, moving slowly but surely for the small eastern gate. "So much for 'tsumaranai yoru' (boring night), I guess…"

The young soldier fitted an arrow to his bow and trained his eye on the animals, following their path across the nearby fields. As they drew nearer, Aoi chuckled, recognizing the drooping forms of Akai, Tasuki, Koji and Ritsuka. "Baka. I should've known it was them." He paused, watching as they drew nearer, and frowned. "But why're Tasuki-sama and Koji-sama sharing a horse? So are Akai and Ritsuka-sama... Kiori-sama told Her Majesty and me that Chichiri-sama rode out too, so where in the world is he?"

Aoi slung his bow back over his shoulder, snatched up the nearby lantern, and trotted down the steps to the side gate. The youth opened the door just wide enough so that he could slip through, then slid it shut again and ran out to check on his friends. He swept the lamp up over his head, gaze trailing around the small, battered group – Ritsuka and Tasuki, bloodied and bandaged, draped over their horses in slumber; Koji, dozing lightly against the seishi bandit's back; and Akai, swaying in her saddle as if it took every ounce of her strength just to stay upright. His mouth dropped. "Akai, what in the world happened?"

She blinked at her friend through half-closed eyes and even managed a tiny, grateful smile. "Oh, Aoi! Thank Suzaku, someone to help..."

She pulled her horse to a halt and tried to jump off the animal's back, but wound up sliding over the edge of her saddle instead. Aoi scrambled forward and managed to catch her just before she fell, steadying the exhausted girl in his arms. "Akai! Chikarishite (Hang in there)! Are – are you hurt?"

She rested her head against his shoulder for a moment. "Nn, I'm all right. I'm the best off, to tell you the truth. Just… tired, and my hands hurt a little bit."

Aoi pushed her forward a bit, reaching for one of her wrists and examining the rough, blistered flesh. He bit his lip, meeting her tired eyes with his concerned ones. "If this is 'all right' then that must've been quite the battle. You _sure_ you aren't hurt bad?"

"No, that's pretty much the only thing wrong, and I don't even feel it that much." Akai took a breath and pushed herself out of her friend's hold. "Listen, I want you to get these three to the infirmary. They need medical care, and I don't mean that hack-job I slapped together."

"What about you?"

"I have to go report to Houki-sama. A lot happened tonight... a lot of evil, and a lot of sadness."

She swayed again and Aoi shook his head, grabbing at her forearm. "Before you do anything, you're coming with me to see the doctors. Her Majesty would kill me if I let you go to her without _at least _getting patched up and fed."

Akai chuckled. "Like a fussy old mother, that's what you are, Aoi. Oh, fine, I'll come with you, if only to make sure the others are all right. After that, though, I have to talk to Houki-sama."

oOo

The head doctor, a surly man by the name of Uji Yukeda, stared down at his four new patients, eyes trailing over them like a weaver might examine his latest pieces of fabric. Aoi blanched under that look, and even Akai turned her gaze respectfully towards the floor.

After a moment the man shook his head and clucked his tongue. "Work during the day, work during the night, there's just no end to them all." He whipped his head to the side, barking out to a group of nearby assistants. "You two, lay Tasuki-sama over there, and for Suzaku's sake be careful with him. He's got a severely broken shoulder and some bad burns as well, and the last thing we need to do is aggravate those wounds any worse. Take care of the burns, I'll be by in a moment to deal with that shoulder – if we want it to work properly again, it's going to require my personal attention. Okay, you, take the girl over there. Head wound, broken rib, multiple cuts and bruises. I'll leave you to handle it – I assume I've taught you well enough for that?" The man in question flinched and jerked out a nod, but Yukeda had already turned his attention towards the last two warriors. "Akai-san, if you could follow Daisuke-kun outside, he'll see to those blisters of yours. Lastly, I want the dark-haired man over there..."

As one of the women tried to lift Koji, he jerked awake with a groan. "Dammit, yer gonna kill me movin' me like that!" She squeaked and jumped back a full step, eyes widening as the half-awake bandit pushed himself into a sitting position. "Here, here, I'll go there myself, all right?" He stumbled towards a nearby pallet and promptly collapsed back onto his stomach, turning his head so that he could glare at the head doctor. "It ain't that deep, so don't kill yerself tryin' t'fix me. All I need is somethin' t'clean th' damn thing out an' a bandage, an' then one-a these nice ladies t'escort me back t'my room. Think ya c'n do that fer me, Sensei?"

Yukeda looked like he'd swallowed something sour. "I hardly think I need a _patient_ to tell me how to do my job. I could see what you needed from the moment you entered this infirmary – and there isn't a chance in the nine hells that you'll be returning to your room tonight, so you might as well make yourself comfortable right where you are. And for Suzaku's sake, keep your input where it belongs." Koji snarled a curse but didn't argue. Yukeda sniffed and turned towards the nearby, flustered woman. "Now, if you could fetch the young man one of our elixirs to help with the pain—"

"Don't bother, I don't need that sissy stuff!" Koji barked.

Yukeda scowled. "Hmph! Stubborn." He rummaged through a cupboard until he pulled out a bottle of sake. "Here, then, take a couple swallows of this. That should numb you a bit. Incidentally, have you ever had alcohol poured into an open wound before?"

"Can't say I have."

"I had a feeling. Still don't want the elixir?" Koji shot the doctor a withering glare instead of an answer. Yukeda sniffed again and reached into the same cupboard, this time retrieving a wad of cloth. "Then bite down on this when you're done with the sake. Hopefully it will keep you from shouting and waking the entire palace... Now, I said a couple swallows! A couple means two, two I say!"

"Ah, get lost, I've had a hard night!"

"You won't be helping yourself by getting drunk!"

"I think I'll take my chances, thank you."

"Give that back! No, right now, not _after_ you've drained the blasted thing..."

Aoi, who had taken a seat just outside the infirmary with Akai, smothered a giggle and handed his friend a steaming cup of tea. "Well, it sounds like Koji-sama's doing all right. If this is the worst you suffered—"

"Chichiri-sama died trying to save us," Akai said flatly. Aoi's head snapped up, staring at her with wide, disbelieving eyes, and she relented, though just a bit. "Well, he might still be alive, but…"

"But?"

"But I don't see how that's possible, not after Setsuka got hold of him. She'd never keep him alive, not for very long, anyway, and even if she did keep him as a hostage she'd kill him as soon as we met her terms. That's what her type is like," Akai stared down at her bandaged hands, turning her cup this way and that. "And I love Kiori-san, but she can barely hold a sword, much less fight an enemy. She doesn't stand a chance in that place. Only, when she looked at me like that, I couldn't stop her, and Ritsuka-san took her side, too, and then I _really _couldn't stop her…"

"Akai, I don't understand. Chichiri-sama is _where_? And Kiori-sama, she went after him? What…?"

"Gomen, Aoi. I don't think I want to explain it all twice in one night. Telling it to Houki-sama will be painful enough. Let's just say that – that tonight was a terrible night. Let's just say that."

The warrior boy opened his mouth to protest, but saw the tears gathering in his friend's eyes and changed his mind. He stared at the floor and bit his lip. "Oi, Akai… I'm sorry for being so light-hearted at a time like this. I didn't know, but—"

"Daijoubu," she assured him. Akai's head turned upwards to the shining stars above. "That's what _he_ always used to say, isn't it?"

Aoi followed her gaze, keeping his eyes on the twinkling lights of the monk's constellation. "I think I'm going to keep believing that Chichiri-sama is alive, for a little while at least. I know you said he's not coming back, but… but it's hard to swallow right now... I'd heard so many stories about Chichiri-sama, and Tasuki-sama... I think I'd gotten it into my head that they were, I don't know, invincible." He sighed again, turning his eyes back to the ground. "But I guess, in the end, he was just like the other seishi."

Akai shook her head slowly. "No, not like the other seishi. Chichiri-sama... was in a class all his own." She stood, swaying on sore feet but managing to keep her balance this time. "C'mon, Aoi. You need to go to bed, and I need to report to the Empress."

oOo

Assuming that a person walked at a fast pace and only stopped to sleep, Takkan's capital was give-or-take a four days' march from Konan. Kiori, who allowed herself only as many breaks as her horse needed, managed to catch first sight of the palace after two very long, exhausting days. She slowed her dragging animal down to a walk, desperate to move faster but knowing that she'd kill him if she pushed him much more.

The horse heaved what almost sounded like a groan, and Kiori patted his neck. "I know, Kenichi," she said, using her nickname for the exhausted horse. "I need a real break, too, but I can't rest just yet. What if I drifted off, and Chichiri…" Almost as if in answer to her fears, the power in her sash wavered and faded. She grabbed a tight hold of it and sent her will and voice through the strip. "Hang in there, Chichiri. I'm not far now."

Peering through the growing shadows of dusk, she realized that she could see lights – the capital city itself, though just a fraction of the size of Eiyou – spreading out around the looming palace. "Okay, Kenichi, _that's _my final destination. We ought to reach it in about twenty minutes, and then I can find an inn and you can get some rest. How's that sound to you?" The horse snorted. "Oh, I know it's a little far, but compared to the miles we've covered so far it'll be nothing!"

Kiori let out a long stream of air. _'And _now _I'm holding conversations with horses,' _she thought, urging the animal forward. _'I must be as warn out as poor Kenichi.' _Her stomach grumbled and she sweatdropped. _'And hungrier, too. I'll definitely have to get something to eat while Kenichi takes his break. After that, though, I've got to figure out a way to get inside the palace… assuming I'm not arrested on sight. Oh, brother…'_

The young brunette shook her head hard. "That's no way to think, Kiori! You've got to be more positive about this or it'll never work!" She gripped the reins even tighter between her hands, staring straight ahead at the growing shadows of the city. "I mean, I never really fought in any of the big battles, so it's almost impossible that anyone would recognize me… right?"

oOo

A storm erupted over Konan the same evening Kiori caught her first glance of the Lady's home. Growling thunder rolled across the sky, punctuated by the _flash-flash-flash _of streak after streak of lighting, and the wind whipped around the palace, followed just as surely as death follows life by an icy sheet of rainwater. Yet despite the shrieks and rumbles echoing through the skies, everything within the palace remained as hushed as the Suzaku temple. Even the youngest of the children seemed to understand that this was a solemn time of remembrance for a beloved, ever-smiling Celestial Warrior.

Houki, chin in hands, watched with deadened eyes as the rain dripped down the long awnings just outside her window. "The gods are mourning our loss as well," she thought aloud, heaving a long, shuddering sigh and pressing her face into her palms. "Oh, and what a loss it was..."

vVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVv

"Akai, I am so glad to see that you have returned! Now, do not mind about waking me up, I was anxious to hear how you fared. I trust that, since you are here safely, everyone else has arrived at the palace as well, and… Oh, Akai, dear, whatever is the matter?"

Akai fell to her knees, bowing her head and gripping Chichiri's staff between her hands. "Houki-sama, Tasuki-sama is seriously injured, and Koji-san and Ritsuka-san both experienced their share of injuries as well. They will survive, thankfully." She held up the staff with a slight jingle, turning her tear-filled gaze up to meet the Empress' startled face. "Chichiri-sama, however..."

vVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVv

Houki lifted her head from her hands and glanced at the monk's staff, leaning against the wall of her room like a quiet memorial to her lost friend. She would do something with it later. Order a tomb built for it, perhaps. If Kiori retrieved Chichiri's body – for, Houki told herself, there was no chance he would return alive, if the college student returned him at all – they would bury him in that shrine, along with other articles that seemed worthy. She would handle all of that later. For now, though, she needed to be alone, to think, and to remember, and to mourn.

She swallowed hard, forcing back her tears for what felt like the hundredth time in the past two days. As Empress, she had to be strong even when her country, citizens, and fellow warriors were all painfully weak. No, _especially_ when they were weak. She would do whatever she could to keep them – and when she said "them," she knew in her heart she meant Tasuki, Ritsuka, Koji and Akai – from losing hope. It was her duty.

A promise from what seemed like years ago drifted back to Houki on the breeze. "_I swear that as long as there's a breath of life in my body, Konan _will not_ be taken. For as long as Suzaku allows, I'll keep Boshin-chan safe. You have my word on that."_

Houki buried her head back into her hands. "Oh, but Suzaku, what hope is there to keep alive anymore?"

"Daijoubu?"

Houki whirled around in her seat, eyes wide and hopeful at the sound of that familiar word. She set a hand to her chest when she saw the young figure of her son standing in the doorway, though she couldn't decide if it was from relief or disappointment that her heart fluttered so uneasily. "Oh, Boshin-chan. I thought for a minute you were…" she changed the subject halfway, unable to say his name just now. "You scared me."

"Gomen, Mama," he said with a small smile. He padded quietly across the room, dragging along the old, worn-out – and hastily sewn back together after that unfortunate run-in with the demon – teddy bear that had once belonged to his father. "Th' storm scared me, so I came in here. That okay?"

She helped him climb into her lap. "Of course it is, dear. I could use the company myself."

"Mama," Boshin asked once he'd settled into a comfortable position, "why's everyone so sad t'day? Tai won't tell me nothin', an' when I asked where Uncle Chichiri was so's I could play with him she just got real quiet and said somethin' about my lessons. Mama, what's wrong with him? Is he sick?"

Houki smoothed down her son's hair, then placed a gentle hand on each of his shoulders. "Boshin-chan... Boshin-chan," she said again, gaining strength with each word, "do you remember what I told you about your father? How he was taken away from us, even though he didn't want to be?"

He nodded, pointing one chubby finger to the sky. "An' how even though he's not here he still loves me and watches over me from the stars?"

"Exactly," she said, blinking back tears. "Well, Boshin-chan... sometimes... people we love, and care about... sometimes they're taken away from us, too, like your father was."

"Is that what happened to Uncle Chichiri? Did he go t'the same place Papa is, up in the clouds? To Heaven?" Boshin asked, young brain working hard to comprehend this latest bit of information.

"Hai, Boshin-chan. To Heaven. Uncle Chichiri... Uncle Chichiri went to Heaven, with your father, and his other friends," Houki explained, taking a deep breath in an effort to keep her voice from cracking. "And he won't be coming back... no matter how much we wish he could..." The Empress lowered her head, unable to stop a few tears from tracing their way down her cheeks and to the tip of her chin before dropping quietly into her lap.

Boshin's small hand reached up and dried his mother's cheeks. "Nee, don't cry, Mama." She looked up, staring into her son's sweet, innocent eyes. He tilted his head to the side and smiled up at her. "Uncle Chichiri isn't really gone, right? He'll watch over us, from the stars, just like Papa does. It's okay, Mama. Don't cry."

"Oh, Boshin-chan…" Houki's eyes welled up with tears and she grabbed her son in a fierce hug. "I love you so much, Boshin-chan – you know that, don't you? Such a wise, caring son I have... you will make a wonderful Emperor one day. Don't ever stop believing that."

"I know I will, Mama. I'll be real good. I promise."

"_I'll be sure to get the shinzaho tomorrow and bring it home to show you. After I get back, let's catch up on a lot of things..."_

"_I will protect my subjects as Emperor, and I will protect you as a man... I will grow stronger. Then I will vow to do whatever is necessary to protect the ones I love."_

"_As long as I'm alive, you'll never have to worry about Boshin-chan being harmed. You have my word on that no da."_

Houki squeezed him tighter, as if her arms alone might somehow protect him from Setsuka's bloodthirsty grasp. "No, Boshin-chan, don't promise it. I can't stand promises anymore – words like 'I'll protect you' and 'I'll come home soon' and 'I'll be with you forever.' They always wind up breaking, somehow, each and every one of them. So please, Boshin-chan, no promises, not yet. I don't ever want to find out that sons are as fragile as friends and husbands. I don't think I could bear it."

oOo

The spring storm missed Takkan's capital, though Kiori could still see the flashes of lightning and rolling black clouds when she paid the grubby innkeeper a few mon for the night, bid farewell to the exhausted Kenichi, who had finally found a stable and intended to enjoy it for all it was worth, and entered the dimly lit dining hall. She tried to ignore the funny looks that a few of the patrons threw her, sat down at a corner table, and tried to disappear into the shadows.

_'I must stick out like a sore thumb,'_ she groaned to herself. _'It would figure that the _one_ day I decide to wear my clothes from home instead of one of those nice Chinese robes Houki brought me would be the day I travel to Takkan.' _When the other customers eventually shrugged and returned to their drinks, Kiori heaved a short sigh of relief and settled back in her chair. _'Well, at least nobody seems to think I'm an enemy. Just a weird stranger… but is that any better?'_ She straightened her jaw, forcing confidence back into her tired body. _'This is for Chichiri, just keep telling yourself that. You can whine later, when you're safe in your bed back in Konan.'_

The college student ordered a cup of tea and a small meal, knowing she only had a couple ryo remaining in her pockets. She noticed a dark-skinned woman dressed in shirt and breeches staring at her from a nearby table, curious hazel gaze trailing all the way from Kiori's unwashed hair to her worn-out loafers. Kiori kept her eyes on the table, then mustered up enough courage to glance up and ask as politely as possible, "Something you wanted?"

The woman tugged at the headscarf wrapped around her short black hair and leaned forward like a friend about to whisper a secret. She was neither pretty nor rich - her long, streamlined face and limbs reminded Kiori somewhat of a weasel, and her clothes were patched in places and fraying in others - but the way she glared at Kiori gave her an air of importance, as if she were someone who commanded respect. The feeling made Kiori uneasy, even more so when the woman's thin lips twitched into a smirk. "You a priestess 'r a nutcase?"

The college student blinked. "Excuse me?"

She jerked her head at Kiori's clothing. "Y'outfit, girlie. Only a Miko'd wear 'em kinds-a funny clothes. I figured y'either one of 'ems, 'r y'jus' plain crazy. So, which 's it? An' while we're at it, 'ow stupid d'ya fink y'are comin' inta a sleazy bar like 'is? Jackals like 'em boyos," she nodded towards a group of vicious-looking men in one corner, "would eat'cha alive f' an appetizer, 'n' not fink twice abou' it neither."

The woman spoke so quickly and with such an odd accent that it took Kiori a moment to decipher the series of questions and warnings. Once she did, though, she just lifted her chin and took a sip of her tea. "I'm not afraid of anyone. And by the way, this 'girlie' isn't much younger than you, and she has a name."

The woman sniggered. "Not short-a nerve, na? I likes 'at." She took a swig of her drink, coughed once, and grinned back at Kiori. "Well, since we're bein' right proper 'n' all, y'c'n call me Kita. 'Ow 'bout 'cha? What's a tourist like y'self doin' in 'is run-down piece-a 'ell, na?"

Kiori thanked the innkeeper as he brought out her food – it was a bit stale, but still edible – and lied through a bite of rice. "The name's Rika. I'm a traveler – no miko or anything like that. As soon as I find an outfit that doesn't stick out so much, I'm off to see her Ladyship. I've got some business with Setsuka-sama."

All eyes in the building whirled on the young woman, glaring at her with pure and undisguised loathing. Kiori gulped as she saw one of the nearby men finger a knife at his belt, and she almost sprang from her chair and bolted out the door right then and there. But then Kita scooted over to take a seat next to her, chuckling and patting her head. "O-ho, dumb kid's been out visitin' bars from dawn t'dusk, finkin' she's got a right t'celebrate, bein' th' new girl what's joined our group 'n' all. So plastered she's gotta mind t'conquer th' palace wiff nothin' but 'r two 'ands 'n' a fresh bottle-a sake!"

The other customers stared at the stranger for another moment, then a few of them chuckled, shook their heads, and turned back to their games and drinks. This seemed to be the signal, for within seconds everyone else followed, and both young women heaved deep sighs of relief.

"A'ou," Kita murmured into her drink. "Now I _knows_ y'ain't really 'ere on palace business. If y'was, you'd-a known not t'come t' 'is place. Didn't no one tell ya 'is 'ere's a Rebel Bar?"

The puzzled college woman blinked again. "A Rebel Bar?"

Kita tapped the side of her head and threw Kiori a secretive wink. "Right y'are, girlie. Now, judgin' by 'at accent what y'got, I'd say y'ain't from 'round 'ere, and judgin' by 'em clothes what y'got, I'd say y'must be one-a 'em other-worldly girls what came t' 'elp Konan. So'm I strikin' anywhere near center-target 'ere?"

"And if you were?" Kiori asked defensively, hand trailing to her sword hilt.

Kita laughed again. "Settle down 'ere, girlie, bitin' ain't on m'mind jus' yet." She leaned in even closer, until she was hissing her words right into Kiori's ear. "Y'ain't th' only one sittin' at 'is table what's fightin' against Setsuka – may she die a thousand deaths. So whatcha _really _doin' in Takkan, Konan Warrior? 'Ere f'some assassination work?"

Kiori's eyes widened in horror. "Oh, God no, it's nothing like that! I'm… well, you see…" she hesitated, glanced nervously at her newest acquaintance, then gritted her teeth and decided to trust the rugged woman. It wasn't like she had much of a choice, at this point. "A friend of mine is being held prisoner. I want to try to break him out, but... but I don't know how to get into the palace, and even if I did they'd know who I was by my clothing immediately."

The rebel pushed her glass away and stood, grinning down at the college girl. "All right, I've decided! _You _follow me, girlie. I'll get y'somefin' so's y'don't stick out s'much, an' 'en we'll see if my 'Too-san (Dad) can't 'elp y'get inside 'at palace. 'Ow's that ring in y'ears, na?"

Kiori smiled. "That sounds wonderful. Arigatou."

oOo

Some long-forgotten Lord had built a row of cellars beneath the ground level of the Takkan palace to serve as storage space, and occasionally as prison cells. With food scarce and precious metals and jewels even scarcer, many of the rooms had fallen into disrepair, and – since Setsuka rarely kept prisoners for longer than it took to torture answers out of them and behead them in the square – some of the cells had not been used in almost a decade. Moss, rodents and insects clung to life in the corners of these rooms, spider webs stretched from support beam to support beam, and water dripped from cracks in the ceiling and collected in grimy pools on the pitted ground, only adding to the hostile, freezing conditions of the chambers.

It was in one of these miserable, damp rooms that Setsuka placed Chichiri, flat on his back on the hard dirt floor with nothing for warmth but his durable kesa and a bloodied bandage wrapped around his midriff. The monk shivered almost continuously –from the cold and from a raging fever – and every hour or so his eye might flutter open halfway and flick up to the bare ceiling, studying the crumbling structure with a numb gaze before he moaned softly and drifted back into a restless half-sleep. Otherwise he remained as stiff and as motionless as the waiting spiders – though, in a place as hostile as the Takkan dungeons, whether they awaited another chance at life or the cold hand of death was anyone's guess.

Tsuchi stood at the door of the room, rubbing his hands together in a weak attempt to stay warm. Setsuka hovered just behind the boy, watching her hostage with cold, impassive eyes. Tsuchi glanced up at his Lady, wishing he could see at least _some_ compassion behind that beautiful gaze. "My Lady, you can't keep him in these conditions and expect him to live. It's a near miracle that he's still with us after two days of this."

Setsuka studied her nails. "If he has lived this long, I am quite sure he will live a bit longer. And, if he doesn't, than it is one less thing for us to worry about, don't you agree?"

Tsuchi frowned and clenched his hands behind his back, fighting off the urge to run to the monk's aid. "My Lady… it's not just for him," he admitted, bouncing nervously from foot to foot. "His pain… and my power… I can _feel _every break, bruise and cut just like it was my own. It's been driving me crazy these past couple days. That's how I knew he was down here in the first place." He chanced another quick glance up at his mistress, then turned his eyes right back to the dying seishi. "My Lady, _please_ allow me to help him. At the very least, let me patch him up a little."

"His wounds have long since caked, so we needn't worry about our enemy bleeding to death," Setsuka said. "I fail to see why he needs any help besides that."

"My Lady..." Tsuchi bit his lip. "I know that he's our enemy, and that taking hostages is a part of war, but... but seeing someone suffering like this is something I just can't bear!"

Tsuchi felt long, smooth fingers slip themselves under his chin and tip up his head, forcing him to stare into his Lady's ice-grey gaze. "Tsuchi-kun, my dear, I understand that you wish to help this man. You are a good, kind boy, and I respect you for that. Unfortunately, you are still just a boy," his fists clenched at the words, "and cannot begin to comprehend the higher, more complex details of war."

"My Lady..."

Her lips curled upwards into a small, kindhearted smile, though the Element could still sense a tiger's fangs waiting just beneath that gentle mask. "Tsuchi-kun, think about it. If you were to heal him... this seishi is very powerful, and very much a wicked enemy. If we, out of our good nature, nursed him back to health, how do you suppose he would repay our kind deeds, hm?" Her fingers tightened against his chin. "He would kill each and every one of us, _that_ would be our reward. Do you _want_ to see that happen? To Kaze, to Sora, to me... to Mizu-chan?" The boy's eyes widened, and Setsuka knew she had struck a nerve. She patted his cheek. "There, you see now, don't you? It is necessary to keep him here, and not to offer him any aid."

In the back of Tsuchi's mind flitted several questions, and just as many doubts. If his enemies were so cruel and evil, then why had that one fought so hard to avenge his friend's death? Why had the others been so sad, so tearful, at the loss? Why had this injured seishi been willing to selflessly give his life to save his friends? Why, why, why…

He scolded himself for doubting his Ladyship, and knew he would never admit such feelings to _her_, but he also couldn't stay silent, not when someone who had performed such a courageous act now lay dying just a few feet away. "Even so..."

"Tsuchi-kun, _he is evil._" Setsuka threw her power into her words, grasping the boy's shoulders and forcing him to meet her eyes for the second time that evening. "The Konan Warriors are all cruel, heartless people. That is why we are trying to defeat them – it is for the good of the world. Do not forget what I have taught you, Tsuchi-kun. _Do not waste your pity or skills on your enemies._"

He trembled under the power pressing down around him, and felt his head nod in automatic submission to his mistress' will. "H-hai, my Lady. You're right, as always." Tsuchi hesitated, eyes flicking towards the monk again, whose ragged, gasping breaths were the only noise to penetrate the silence of the cell. The boy closed his eyes, gathered his courage, then stared back up at Setsuka. "My Lady, if he dies, he won't be a hostage – he'll be a corpse. He won't be of any use to you or anyone else if that happens. And if we leave him down here without any medical treatment, he _will_ die. Before the night's out, I think."

Setsuka said nothing for a long, tense minute, and Tsuchi felt that any second now his weak façade of bravery would give out and he'd wind up sobbing on the floor in front of his Lady, begging for her forgiveness even as she scolded him, or worse... oh, but she'd never whip an Element like she did Shogun Hataku… would she?

"Do whatever it takes to keep him alive," Setsuka finally snapped between clenched teeth, as if the decision had physically wounded her. "Nothing more."

"Hai, my Lady."

The young Element turned towards his newest patient, but the Lady's voice stopped him in his tracks. "Oh, and Tsuchi-kun?"

"Hai, my Lady?"

Ice filled her voice. "The next time you so openly question a decision I make, what I did to Sora will seem like a feather's tickle compared to the punishment _you_ will receive."

Tsuchi heard her skirts swish back up the stairs, and moments later the faint sound of the cellar door sliding shut. Only then did the boy breathe a deep sigh of relief and finally relax from his tense, nervous stance in the doorway. He swung his medical bag off one shoulder, keeping the door to the cell open as he knelt beside the monk. "All right then, Seishi-san, let's get you fixed up. I'm sorry that I can't do any more than help you hang onto life," he pulled out a roll of fresh bandages and grinned, "but after fighting so long to keep death away, I'd think you'd be happy for the help, ne?"

He almost thought he saw a smile flicker across the monk's face.

oOo

Kiori, now dressed in a pale green shirt, forest-colored skirt, and white obi – the common garb of a Takkan servant, which Kita claimed to have obtained through "special allies" – followed her new companion through the city, learning much about the nation's citizens as they traveled.

"Now see, what most-a y'back in Konan ain't realizin' 's that us in Takkan're about as 'appy wiff Setsuka – may she die a thousand deaths – as you is," Kita explained, leading Kiori down a series of back alleys and broken cobbled roads. "'Bout fifteen years ago, see, our newest ruler's old man, Rei Toushi, took control o'er Takkan after 'is big t'do wiff th' leader from _b'fore_ 'at, who was about as nice as a starvin' wolf with an arrow froo 'im's shoulder, 'oo ripped th' spot from a guy b'fore 'im jus' a couple years b'fore 'at. Takkan's been froo more 'ands 'n fine silk at a rich market, since I 'as born 'em twenny-five years ago. But anyway, 'is Toushi fella, 'e were a right fine ruler, more-'r-less, an' we'd all kinda 'elped 'im win back th' country in our own li'l ways, so we 'as pretty 'appy fer a while 'ere. Ah, those're some good years t'remember, lemme tell y' 'at, girlie! 'Nough victories wit' swords _an'_ harvests t'make even a poor merchant's girl like m'self a li'l round 'round th' edges, would'ja b'lieve 'at! He were a 'ard man, but fair 's a lady's skin, an' sure we all complained sometime 'r another, but 'oo doesn't ever' now 'n' again, na? But I fink we 'as all gettin' used t'the idea-a bein' 'appy 'n' wealthy, like."

Kita paused for a moment to glance around the corner of a rundown building, then waved a hand for Kiori to follow and picked up the narrative once more. "But see, 'en ol' Toushi died five years back, an' 'oo picked up th' rulin' stick but 'is own 'alf-breed brat, na? Things's all right f' a few years, but 'en she starts slappin' these 'ere tight laws on us poor citizen-types, an' if y'tried t'disobey, why, la-di-da, 'at's fine with 'r, 'cause 'en y' 'ead c'd have a right fine meetin' wiff th' executioner's sword! Those've us 'oo's left after 'at first slaughter an' still brave 'nough not t'wet ourselves at th' sound-a 'r name, we started gettin' t'gether private-like an' formed ourselves a li'l fightin' unit, known as RAFT – Rebel Alliance Forces in Takkan, y'see – t'fight against ever'thin' th' folks in 'at palace stood for.

"Problem is," the rebel woman explained with a sigh, "Setsuka – may she die a thousand deaths – ain't stupid, an' that General-a 'ers is a smart 'un, too. 'E started 'imselves a campaign t'root out us rebels, an' 'e damn near succeeded, so only th' really sneaky ones is still alive, mostly. An' t'tell y'straight, even if we _tries _ourselves a real attack 'em Elements-a 'ers'd slaughter ever'one of us 'fore you 'r any 'un else in Konan c'd say 'Suzaku 'ave mercy on 'em's poor, crazy souls.'" She led the other woman through a narrow doorway in the side of a ramshackle wooden hut, grinning a little as she did. "We 's rootin' f'you Konan Warriors, though. Maybe after y'knocks off a few more-a 'ems Elements, 'en _we_ c'n 'ave our li'l sword dance 'round Takkan, na!"

Kiori peered through the bright room, blinking back spots as her eyes adjusted to the change in light. The place was small, barely more than the size of a walk-in closet from her own world, and as rundown as the outside of the building suggested. Still, the owner of the tiny home had decorated it with as many brightly-colored, threadbare rugs and wall-hangings as possible, and the place practically glowed with cheer. There were two doorways leading to separate rooms, but Kiori didn't have a chance to investigate because a middle-aged man came hurrying through one of them, running to Kita and clasping her hands between his own weather-beaten ones. "Ah, Kita-chan, you never visit me anymore! It's so good to see you alive and healthy – oh, and I see you've brought a friend as well! Whom do I have the pleasure of meeting this evening, hm?"

The college student turned her eyes to the slim, gray-haired man smiling down at her. He dressed in the same sort of plain, lower class fashion as Kita – threadbare pants, tunic, and boots – except that he had managed to spruce every item up with a splash of color, so that he strongly resembled his motley house. He offered Kiori a low bow, then sprang right back up because he couldn't seem to keep still for more than half a second. She found herself smiling back before she was aware of it. "Ki... Rika's my name, Oji-san (sir)."

The older man blinked at her for a minute, then shook his head and chuckled at some unknown joke. Kita threw him a wink. "O-ho! A right proper 'Oji-san' in a place like 'is! I ain't 'eard such politeness in years!" She turned to the puzzled Kiori. "'E ain't really my 'Too-san, so's y'know. Ever'one calls 'im that, though, 'cause most of us ain't got no fathers 'ese days, an' 'im's bein' th' oldest survivin' member of our li'l rebellion, seems about right, na?" She patted the still-chuckling Otoo-san on the shoulder. "'E's what we in RAFT calls our undercover spy, an' a top-notch actor at 'at! All th' soldiers thinks 'e's just some crazy ol' man, so they lets him wander pretty much where-so-e'er 'e pleases." She nudged him. "Y'knows th' streets 'n' secret entrances-a this city like a cat knows 'im's own food bowl, na?"

His head bobbed up and down in what Kiori had to assume counted as a nod. "Hai hai, that I do. And it's not vanity saying such words, no, no, it's just plain honesty, isn't that so? Now, Kita-chan, what is this charming girl that you've brought to me? A new recruit, yes, hm? Is she doing some spy work? I'd love to help, if there's anything I can do, anything at all..."

Kita set a hand on her younger companion's shoulder. "Rika ain't 'xactly a new member, 'Too-san, but she's gonna be workin' like one f' a while 'ere. Turns out one-a 'em Konan Warriors 's bein' 'eld prisoner in Takkan Palace, and my friend wants t'spring 'im out. Y'fink y'can work y'magic 'n' slip 'r in 'ere?"

Once more his head wobbled up and down. "Not a problem, ha, child's play, really. There's an old tunnel, a bit dusty but not too bad if you watch where you step, leads right from the south wall into the ground level. Haha, simple task, quite simple indeed, you've got to start giving me a few more challenging missions once in a while, Kita-chan." He dashed towards the back of the room, snatching up a lantern from a peg in the wall and a dark cloak from across the back of a broken chair. "I want you to follow me closely, Ojou-san (Miss) – terribly sorry, I've forgotten your name, can't seem to keep them straight these days – but you see, we have to be careful. All the real soldiers have left for the war, that they have, but there are still a few guards here and there, and Elements to worry about as well. Come on then, Ojou-san, we can't putter around here all day, not while a good ally of the RAFT is in danger, yes indeed, time _is_ of the essence, I'd say."

Kiori blinked up at the older man, trying to process the main points that seeped through his scatterbrained monologue, then turned her gaze back to the smirking Kita. She smiled. "Arigatou. I never expected to find help in a place like this. If I can ever return the favor..."

Kita rubbed at her nose and stared at the floor. "Ch, it ain't noffin' worth mentionin', girlie. Good luck in th' tiger's den t'night, an' listen t'what 'Too-san tells ya." She turned her eyes back up again, flashing another confident grin and a thumbs-up. "An' if y'_really_ wanna repay me, 'en get y'friend th' 'ell outta 'ere, get back t' 'at palace-a yers an' make those Takkan soldiers pay f'their war in blood 'n' tears! Take s'more Elements out an' we might try a real attack... huh, fightin' inside 'n' out! Bet that'd s'prise th' 'ell outta ol' Setsuka – may she die a thousand deaths."

Otoo-san tugged on Kiori's sleeve, asking her in his odd, rambling speech to hurry along. The college student followed him down another series of alleys and backstreets, watching the back of his bobbing head with a concerned frown flitting across her features. _'These people don't have hardly anything to their names, but they've still managed to give me so much. I really _couldn't_ thank them enough, no matter how hard I tried. If... no, _when_ I get back to Konan, I'll make sure we rid the world of Setsuka and her army.'_ She turned her eyes up to the palace that drew closer and closer with each step, gulped hard, and set her jaw stubbornly. _'First, though, I have to save Chichiri. That's all that matters right now.'_

oOo

Kiori's strange guide ran a hand along the wooden panel that barred their way in the narrow, underground tunnels of the palace. After a moment he reached his fingers into a crack and pushed outwards and to the right, chortling to himself as thin paneling slid back to reveal an opening. Kiori stepped out into a dimly lit hallway, glancing around and trying to get her bearings. This particular hall of the palace was dressed in mahogany wood and draped with a series of beautiful wall hangings stretching from ceiling to floor and covering the better part of the walkway. A circular window peeked at the college woman from a nearby awning, reminding her in many ways of a less elaborate version of the Konan Palace. Still, Kiori couldn't help but feel like the tapestries had spies lurking behind them, and the air felt thicker here, almost sinister, as if everyone walked around on tiptoe, afraid of awakening some sleeping beast. She automatically clutched her arms to her chest to ward off an imagined chill.

Otoo-san glanced about, fiddling with his lantern and hopping from foot to foot. "Ah yes, well, here we are, here we are, in the tiger's den, as Kita-chan said it, I suppose. Hm, hm, not a good place for an unarmed man like myself, wouldn't you agree? Won't be much help I'm afraid to say, only get in the way, I'm sure, quite sure," he mumbled, shooting longing looks back into the safety of the tunnel.

Kiori smiled. "It's all right, Otoo-san, you don't need to stay. You've done so much already. I'll take it from here. Go back and tell Kita-san that I made it safely, and with a little luck I'll get out safely, too."

The older man coughed to hide his embarrassment. "Hm, of course, I'll let her know right away. When you want to leave, just come back the way you came, you see." He stepped out next to her, closing the secret entrance and pointing to an old-fashioned painting that covered the wall. "See, see here, you just tap on the dragon's eye and the door will swing right out, easy as that, it is." Kiori did as he said; the door immediately sprung back to reveal the passage. Otoo-san looked from right to left again, backing anxiously into the tunnel. "I'll leave the lantern here, so you'll get back all right, how does that sound, hm?"

"Won't you need it?"

"Oh, no, no, I know this tunnel very well, hai, very well indeed," he explained, offering the Konan Warrior a dramatic bow. "Don't worry about Otoo-san, he might not be much use in a fight, ha, that much is true, but he can take care of himself just fine. If you make it out all right, as we all pray you will, your horse and clothes will be waiting for you with Kita-chan at the lone farmhouse on the southern edge of the city."

Kiori nodded. "Right, I think I remember passing that place on the way here. More RAFT members?"

Otoo-san winked. "Our numbers are small, but our allies are numerous. The couple that owns the farm are some old friends of mine, quite peaceful, but very reliable, yes, yes indeed." He waved a hand at her, grabbing the edge of the door. "Well, I had best be out of your way, that sounds like the smartest thing right now, and leave you to this mess of a palace. Ganbatte, ganbatte, and a safe trip home, my friend."

Kiori waited until the door closed, smothering a giggle at the odd, helpful man. She snatched up her sash once again and felt the monk's weakly pulsing ki, now calling to her from the right and below. And so much closer, now. Her heart jumped into her chest at the thought of finally closing that distance. "I'm coming, Chichiri. I'll be there soon."

oOo

Mizu paced her room, lost in her own troubled thoughts, crystals buzzing in agitation and sorrow at her sides. _'Houjun… I'm so sorry… I never thought all of this would happen, and at the hands of the people who are my _allies_, of all things… oh, Houjun…' _She paused for a moment, glancing towards the carpet beneath her feet and frowning. She sniffed the air once, as if that might explain the aura she kept sensing every so often from the basement, familiar yet strange, and masked somehow. She couldn't even locate its exact coordinates in the palace, like someone had placed a shield around it to warp her senses. "I'm sure it's nothing… just some soldier, or a terrorist that Setsuka-sama is questioning, and she probably had Kaze use one of his ki-blanketing pills so we wouldn't feel the poor guy's fear… So why do I feel this urge to _find_ him?"

Mizu resumed her pacing, thoughts turning back to the smiling monk whom she'd never see again, when suddenly her head snapped up and she ground to a halt. The feel of a strange, new life force had crept into her range, one that she _could_ locate, in the main hall on the east side of the ground floor. She turned to her green seeing-crystal and scrunched her eyebrows in concentration. A moment later, she found herself staring at the newcomer. "What in the _world_?"

It was that girl, Chichiri's friend. "That earth girl... Kiori, that was her name!" Mizu frowned. "Walking into this place is suicide for any of our enemies, especially for someone like her. I wonder..."

Her blue crystal hummed and spun at her other side. In a moment Mizu disappeared from her bedchamber, down to the main hall to learn more about the Palace's unexpected trespasser.

oOo

Kiori turned a corner and almost ran straight into a young girl. "Oh!"

"Konban wa," she greeted, smiling pleasantly up at the college student. "I don't think I've seen you around here before."

Kiori took a step back, sizing up the child with a wary gaze. She looked no older than fourteen, no younger than eleven or twelve, with hair a shade of blue close – if not identical – to Chichiri's. She dressed in a silky white, knee-length shirt with thin pink leggings, a pair of comfortable slippers, and a blue-and-green cape that draped across her shoulders and trailed to her ankles. '_Too rich for a servant, then. Better treat her with respect.' _Kiori's attention turned to the girl's eyes, but they were curled upwards into such a tight smile that she couldn't make out their color. "Um, konban wa," she greeted, offering the stranger a short bow. "I just started working here. What's your name, Ojou-sama?"

"My real name is Ukizaki Mae, but you can call me Mizu-chan. Everyone else does," the girl explained.

Kiori nodded, then jumped as the name clicked in her brain. "Mizu-chan!" She took a step back, hand on her sword hilt. "You, you mean you're one of those Elements?"

"Hai," Mizu agreed, opening her eyes and glancing towards the weapon at Kiori's side. "Servants don't carry swords, you know. _I_ would've known that you were a Konan Warrior anyway, but still, it's something you probably should have thought about before sneaking into the palace." Kiori muttered a curse and started to draw the blade. "Wait, none of that!" The crystals hovering around Mizu buzzed out a short, tuneless song, and the college girl found herself frozen to the spot. "I don't want to fight. And, if I did, you'd already be dead."

Kiori tried to move her hand one last time, but it didn't budge an inch. Nothing below her neck wanted to do much of anything right now, it seemed. The young woman shot another glance at the crystals, then swallowed hard and closed her eyes. "All right. No fighting. What do you want to know?"

The gems grew silent, and Kiori found that she could move again. Mizu tilted her head to one side, watching the Konan Warrior with a thoughtful eye. "You're the healer one, aren't you? You don't fight."

"How do you know that?" Kiori demanded.

Mizu tapped her head and smiled again. "I know a lot of things that'd surprise you." She put her hands on her hips. "But what I don't know is why the Konan Warriors would send a healer out to do assassination work."

"Assassination!" Kiori yelped. She held up her hands. "Geez, you Takkan people sure are bloody-minded. For the second time today, _no_, it's nothing like that. I'm not here to fight – well, not unless I have to, anyway."

"Then what _are_ you doing here?"

"You don't know?" Kiori asked. The girl shook her head. "I'm here... to save one of my friends. One that your mistress stole from me – from us, I mean. Chichiri—"

A disbelieving gasp shot its way out of Mizu's throat. "He's still alive?"

"Uh, yeah," Kiori agreed with a raised eyebrow. She held up part of her sash. "See this? You can feel his life force through it. He's in the palace, and he's alive... barely." She watched as Mizu fingered the sash, eyes full of concern... and then it hit her like a "Rekka Shin'en" at full power. "You knew Chichiri, didn't you?"

The Element dropped the cloth, blinking hurriedly at the tears that threatened to overwhelm her vision. "Back then," she said in a voice so tiny Kiori had to strain to hear it, "everyone just called him Houjun."

"Houjun..." Kiori nodded, remembering that name from Chichiri's story. "Was he special to you?"

Mizu nodded. "I don't have time to explain... he just, he... he did so much for me... and now..."

Kiori opened her mouth to say something, but stopped. She wasn't sure just what _to_ say, not really. _'This girl… even though she's our enemy, she's just as concerned about Chichiri as I am. Whatever their relationship, he must have meant the world to her, poor thing.' _A light bulb clicked on in Kiori's head. _'Maybe…'_

"Mizu-chan," she said after a moment, "it's not too late to help him, you know. He's in a lower level somewhere, I think. The only problem is, I don't know my way around this place. If you could point me towards the nearest staircase, I could get him out of here, and maybe save him."

The young girl stared at the ground and said nothing for a long, tense moment. And then, finally, in that same tiny voice, "As a servant of the Lady, I am sworn to defeat _all_ of her enemies, no matter who they are or how I might feel about them."

Kiori took a step back, eyes wide and heart sinking. If this girl chose to stop her, then there really _would_ be no hope left, for her or Chichiri. "Mizu-chan..."

"D-demo," she whispered, "as a human being, and as Houjun's friend... stopping you from saving him is something I just can't do." Mizu clasped her trembling hands into the folds of her cloak. "Keep going down this hallway. Take the first passage on your left. There's a staircase at the end of it... Houjun should be down there, if your medium is working right."

Kiori's face broke into a relieved smile. "Arigatou, Mizu-chan! You're a good person, you really are." She took a few quick steps past the Element, then stopped, glancing back at the young girl's quivering figure. "You know, if you wanted, you could come with Chichiri, and me too, back to Konan..."

"No!" she cried, hair whipping about her shoulders in a fierce headshake. "I couldn't do that! Not ever... not to her… just go, please, before I change my mind." The college woman frowned, but turned on her heel and did as Mizu said, until the child's troubled voice stopped her once more. "N-ne, Kiori-san... if Houjun, if Houjun lives... tell him that Mae-chan says to stay out of this, and to keep away from Konan. And make _sure_ that he lives. Please."

"I will, Mizu-chan," Kiori assured her. She turned again, dashing down the hallway with Chichiri's dwindling life force pounding through her chest. "That's a promise!"

oOo

Tsuchi tightened up the final bandage on the monk's broken arm, careful to make sure that everything was set and immobile before slipping the splinted limb into a loose sling. "Ha! Finished!" He leaned back to view his handiwork. "Hm, not bad, considering what Setsuka-sama let me do," he murmured to himself, eyes combing the monk from top to bottom to see if he'd missed anything.

Chichiri's durable kesa still lay across his chest, though now it covered a clean set of bandages and a smearing of Tsuchi's homemade antibacterial salve. The Element had cleaned out the minor cuts and stitched up the few that looked liable to reopen, and had even managed to scrub some of the blood and grime out of the monk's face and hair. He smiled, patting gently at the seishi's uninjured arm. "Feeling a little better? I hope so."

Tsuchi waited for a moment, half-expecting an answer from the cheerful, sleeping face, then chuckled at the ridiculous thought and stood, turning towards his bag of supplies. "Just one last thing for me to get, and then—"

The boy stopped mid-sentence and jerked upright as the door upstairs slid open with a muffled _bang_. Moments later the soft patter of slippers reached his ears, taking the stairs with hurried little steps. Tsuchi breathed a sigh of relief. '_That sounds like Mizu-chan's walk. Sora-senpai probably told her where I was, so she came downstairs to see how it's going,'_ he decided. The young Element glanced up the darkened stairway again, then stifled a giggle as a new thought crossed his mind. _'Hah, when she comes through the door I'll jump out and give her a nice scare. She's been so dreary these past couple days, she could use a little cheering up.'_

Tsuchi pressed himself up against the wall right beside the door, waiting for the familiar sky-blue head of hair, but it never came. Instead, the Earth Element had to bite his tongue to keep from uttering a shout of surprise when a young woman in servant's clothing and carrying both medicine bag _and_ swordtrotted into the room and straight to the seishi's side. _'Who in the world...?'_

"Oh, Chichiri!" the woman cried, kneeling beside the monk and placing a gentle hand against his shoulder. "Look at this place! Those monsters, I can't believe they'd put you in this freezing room! Hmph, at least they managed to find a little kindness in their hearts and patched you up some. Well, I'm here now, and I'll get you out of here, don't worry about that."

'_An enemy,'_ Tsuchi realized breathlessly. _'A Konan Warrior, probably. Except…' _He hesitated, thinking back to something he'd discussed with Sora just that afternoon…

vVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVv

"Ne, Senpai… I'd been feeling sort of funny lately, like that injury-feeling I get, so I asked Setsuka-sama about it… and she told me we had a hostage. That seishi. You knew about it, too, didn't you?"

Sora nodded, but didn't even bother turning from the quiet, deliberate task of sewing up a rip in one of her practice shirts. "Kaze and I were informed the morning after the battle, yes."

"How come no one told me?" Tsuchi demanded.

"Setsuka-sama did not wish to worry the younger Elements with such distressing news, she said," Sora explained, running another long strand of thread through her needle and staring hard at the spool. "Ch! This color is all wrong. I'll have to ask the servants to find a darker blue."

"Senpai! Why didn't you or _Kaze_ tell me, then?"

"We talked about it and decided that we agreed with Setsuka-sama. It's not the sort of thing kids need to know about until absolutely necessary. And it's not absolutely necessary right now, and probably won't be until Setsuka-sama begins the bargaining process. So leave it alone for the moment, Tsuchi-kun. Kaze's right – you're too young to concern yourself with politics."

Tsuchi's fists tightened at his sides. "I'm not a baby, Senpai," he growled into his pillow, but before he could work up enough courage to say it louder, another thought crossed his mind, and he forgot about his anger and became much more concerned with his growing fear. "S-Senpai… you and Setsuka-sama keep talking about using the seishi as a bargaining chip, but what if the Konan Warriors send somebody out here to _take_ him back instead? W-what if they storm the palace, and—?"

Sora glanced over her shoulder just far enough to flash the boy a reassuring smile. "_This_ is why I didn't want to tell you, Tsuchi-kun. But, no, we don't need to worry about an attack. I spoke with her Ladyship about that yesterday, and she told me that our enemies are strong, and they need that seishi to help them succeed, but they are cowards at heart. She said they don't value their friend's life over their own. That's how they are."

Tsuchi pushed himself up onto his elbows. "But Senpai, if that's true, then why did the one we're holding hostage almost sacrifice himself to save the other seishi? And why—?"

The Sky Element sighed, rubbing hard at her temples. "Tsuchi-kun, it isn't our place to question her Ladyship's words. If Setsuka-sama says it is true, then it is true, and that's all there is to it. You know that."

vVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVv

_'So Senpai was… no, _Setsuka-sama_… Setsuka-sama was wrong.'_ He hadn't realized how hard it would be to get those words out. The boy watched as Kiori slipped her medicine bag off of one shoulder, and his eyes widened even further. _'She's no fighter; she's just some healer like me. But why did those warriors send out someone like _that_ on a mission like this...?'_

Kiori turned her head just slightly to the side, and the Element jumped into the hallway, breathing a deep sigh of relief when she returned to her work. _'Guess she didn't see me. That's a relief, at least. She might not be a fighter, but she's still carrying a sword, and all I've got is my knife. And anyway, there's nothing I can _do_. I'm just…'_ he trailed off, biting hard on his lip.

'_Because _you're_ just a kid,'_ an inner voice taunted, each word cutting into the boy like a sword blow. _'You can't possibly understand politics or hostages or other, _important_ matters. So you'd better just run back to Senpai before the bad Konan Warrior gets you, right, _kid

Tsuchi shook his head hard. He gripped the handle of his knife, eyes narrowed in stubborn determination. "I'll show _them_ who's a kid," he hissed, chancing a glance back into the room. The young woman had both of her hands and the better part of her nose buried in her medical bag, blind and deaf to everything but the injured monk at her side. Tsuchi seized his chance and slipped like water across the small cell, unsheathing his knife and pressing the point right between the girl's shoulder blades.

She froze, but her voice never once wavered. "Who are you?"

"I sh-should be the one asking the questions," Tsuchi attempted to snarl, though it came out more as a squeak than a growl. "G-get up, and p-put your hands where I can see them. D-don't try anything, please, or I'll..."

"My name's Kiori," she offered, doing as he said. "Am I right in guessing you're one of the Elements?"

"H-hai," he said, cursing himself for his shaking hands and quavering voice. _She_ was the one in danger, not him! "I'm Tsuchi."

"Tsuchi..." Kiori repeated in a soothing tone that made the young Element want to call her "Nee-san" instead of "enemy." "You're the healer, right? We have some scrolls at the palace, and that's what they called you. A 'heartfelt healer.'"

He tightened his jaw and the grip on his weapon, fighting to keep the hostility in his form and voice. "You're one, too."

"That's right," she agreed, just as calm and composed as ever. "I came here to help my friend. You patched him up pretty well, but if we want him to live I need to take him back to the palace. You don't want him to die either, do you?"

"That has nothing to do with this!" Tsuchi argued. "And I can't let you leave here, especially not with him." He tried to sound gentle-but-firm, the way he heard Sora speak with some of the rowdy servants, but his compromise acted like a plea, and he cursed himself for the third time that night. "Look, if you come quietly, up with me to see Setsuka-sama, I'll do everything I can to keep _both_ of you alive and healthy."

Kiori's loose hair swished from side to side in a tiny headshake. "And that's something that _I_ can't do. I promised my friends I'd bring Chichiri back alive, and if he stays in this cell much longer that won't be possible anymore. I don't want to fight you, Tsuchi. You're only a child, and—"

"_I am not a child!_" his voice snapped like a whip, and the point of his weapon dug so hard into Kiori's back that it nearly drew blood. "Now are you going to come with me, or am I going to have to kill you? I don't want to, but, but in order to follow the will of the Lady..."

'_Not that I have to worry about _that,' he decided, feeling confident for the first time all night. _'Setsuka-sama told us the Konan Warriors only value their lives. Even if she _did_ work up the courage to come here, in a situation like this, she'll _definitely_ surrender. I'm sure of it.' _

Kiori dropped her head. "All right then, Tsuchi, if that's how it is." The Element smiled, but had little time to celebrate his victory. His enemy sprung forward and whirled to face him, taking several steps back and whipping out her blade. She spoke to him without a hint of fear, though her hands quivered beneath the smooth grip of the sword hilt. "Then I'll have to fight you, I guess. I didn't come here to kill anyone, but if I have to..." her knees shook so hard Tsuchi thought she might fall over, but the young woman just tightened her jaw until the trembling stopped and pointed her sword up at the boy. "If it'll save Chichiri... I'll do whatever it takes."

Tsuchi took a step back, staring at the woman with pure confusion in his wide golden gaze. _'She's going to fight me? Look at her! She's obviously never held a sword in her life! Even with my knife and the few tricks Kaze taught me I could still beat her, and pretty easily. Why is she doing something this _stupid_? She's supposed to be a coward, not an idiot!'_

Their eyes locked, and Tsuchi felt almost lost in the force of that stare. But this was different from the way Setsuka pulled him in. It wasn't that he _couldn't_ stop looking at her – rather, he simply didn't _want_ to turn away just yet. There were too many raw, honest emotions staring back at him, emotions he hadn't seen or felt in so long, not since he'd come to the palace, and maybe a long time before that, too. Fear, for herself to be sure, but more for the battered seishi, the one she kept stealing worried glances at even as Tsuchi advanced on her. Then she looked up again, met his baffled gaze, and the fear changed into courage faster than Tsuchi could blink. No, not courage, he corrected in a hurry – this wasn't about defeating an enemy, about being frightened or not being frightened. This was something simpler than that. Something fierce and protective and full of power, like she might be willing to take on the world if the world stood between her and the man at her feet…

And then the realization hit, and all the wind seemed to shoot itself right out of Tsuchi's lungs. "Dear gods," he breathed. "You're in love with him."

Kiori blinked. "Eh?"

"But that's not possible," Tsuchi murmured, eyes wide and lost, trapped between the coldness of his Lady and the passion of the Konan Warrior. "Setsuka-sama said… she _said_… but how could someone who's supposed to be so cruel and evil _possibly_…?"

His mind flashed back to his many encounters with the other Elements over the past year, since Setsuka had collected him to the palace as one of the last of her warriors. Then he realized that he didn't _have_ to think so far back, to all of those many conversations, to the way Kaze snapped at him and Sora looked past him and even Mizu wrapped herself in secrecy and false smiles. All he had to remember was the night of the battle, just two evenings ago, when he had watched two allies fall. All he had to remember was Kaze's smirk, Sora's shrug, Mizu's helpless tears, and even his own apathy towards the dead brothers. _'We did nothing – absolutely _nothing!_ – for Tsuki-san or Taiyou-san… but these Konan Warriors, they... this girl's willing to die for this man... and… all because...'_

The knife slid from Tsuchi's hand and landed with what he thought must have been an earth-rending _thud_ on the cold dirt floor. "Oh, gods," he gasped, crumpling to his knees. "Setsuka-sama... she was wrong, the entire time... they aren't the villains... it's us... oh, Suzaku, it's _us_..."

Kiori's eyes widened and she lowered her sword, taking a cautious step towards the boy. "Tsuchi… kun?"

He swore violently, snapping his eyes shut and digging his fingers into the packed earth. "_Kuso! _I've been letting her blindly string me along, telling myself to listen to her every whim and command..." He buried his face in his palms, surprised to discover hot, angry tears dripping down his chin. "All this time, all this time I _trusted_ her, even when I knew it couldn't be true, even when I knew right into my bones that the things she did, the way she took so much _pleasure_ in seeing people suffer – oh, gods, even in seeing her own _Elements_ suffer! – I knew all of that was wrong, I know I must have, only I didn't… only I couldn't… how could I ever, _ever_…"

The college woman crouched down beside him, placing a timid hand on one of his tightened shoulders. "Setsuka's been manipulating you, and the other Elements too, hasn't she?" He offered her the tiniest of nods, still keeping his face firmly buried in his hands as if he wanted to drown in his own bitter tears and shame. But Kiori just rubbed his back and said, "I had a feeling. She tried to do that to Tasuki – Kaji to you, I guess – but we stopped her. Is it some sort of power she has over you?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. I guess so. When I first saw her, I didn't know what to think, but then she sat down across from me and met my eyes and started talking, and I just… it was like someone threw a veil over my head, and I could only take it off to look at her. I didn't hear what she said – I just knew that _she_ was saying it, and that made it good and right. Setsuka… Setsuka became my whole world. All I wanted to do was what _she_ wanted to do, no matter what it was. So when she told me that fighting against Konan was an honor, and a service to the world, I believed it." He snorted. "I'm _from_ Konan, for Suzaku's sake! You think I would've given it a second thought, but I never questioned her, not once until today. I would've _killed_ myself if she asked me too... gods, I'm such an _idiot_…"

Kiori smiled and handed the Element a spare bandage, which he used to scrub hurriedly at his tear-stained cheeks. "You're not an idiot. You're just… a kid, really." Tsuchi moaned even louder, but the college woman continued. "Look, that doesn't matter anymore. You get it now, don't you? I'm here to save my friend. That's all any of us ever wanted to do: save Konan, and the people we care about. So please, let me leave with him."

A shudder coursed its way down the Element's spine. "Go," he hissed in a voice barely above a whisper. "Get as far away as you can from this rotted place. I have to stay here... Senpai was right, even now the idea of abandoning my Lady makes me sick to my stomach..." he looked up. "But still, if there's anything I can do to help..."

"You've done plenty, keeping my friend alive and letting me escape. I thank you for that, from the bottom of my heart." Kiori hesitated for a moment, then offered the boy a light kiss on the cheek. "Please look out for yourself, and the other Elements, too. I don't want to hear that anything happened to you because of me."

Tsuchi blushed and stared hard at the ground, but by the time he looked up again Kiori had already turned and stood facing the monk, one foot tapping out a thoughtful pattern on the hard floor. "Now, how am I going to get you out of here...?" Her hand moved up to pull her hair out of her face, but brushed against the corner of Chichiri's hat instead. The young woman's eyes lit up. "Of course! I'm so glad I decided to bring this along." She crouched next to Chichiri, setting a warm hand to his cold cheek. "Hang on a sec, this might be a little bumpy."

Tsuchi pulled himself from the ground and snatched up his bag of supplies while Kiori slid Chichiri gently into the weather-worn kasa. As she turned to leave, Tsuchi stood as well. "Ano… here. Take this." He stuck out one hand, opening it palm-upwards to reveal a tiny vial. "It's a special potion of mine. It'll make him forget his pain a little, and it'll help him heal faster, especially on the inside, assuming he survives the trip home."

Kiori accepted the gift, studying the thick white liquid before tucking it into her own medicine bag. "Arigatou. I'll make sure to give him some as soon as he wakes up. Sayona—"

"Matte," Tsuchi interrupted. He closed his eyes and his light green ki flickered around his body. He opened his eyes again just a few seconds later. "Your friend – Chichiri, isn't it? – has a broken left arm, a minor concussion, and a deep wound on his left side. I stopped the bleeding on the side injury, but it was made with Taiyou-san's magic, so I couldn't do much else with it. He also has three broken ribs, and one of the ribs is dangerously close to his lung. If he moves around too much the wound on his side might open up again, _or_ that rib could break straight through his lung, so you have to be _very_ careful with him." Tsuchi ran a hand through his sweat-drenched bangs. "I'm sorry that I don't have the power to heal a person directly, like Mitsukake-sama did, but... but I hope that information helps a little, at least."

"It helps more than you could possibly know. Arigatou," she said again. Kiori turned to the door, biting her lip. "It's going to be hard," she admitted to the young Element, "getting home at a light trot, I mean. But if that's the only way I can do it, then that's how I'll do it."

"You think you'll make it?" he wondered, leaning heavily against the nearby wall, eyes on the empty spot where the seishi had sat just minutes before.

"Of course," she told him with a cheerful smile, even though she knew he couldn't see it. "I promised myself that I'd save Chichiri, and I don't plan on breaking that promise anytime soon. And besides, thanks to you, the hardest part is already over, right?"

oOo

"_'The young Element watched the Konan Warrior jog up the steps of the Takkan palace and out of sight. Only then did he allow himself to crumple to the floor, one hand placed across his pounding heart. "Good luck, Konan Warrior," he murmured into the silence of the cell. "You're going to need it almost as much as I am."'_" Keisuke sat straight up in his chair and read the book as rapidly as he could, half-mad with worry over the fate of the smiling monk. "End Chapter Fifteen."

-  
Kiori: Chichiri's out of the enemy's clutches, but he's not out of danger yet! While the Konan Warriors at the palace battle emotions, injuries and enemies, Chichiri continues the bitter fight to stay alive.

But wait, what about those Elements I left behind? I hope they're all right... no, I'm _sure_ they're all right! I mean, there's no way Setsuka will connect Chichiri's escape to those kids, even when she _does_ finally find out that he's gone, and – acchaaaa! Setsuka's going to _find out_! I've got to get moving before she comes after us! Oh, but this bed is so soft, and Chichiri looks so comfortable...

The Next Episode of _Fushigi Yuugi: The Next Chapter_: "Of Sorrow and Struggle – Seeking Shelter in the Tiger's Den!"

Well, I suppose one night of rest won't hurt our chances _that_ much...  
-

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_Special thanks to **Tetris no Miko (www. angelfire. com/ geek/ tetrisnomiko/ fynovels/ fynovels. html) **for the translation of the Hotohori Gaiden Novel, _Suzaku Hi Den_, which I used for the Hotohori and Nuriko quotes during Houki's scene._

**_Ye Olde Author's Free Chat: July 25th, 2006; 11:34 PM_**

Ni-hao, minna-san!  
Yikes, this chapter took me about a month, didn't it? Well, I planned on getting it out earlier (don't I always?) but I had some family come into town for a few weeks, plus I've been swamped with two kinds of work. So much for a lazy summer, huh?  
I can't think of any major chapter changes in this one. I threw in some extra lines between the Elements, and tossed around a couple of things with Houki's scene, but nothing huge, really. Oh, and I spent about two hours toying with Kita's accent (no joke!). I couldn't decide exactly how I wanted her to sound, but finally I settled on something along the lines of a British cockney. Hopefully it wasn't too difficult to read!

**Character Profiles – Taiyou & Tsuki**  
(I really wanted to sketch up a little "in memoriam" thing like Arakawa-san does at the end of each volume of the Fullmetal Alchemist manga, but alas, no scanner. :p Anyway, they were always together, so I figured I could do them at once and save some space. Like before, they're information is separated with an '&' sign)  
Real Names: Minami Yukio & Shoda**  
**Age: 18 & 16  
Height: 5'5" & 5'7"  
Weight: 160lbs & 175lbs  
Birthplace: Touran, the capital city of Hokkan  
Birthday: October 30th (Scorpio) & February 16th (Aquarius)  
Blood Type: AB & A  
Hair: Orange-blond, cropped to the neck, with short bangs; & silver, usually worn in a braid to the middle of his back, with chin-length bangs framing his face  
Eyes: Gold & Gold (well, I guess that was obvious)  
Likes: Fighting, harassing Kaze & reading (both enjoy hunting as well)  
Dislikes: Anyone who's better than him & anyone harassing his brother  
Favorite Food: Steamed fish & no real preference  
Least Favorite Food: Neither likes plums very much

As much as I hate to admit it, there really wasn't much to the creation of Taiyou and Tsuki. FY:NC sprang up around the Chichiri "death" scene from Episode 13, and I knew my heroes were fighting two enemies at that point. Taiyou and Tsuki became those two enemies. So, basically, they were created so they could die (I'm not _proud_ of that fact, mind you). The character model for Taiyou was "a bully," so unsurprisingly he doesn't have many (any?) fans. Personally, _I_ don't even care for him that much – and I like _Setsuka_! Tsuki's model was a bit more complex, though I could still probably sum it up in two words: "quiet shadow." I enjoyed his character, though, and played with his storyline at first – I even considered letting him survive Chichiri's assault, only to be taken prisoner and eventually befriend the Konan Warriors – but in the end I decided that it was best to let the brothers fall together. As cruel as they both sometimes behaved, they really _were _very deeply devoted to one another, so it didn't seem right to have one without the other. I'm a little disappointed with how these two turned out, to be honest, but in the end I think they served their purpose well, and that's something worth smiling about, I guess. RIP, boyos.

Thanks to caspercat22 (and congrats on being the 300th reviewer!), Seira Ayuda, Alaia, Amaya, Bishi, Kristall, antyem13, DDZ, Shelby, and DFYLUVR for reviewing the last chapter! Your kind words for Chichiri – and burning hatred for Setsuka _(sweatdrop)_ – never failed to brighten my mailbox, so I hope to see you back again for this episode and the many to follow! The Chichiri story arc is only two more episodes long, so hang in there and wait to see how it all turns out!

Thanks again! – Dee


	16. Episode Sixteen: Of Sorrow and Struggle

**_Disclaimer_:** I still don't own Konan, Suzaku and all characters and seishi pertaining to them. Kiori and Ritsuka are and shall forever be mine, and that holds for all the other "originals" (you'll know 'em when they appear, trust me). Obviously the story is mine as well.

_**Rating:**_PG-13, for moderate language and violence.

_I saw an episode of _Hare+Guu_ today, and now I can't get the opening theme out of my head. _(Dances around) "_Nigerarenai jyungaru Hare… nochi guu!" And of course now I've downloaded it… yareyare! My poor laptop will explode with all the music at this rate…_

* * *

**-Episode Sixteen: Of Sorrow and Struggle-  
Seeking Shelter in the Tiger's Den**

Keisuke flipped straight to the next page, eager to read on. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Tetsuya stir, heave a long yawn, adjust his lop-sided sunglasses, and stretch an arm high above one head. Keisuke sweatdropped. "Welcome back, Sleeping Beauty."

His friend smoothed back his hair, careful not to disturb the snoozing Yui on his shoulder. "Ah, now that's what I call a power-nap. So what'd I miss? Nothing important, right?"

Keisuke stared at him for a long moment, then shook his head and sighed. "Idiot."

"Mm?" He glanced at the clock. "Ch, I've only been out for a couple of hours! I couldn't have missed _that_ much, could I?"

The college student rubbed at his temples. "Let me catch you up, pal." He held up his index finger for emphasis. "One, Tasuki's an Element, but he didn't go to their side," two fingers shot into the air, "Two, Koji, Ritsuka, Akai and Tasuki went out to fight Taiyou and Tsuki," three fingers, "Three, Chichiri went to help them 'cause they were in trouble, and he killed Tsuki by sacrificing himself," four fingers, "Four, Tasuki killed Taiyou, but wound up pretty beat up in the process," and, finally, his entire hand waved in the air like a beacon of missed plot points, "Five, Chichiri isn't actually dead, and Setsuka kidnapped him, but Sakamoto-san saved him from Takkan with Mizu and Tsuchi's help."

Tetsuya chuckled. "Oh, so, nothing too serious, ne?"

Keisuke hit him with the book.

oOo

Tasuki was awakened by something cold and wet nuzzling at the back of his eyelids. The seishi's eyes fluttered open, staring straight into the face of a very sad Tama. He sat up with a groan, knocking the cat into his lap in the process, and little by little began to work the fuzz out of his brain. Tasuki took a look around the darkened chamber, and realized with a start that someone had moved him into his own room. When had that happened? The last thing he could remember was the battlefield, and then getting shoved onto a horse – he remembered _that much,_ at least, because it had hurt like hell to clamber onto that thing.

The thought of pain turned him back to the present, and he did a quick mental once-over on his physical condition. His shoulder throbbed dully, as did the areas on the front of his body that had been wrapped loosely with bandages. Someone must have given him a painkiller, he decided, though he couldn't help but grit his teeth when he jostled his splinted shoulder.

"Okay," he muttered, still fighting back the blurring effects of Kiori's sedative, "so I'm alive, more 'r less… but what…?"

Tasuki paused for a moment, numbed mind knowing that something wasn't right. Something he was hearing – or rather, _wasn't_ hearing. The seishi realized suddenly that his ears had been straining to hear the low murmur of Chichiri's snores from the room next door... the snores that he'd never hear again.

He set his head into his uninjured palm and heaved a long, shuddering sigh. Koji had told him, right before he passed out, that Chichiri wasn't dead when Setsuka had taken him. Could he still be alive? Was there even a chance?

"Chichiri," Tasuki murmured to the darkness. "I can't feel yer ki, anywhere. Are we both jus' too weak, an' too far away t'sense each other? Or are ya really...?" he sighed again and nodded. "Yeah. I already know th' answer t'that one, don't I?"

He was surprised to find that he wasn't angry, or even depressed. He just felt sort of... numb. Completely empty, as if that final part of his heart had been ripped away. Tasuki leaned back against the wall and stared up into the shadows of his ceiling. He'd never felt so alone.

"I really am the last one, then," he said, and even managed a small, sarcastic chuckle at the thought. "Huh, th' hot-headed dumbass who never knew when t'quit... _he _gets t'outlive everyone else? Suzaku, yer logic doesn't make a damn bit-a sense, y'know that?"

"Nya," Tama offered, nuzzling against Tasuki's chest.

The seishi stroked the animal absent-mindedly, eyes still fixed on a faraway something lost in the gloom of his chamber. "Yeah, it sucks, doesn't it Tama-neko? Yer out another master, and I'm out another friend."

Tasuki heaved himself slowly to his feet, stumbling to his window and watching as the rain pounded down on the Konan Palace. Tama followed and clambered up to the windowsill, then, after mewing at the unresponsive seishi for another moment, gave up on patience and leaped for the bandit. Tasuki winced as Tama's weight landed against his splinted shoulder, sending a jar of pain running from his collarbone to his wrist. "Kuso!" he hissed, snatching up the cat and holding the tiny animal out in front of him. "Look, I'm no good with animals, all right Tama? But that doesn't give ya th' right t'tear me up any worse'n I already am, okay?" The cat yawned and Tasuki sweatdropped. "Aw, ferget it."

He set Tama back in the windowsill and patted his head a couple of times, but he couldn't get the little lances of fire to stop shooting up and down his shattered arm. Now that he thought about it – now that he was awake enough _to_ think about it – everything hurt a lot more than he'd first decided, from the needles in his shoulder to the throbbing across his bandaged body to the dull thud inside of his chest, the one that he didn't know if he'd ever be able to fully heal. The seishi actually smiled, though it was a humorless, bitter sort of smile. "Well, there's only one thing _I_ know of that'll heal everythin', for a while at least."

Tasuki offered Tama one last scratch behind the ears, then turned from the window and, after slipping a jacket over his bare shoulders, slid back the door to his room. He stared out at the downpour, thanked the gods that the architect of the Konan Palace had decided to build all of the walkways with roofs, and made a beeline for the kitchens. There was a bottle – or maybe several bottles – of sake calling his name.

He had just turned the corner of the promenade that ran parallel to the training rings when he heard somebody shout. The seishi stopped, sharp ears straining to hear over the rolling thunder and thrumming rain. Yes, there it was again! A muffled voice, just barely audible, cursing from within the training ring. Tasuki frowned, stared at the nearby building for a moment, then gave up the cover of the walkway and slipped across the yard and through the open door.

He froze, blinking back rain water and staring in total disbelief.

Ritsuka stood near the archery ring, a bow clutched in her bandaged hand and an arrow gripped in the other. She paid no heed to the rainwater that pounded off her back and shoulders and down to the muddy earth below – all her attention was focused on the rhythmic practice of fitting arrow to bow, aiming, and firing at the distant target. She winced or cursed every time she took a shot, but other than that offered no sound to the empty clearing.

Tasuki took a couple steps towards her. "Red?"

"What do _you_ want?" she snapped, voice cracking on every other word, and Tasuki knew that the water on her cheeks wasn't just from the rain. "Can't you see I'm busy?"

"What th' hell're you doin'?" Tasuki demanded. "It's freezin' out here, and yer in no condition t'be shootin' off arrows."

"Shut up!" she shrieked, firing and cursing at the painful movement. "I'm not going in, I'm gonna stay out here, and I'm gonna get better, and tougher, and then no one'll ever have to save me again."

"Red—"

"Piss off! I'm not in the mood to argue!" Ritsuka sniffed hard, fighting to keep her composure as she sent another arrow whizzing into the center of the target. "Chichiri died because of me, because I was too stupid and weak to do anything against that Element! Don't you understand that? I just sat there, just sat there like some silly _girl_ waiting for her _man_ to save her!"

"You know as well as I do Chichiri didn't..." Tasuki swallowed hard. "We _all_ needed help, back there."

"Not me!" she barked back. "I don't need anyone, especially men running around trying to give me a hand, asking if I'm all right... I don't need that, Tasuki-chan! I can take care of myself, and if I can't, then I'll train, and I'll get stronger until I can. Until I can say that I don't need anybody helping me ever again, and—"

"What is yer _problem_?" Tasuki cried, sounding about as exasperated as he felt. "There's nothin' wrong with a little help! And besides, it ain't all yer fault an' you know it! Chichiri _chose_ t'do what he did – none of us coulda stopped him!"

"He was in that situation because of me," she argued, gulping down another wave of tears. "He was in that situation because he had to _save_ me... damn him... dammit _all_..." She let loose two more arrows in rapid succession, punctuating each shot with another grunt of pain. "And then, then I was stupid enough to let that _woman_... that horrible, evil..." another arrow and another wince. "I just sat there, didn't even know she was there, let her take him, just like that..."

Tasuki rubbed hard at the back of his head. "Listen, Red, I know yer pissed about what happened – I am, too. But this ain't the way t'go about it. Yer gonna kill yerself if ya keep this up."

"Fine," she muttered darkly, sending out another shaft into the downpour. "I _should_ be dead, it's all Chichiri's fault, for being so goddamned brave, noble... just like a guy, just like some _stupid_ guy..." Ritsuka reached for another arrow and nearly collapsed. She took a few stumbling steps backwards and leaned against the nearby column, closing her eyes and touching a hand to her bandaged forehead. "Chikusho…"

"Now, see, ya gone 'n' made yerself sick," Tasuki said with a tired sigh, taking another couple of steps towards the swaying redhead. "C'mon, let's get back inside. You c'n dry off, we c'n get good an' drunk an' complain about this mess. Here, lemme give you a hand, so—"

"How many times do I have to say it?" she shrieked, whirling on the seishi with fire in her eyes. "I don't _need_ any help! Not from you, not from Chichiri... oh, God, Chichiri..."

Ritsuka reached for another arrow, but Tasuki's uninjured hand snapped out and caught at her wrist, jerking her forward and almost into his arms. "Dammit Red, would'ja listen t'me fer once?" She struggled, but the seishi's hold was strong. "I'm as pissed off as you are, an' prob'ly more, but standin' out here till ya pass out ain't gonna solve anything!"

"Let go of me, ahou!" The redhead whirled on Tasuki and slapped him across the face.

Lightning flashed.

Thunder crackled high above their heads.

Rain continued to drench their soaked bodies.

Sad, defiant blue eyes met sad, stubborn gold ones.

And for a long, horrible moment, neither said a word.

Then the corner of the seishi's mouth twitched upwards into the tiniest of smiles. "Did that make ya feel better?" Ritsuka's breath caught in her throat. "'Cause if it did, go right ahead an' do it again. Seriously, I don't mind. If it makes ya feel better, if it'll get ya inside, outta this storm, I can stand here an' get smacked around all night."

Ritsuka's eyes filled with tears and she quickly looked to the ground. "Omae…" she snarled, but couldn't get anything else out, because the whole world flooded over with rage and sorrow and pain, and before she could stop herself her shoulders started to shake with pent-up sobs, and then all she could do was wail out her misery to the muddied ground below.

"I _hate _you!" she cried between gasping breaths. "I hate you and Chichiri and Kiori, and everyone else who was ever nice to stupid, stupid, _stupid _me! I hate _everything_… all of it… so, _so_ much…"

"I know, Red," Tasuki murmured, golden eyes staring out into the storm. "I hate it, too."

Ritsuka's legs buckled underneath her, sagging from the sheer weight of it all, and her shoulders heaved with screams and sobs and curses until she was sure her chest would break right open; but she never moved towards Tasuki, and he never tried to pull her closer. So they stood like that for a long while, the college woman with her head to the ground and the tears streaming down her cheeks; and Tasuki with a tight hold on her wrist to keep her from falling in the mud; and the rain drumming out a bitter rhapsody on the crimson rooftops.

But finally the shaking stopped and the tears dried up, and Tasuki pulled the young woman to her feet, released her arm, and chucked up her chin with his working hand. "Better?" She gulped and nodded. "Then c'mon, can we go inside now? I'm freezin'. We'll go back t'my room, it's closer anyway, an' find a fresh bottle-a sake an' somethin' dry t'wear."

"Ne…"

The bandit glanced down at his fellow warrior, surprised by the unusually contrite tone in her voice. "Yeah?"

"A… arigatou, Tasuki-chan. I…" she opened her mouth to say something else, then shook her head and looked down again. "Arigatou."

"Don't call me that," he grumbled with that same small smile. "Now c'mere, quit tryin' t'pull away, y'can barely stand on yer own as it is. Here, swing yer arm around my waist. Huh, between my shoulder an' yer head, we oughta make about one full person, doncha think?"

oOo

"If you peek I'll kill you," Ritsuka snarled out of the corner of her mouth, sparing one quick glance at the currently shirtless seishi before turning back to the dry fabric in her hands.

"Jus' so long as you do th' same," he retorted.

The redhead snorted, throwing off her drenched shirt and slipping the robe on over her head with lightning speed. "Like I'd waste any of my valuable hentai energy on _you_."

"You finished?"

"Yeah." Ritsuka turned around and screamed.

"What th' _hell_ Red!"

"You asked if I was done!"

"That didn't mean that _I_ was done!"

"I'm blind, _bliiiind_…!"

"Urusai, ahou!"

The two whirled on each other, fully dressed and snarling – but when they met one another's eyes they gave it up and plopped down on Tasuki's bed, chuckling and leaning in against one another's uninjured arms.

"Okay, fine," Ritsuka admitted. "You're not _hideous_. I mean, you're not Brad Pitt, but I've seen worse asses in my life."

"Thanks?"

The redhead giggled, but fell into silence again after an all-too-short moment, wrapping herself up in one of Tasuki's spare blankets and staring out the rain-soaked window.

"Warui," she said once she'd gotten her teeth to stop chattering.

"Don't be," he answered, eyes trailing off to another part of the room. "After…" he bit his lip, "everythin' that happened, I don't really blame ya fer freakin' out a little. I did th' same thing. I was jus' lucky enough t'be able t'do it t'Taiyou."

"It's not_ just _about that," Ritsuka corrected. She rubbed a hand along her sore ribcage. "It's, well… I haven't been the easiest person to deal with, have I?"

Tasuki shrugged. "Women make me their punchin' bag, I get used to it." He sipped at a bottle of sake that he'd raided from the kitchens, handing it over to Ritsuka after a moment so she could take a swig of the comforting liquid.

The redhead sighed. "I know you don't _hate_ me for it or anything, but I... I mean, half the time I've been here you've just been trying to give me a hand, and all I ever do is snap at you for it."

"Why _do_ you hate help so much, especially from guys?" Tasuki asked.

Ritsuka drank deeply from the rice wine, then fell to staring at the floor beneath her damp feet. "I guess I could blame it on the string of bad relationships and messy break-ups that I've had since high school, but… to tell the truth, it probably started…" she groaned. "Agh, I know how dumb it sounds when I talk about it, but back home, see, I've got these four older brothers. They're all pretty much jerks, especially to their one and only 'Imouto-chan.' When I was little, I'd try to play games with them, but of course I was so small I'd get whipped every time. They'd always tell me, 'Get back inside and learn how to be a girl. You shouldn't be playing boy-games; you should be doing my laundry.' They bossed me around every chance they got, just 'cause they were older, and if I tried to fight back they'd say, 'Now don't argue with men, Ritsu-chan, it's their _job_ to guide you through life.'"

Ritsuka's fists tightened against the sake bottle. "And I _hated_ it. I hated the thought of having to rely on _men_ – on having to rely on _anyone_. So I went out and did everything I wasn't supposed to do. I learned how to fight, I never touched a skirt or dress, I even started talking like a guy – and I _never_ let anyone help me or tell me how to act. _Especially_ men."

Tasuki stared at her, wide-eyed. "_You_ had older brothers who bossed you around, beat you up, and made you do all the chores?"

"Sou."

Tasuki grabbed her in a chibi, one-armed hug. "Soul mate!"

"Tasuki-chan..." Ritsuka said, sweatdropping at the unusually emotional seishi. "You're scaring me!"

The seishi sat back down, chuckling. "Warui... I've got five older sisters of my own back home."

"Brothers are worse."

"Not compared to _my_ sisters."

The two looked at each other and managed small smiles. Ritsuka leaned back against the bed, wrapping the blanket tighter around her shoulders and sighing heavily. "Ne, Tasuki-chan, d'you mind if I sleep in here tonight?" The seishi stared at her with wide gold eyes. She held up her hands and blushed. "No, it's nothing like that. It's just..." she frowned, reaching down to scratch the napping Tama between the ears, "my room seems so empty without Kiori around. Huh, I even miss the way she'd talk in her sleep, or roll out of bed right on top of me..."

Tasuki glanced at the wall of his room, the wall that was _supposed_ to separate him from a sleeping monk. He looked back at Ritsuka. "D'you snore?"

She blushed, rubbing the back of her head. "A little."

"Good." Tasuki smiled. "We'd better get some extra blankets. _Yer_ sleepin' on the floor."

Ten minutes later both woman and seishi were snuggled up in their respective "beds," each attempting to sleep in the least painful position they could find. Ritsuka stared up at the ceiling through half-closed eyes and chewed on her lip, desperate to ask her next question but equally afraid to bring it up. Finally, just as she was about to fall asleep, she mustered up her courage and said, "N-ne, Tasuki-chan… d'you think Kiori and Chichiri will come back?"

"Ya want my honest opinion?"

"…Yes. Please."

A long silence fell on the room. Then, in an almost timid whisper, "No, I don't think we'll ever see either of 'em again."

Ritsuka nodded. "Yeah, me neither." She paused for a moment, then grumbled around a yawn, "Tasuki-chan, we'll pay those Takkan bastards back a hundred times over for this, won't we?"

"A _thousand _times over," he corrected. "An' Red? Don't call..."

"Mm?"

He sighed. "Never mind. Oyasumi."

"Oyasumi."

The redhead rolled over so that her back was to the seishi. The young woman curled up into as small a ball as she could make, still shivering against her soaked hair and the chilly wooden floor.

_Whump!_ Ritsuka couldn't help but smile as one of Tasuki's blankets was tossed without comment over her head.

oOo

Kiori slipped out of the Takkan palace's secret entrance, slid back the hidden doorway, turned, and nearly slammed right into a young man standing in the shadows. "Wha—?"

Fast as a panther he sprang forward, clapping a hand to her mouth and setting one finger to his lips. "Hush, Rika-san. Do you want some soldier to hear you?" She shook her head and he removed his hand, offering her a short bow in the process. "Kita sent me out here to make sure you arrived safely at the farmhouse. You can't be too careful these days, after all."

The college woman fought back a smile. "She was worried about me, wasn't she?"

"Introductions before information: You can call me Aji. And as for your question, sa…" he chuckled, "Kita would skin me alive if I ever admitted such a thing, so let's leave it at assumption, shall we?" He glanced behind the young woman, frowning into the darkness. "Oh, where's your friend? I was told there'd be two of you." Kiori gestured towards her hat, smothering a laugh as Aji's eyes nearly fell out of his head. "Sa, well, if you say so. I avoid questioning sorcerers and otherworldly types about their methods as often as possible, as it tends to create more headaches than answers. At any rate, follow me."

The young man led Kiori down several back alleys and through the winding streets of Takkan. As they walked, Kiori studied her newest companion, attempting to size him up in the same way she'd done with the other Takkan citizens. He had to be about Kita's age, she decided immediately, but the way he carried himself – his lazy, long-legged stride, or maybe the carefree way he kept humming snatches of song under his breath – combined with his squared jaw, intelligent green eyes, and long dark hair made him seem both younger and older than the tough rebel woman. He was dressed in a white knee-length robe, olive obi and matching pants; surprisingly simple for a RAFT member, but they fit him well, and the quality seemed a touch better than Kita or Otoo-san's threadbare garb. Every so often Aji would turn back to her, setting a finger to his lips when they reached a particularly dangerous stretch of path, or maybe just to smile reassuringly, and Kiori couldn't help but smile back every time. There was something about him that made her immediately feel at ease – and besides, his long lashes and full lips granted him a natural sort of beauty that even the most skilled courtier in the Konan palace would have had trouble besting.

"Sa, at last, the edge of the city," Aji announced. He moved to the side, bowing low and gesturing towards the open alleyway. "Dango yori hana (Flowers over boys), as it should be."

She giggled and stepped out from between the two buildings and onto the main Takkan road. Miles of fields and forests stretched before them, punctuated by a few small farmhouses still winking their lanterns into the night sky. The young woman breathed a sigh of relief and turned back to her guide. "Thank you so much for the help. I'd have been lost in that city for days without you."

"You needn't thank me yet," Aji said, throwing her a wink as he strolled past. "We still have a bit of road until we reach the rendezvous point, wouldn't you agree?"

"Oh!" she cried, and held up both of her hands. "Oh, no, Aji-san, you don't have to go to all this trouble. I can get there from here all right, I promise."

The young man chuckled. "It's hardly trouble – I'm heading there myself. The RAFT leaders are holding a small meeting out there tonight, and Kita, for some mysterious reason that I have not yet charmed out of her gracious lips, has requested my most humble presence."

"A meeting?" Kiori repeated. "That's funny; Kita-san didn't mention it to me." She paused, sweatdropping. "Or maybe she did… she spoke so fast, and she has such a strange accent, that it was hard for me to follow her most of the time."

"Sa, yes, well, that's Kita for you. She _has_ improved tremendously over the years, though. You really should have heard her when she first came to Takkan – she could hardly speak a word of the language, but the ones she did know she was sure to shout in your ear faster than you could say 'No thank you.' That's the problem with merchants, you see, every other word is 'buy this' or 'buy that,' and they've no patience if you can't decide in the time it takes them to ask 'Y'like-it-I'll-sell't-t'y'f'twelve-ryo-'ow'bout'cha-boyo-'sg'd-deal-na?'" and he did such a perfect imitation of Kita that Kiori had to clamp her hands over her mouth to keep from laughing out loud.

"So Kita-san's foreign? That _would_ explain it, wouldn't it?" Kiori set a finger to her chin. "I know this sounds silly, but I don't think I realized that there _were_ foreigners around here – I just sort of assumed everybody spoke the same language, no problem."

"You wouldn't be terribly far from the truth, pretty one, especially _here_," Aji told her. "Foreign merchants come and go as they please, of course, but primarily through the seaside nations. Takkan, poor grounded country that she is, rarely sees a foreigner. However, Kita's father's ship ran aground when she was a girl, so the two of them took to traveling the lands instead of the sea, and Takkan was one of their major stopping points. Of course, then the revolt broke out while they were here, and, sa…" he waved his hand as if that explained everything, but when Kiori shot him a blank look he blushed. "Sa! Sumimasen. Dressed in those lovely Takkan serving robes I find it hard to remember that you're a foreigner and not a RAFT member. Pity, too – we need more beauties in the ranks. But I digress: Toushi-sama's revolt, and Takkan's lock-down, and – sa, but I've a vicious knack for storytelling. I'll abridge. The long and short of it, Rika-san, is that Kita's family could not leave the city under penalty of death, so her father, already miffed with Takkan's current ruler, decided to join Toushi-sama's rebellion. The revolt survived but, I am sorry to say, Kita's father did not."

"How sad," Kiori murmured, but Aji didn't seem to hear her.

"Ah yes, a truly tragic tale, for it left poor Kita by herself. But Toushi-sama was not a cruel man – he helped obtain homes for all children left orphaned by his rebellion, and Kita found her way into Otoo-san's home. He and his lovely late wife took in a great many of the orphans, you see – that's why so many people call him 'Otoo-san.' The name sort of stuck over time. Sa, but I'm doing it again! To conclude, Rika-san: _that_ is how Kita met Takkan and, much more importantly, how Takkan met Kita. I hope I haven't talked your poor ears to death."

She shook her head. "Not at all, Aji-san! I don't know much about this country, so hearing so many stories from both you and Kita-san has been really helpful. Heck, I'm half-tempted to ask about Otoo-san next!"

Aji frowned and looked away. "Sa, let's leave sad stories for sad times, shall we?"

Kiori's smile dropped. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize—"

Aji waved his hand again in that same explanatory motion that didn't really explain anything. "Every RAFT member has a bit of personal tragedy in his history – it's the only _real_ way to become a rebel, after all. Some tragedies just happen to leave deeper marks than others. Besides," he added, and turned suddenly, kissing Kiori's hand and flashing her that same charming smile from before, "I _despise_ reciting tragedies to pretty women when there are so many more beautiful things to talk about. Shall I sing you a ballad instead?"

She rolled her eyes, but couldn't help but smile at the charming young man. "Are all the RAFT members actors or something?"

He winked. "With the sort of lives we lead, you need a touch of the theatric if you want to survive the wrath of Setsuka – may she die a thousand deaths. Sa, and here we are!" Aji turned to the door of the farmhouse and knocked on it three times, then threw back his head and sang out in a clear, smooth baritone:

_"No tax collectors, no soldiers, the coast is all clear.  
So let me inside, for I'm _starving _out here!"_

Kiori chuckled again as the door swung open. A pair of strong female arms pulled them inside, slamming the door quickly behind them. The woman – Kita, Kiori realized after a few disorienting moments – squeezed her in a short hug before turning an accusing glare on Aji.

"An' what's wit' all this singin', na? 'Oo knows what enemy-type might be walkin' them roads at night!"

The young man laughed and planted a kiss on her cheek. "Kita, O Opal of Takkan, you ought to know by now that one chord from my voice would charm the devil himself, never-you-mind Setsuka—"

"May she die a thousand deaths," they chanted together.

Kita glanced past her rebel friend and to the college woman. "Glad t'see y'got 'ere safely, Rika. I 'as 'alf a-feared this fella 'ere might-a flirted y'straight t'death, wit' th' way 'e carries on!" She looked past Kiori in much the same way as Aji had done earlier. "But... uh, what might be th' whereabouts-a that friend you 'as plannin' t'save?"

She smiled, swinging the kasa off her back and presenting it to the pair. "In here. Oh, and by the way, my real name's Kiori."

"In _there_?" the rebel woman repeated, pointing towards the hat. Kiori nodded. Kita glared at Aji. "You rat! Y'scrambled th' poor gel's brain wit' all y'charmin' talk, didn't'cha!"

"Sa…"

The college woman chuckled and moved towards a nearby straw-stuffed bed. "Before you kill Aji-san, maybe you should take a look at this first." She took a seat at the edge of the bed and set the kasa down beside her, so the opening was facing upwards. "I know it sounds odd, but Chichiri's hat isn't _just_ a hat. Let's see..." Kiori dug her hand around inside. She wrinkled her nose, jerking upwards and pulling out an old fruit peel. "Er, I guess Chichiri kept a lot of stuff in here..." She dove back into the opening, pulling out an extra shirt, a comb, a toothbrush, several pairs of leggings... but not even a single blue hair of Chichiri.

Kiori scowled. "How much can one person fit into a hat?"

Aji and Kita watched wide-eyed as the chibi Kiori turned the hat upside and shook it several times over the bed. Out came two pairs of pants, a jacket, a tarp – along with several poles that must have been used to make a tent of sorts – various herbs and magical items that no one could identify...

_Whump!_

Kiori winced as Chichiri's head collided with the bed. "Ah..." she clapped her hands together. "Oh, please, Suzaku, don't let him remember that."

Kita whistled. "Well! Ain't 'at somethin' y'don't see ever'day? Seishi at a rebel meetin', an' th' girlie 'ere's pullin' 'em straight out'n 'er 'at!"

She ignored the rebel woman and leaned over her patient, checking his pulse and breathing to make sure the fall hadn't done any permanent damage. He seemed all right – well, as all right as he could be, considering his original condition. Kiori smoothed back a lock of his matted blue bangs. "Hang in there, Chichiri." She rubbed at her nose. "And, er, if you can hear me, then I'm sorry about that little tumble, ah-heh..."

Someone touched Kiori's shoulder, and she jerked her head around to find herself staring into the smiling face of a thin, middle-aged woman. "Konban wa, Ojou-san. I'm sorry to bother you, but Kita-san told me you'd be coming, so I took the liberty of getting a fire started. Is there anything in particular you'd like for supper?"

Kiori yawned and waved a dismissive hand. "Oh, goodness, no, don't trouble yourself. I need to leave right away as it is. I don't have a moment to lose, and I'm not really that hungry anyway, so..." As if in active defiance of her words, Kiori's stomach chose that precise moment to let out an almost earth-shaking rumble.

The woman smiled. "I'll cook up a few vegetables and stir them into my special peanut sauce, how does that sound?"

She sweatdropped at her roaring stomach and shook her head again. "Honestly, you don't have to worry about me. I'm hungry, and a little tired, but," she yawned again, rubbing at a drooping eyelid, "but I just couldn't stay, not with Chichiri the way he is."

Kita put a hand on Kiori's shoulder, taking a seat beside her on the bed. "I can't see 'ow y'll be doin' y'friend any bit-a good if'n y'fall asleep on y'horse 'r starve t'death on th' way 'ome. An' any'ow," and here she chuckled a little, "after 'at fall he jus' took, I'd say 'e'd prob'ly be right happy for a break about now. 'Ave somethin' t'eat an' take a good long rest f'y'self, th' things y'gotta do'll still be 'ere in th' mornin'."

The college woman blushed, but couldn't find a good argument to that logic. "Arigatou," she said. "You don't have to do this. You hardly know me..."

"Kiori-san, anyone who's an enemy of Setsuka—"

"—May she die a thousand deaths," interjected everyone in the room.

"—Is a friend of the RAFT," Aji finished. He smiled, ruffling her hair. "Besides, you're much too pretty for any man in his right _mind_ to simply let starve."

Kiori rolled her eyes, but once again returned his smile. She blew a wisp of brown hair out of her eyes and snatched up her medicine bag. "Okay then, if you insist, I'll stay the night here, but..." she rummaged through her bag until she pulled out the small vial Tsuchi had given her, along with a roll of bandages and some Mitsubalm, "I still need to do a little work on Chichiri."

Kita nodded towards a small group of people, Otoo-san among them, sitting in one of the dimmed corners of the farmhouse. "'Ave at 'im, so long's y'don't strain y'self. We'll be 'avin' a li'l meetin'-type over 'ere 'bout the recent 'appenin's, if 'at's all right wit' you."

"You offered me help, food, and a place to stay in an enemy nation," Kiori reminded her. "There are very few things you _could_ do that wouldn't be all right with me."

The college woman got to work on her "patient" while the RAFT members got down to business. Kiori felt around at the corner of the monk's face until she found the tiniest bit of a crease, then carefully slid the mask back and into her hand. She set the piece of cloth to the side, leaning over Chichiri and frowning at the gash, now caked with blood, running along his hairline. "I guess Tsuchi-kun wouldn't have known about the mask… still, it would've been nice if someone could've gotten to this earlier, I bet it'll scar for sure, now…"

Kiori set her hands on her knees, but before she could push herself into a sitting position someone shoved a bowl of warm water and a towel onto her lap. She blinked up into Aji's smiling face. "Thought you might need these. Sa, and this," he presented a cup of steaming tea, "would be for the lovely lady herself."

"Arigatou," she said for what must've been the hundredth time that night. Kiori dipped the towel into the water, wrung it out, and began the tedious process of cleaning out her patient's injury. She felt Aji watching over her shoulder. "Ano, Aji-san, if you need to get to your meeting..."

"Oh, I didn't realize I was bothering you," he said with a chuckle. "It's just that I've never seen a true healer at work. If you're this gentle with all your patients I might consider getting myself shot tonight." Kiori blushed to her ear tips and stared hard at the monk's forehead, flushing even brighter at Aji's rolling laugh. "Sumimasen! I'm embarrassing you, aren't I?"

"No, it's just..." Kiori's eyes flicked upwards as the middle-aged woman from earlier placed a small plate of food at her side. "Oh, thank you, um..."

"Takamori is the family name," she introduced, smiling pleasantly. "Eat up, please. My husband and I aren't fighters, but we do what we can to help the RAFT against..." she chuckled. "Oh, I won't say her name, I'm tired of listening to the lot of them chant, 'may she die a thousand deaths.'"

Kiori laughed as Takamori disappeared into the adjoining room. The college student went back to her work, ignoring her food until Chichiri's face was clean of grime and blood. She applied a dab of Mitsubalm and a small bandage, then sat back on her heels, wiping her forehead and heaving a tired sigh.

Kiori grabbed Chichiri's mask and started to press it back onto his face, but she stopped at the last second. _'I like him better like this,' _she decided as she tucked the cloth into his kasa. _'He just seems more… _honest_ this way, I guess. Like he was that afternoon on the wall.'_

She smiled a little, smoothing down his newest bandage. The young woman's hand fell from the monk's forehead to his face, one finger tracing a delicate line across his scarred eye. _'It's funny, how peaceful people look when they're sleeping. Maybe he's having a good dream – I hope he is, anyway. After surviving all of this, it's the least he deserves.'_

"It's no good flirting with an unconscious man, you know," Aji hissed teasingly into her ear. Kiori jumped almost a mile into the air, which of course only made him laugh harder. "Sumimasen, but these RAFT meetings are all alike. It's much more fun to stay over here with you, pretty one."

"You are a hopeless flirt, and I hope Kita-san punishes you for it later," Kiori growled, flushing and stuffing her supplies back into her bag before snatching up a pair of chopsticks and attacking her food with a will.

Aji laughed carelessly. "I hope she does too – we like to make up after our skirmishes." He whistled as Kiori stuffed a mouthful of rice into her mouth and followed it almost immediately with a heap of bamboo shoots and carrots. "Heaven's above! I'd dare say you won't see another scrap of food for a week, the way you're packing it away!"

Kiori smothered a laugh. "Maybe not a _week_, but a couple of days at least. It's a long way back to Konan."

"Sa, don't worry about all that. The RAFT always takes care of its friends. We might have grown thin on leek broth and bean sprouts, but we always have enough to share, if you don't mind the bland taste." Kiori glanced down at her plate – she'd noticed the lack of meat, but if that was what they lived on then she was eating a feast! She started to protest, but Aji said, "Tonight's a special sort of night, pretty one, and everyone is eating just as much as you, I promise. Sa…" He glanced over at the debating rebel members and sighed. "Perhaps they won't _enjoy_ it as much as you, with the stomachaches they'll be giving one another soon."

"Mm? Is something the matter?"

Aji waved another one of his explanatory hands that didn't explain anything. "It's always the same thing. Kita and her group want to test out a few real, concentrated attacks, while this young fellow Iyasu-kun," he gestured towards the scowling youth with the cyan hair, "and _his_ followers would rather use some caution and wait a while longer."

"How d'you feel about it?" Kiori asked, finishing up her food and smothering a yawn.

He shrugged. "Sa, I have faith in Kita to make the right decision. My job is reconnaissance, not leadership." He nodded in their direction. "They're talking about you, you know. Your arrival has really shaken everyone up. Plus with two – well three, in a sense – Elements dead, and the shogun and most of his army away, a lot of people are starting to think we should act. Just little guerilla attacks, of course, but it's a step..."

Kita stood up, slapping her hands together for emphasis. "Bloody 'ell, Iyasu-kun, I _knows_ it's risky, but sometimes y've jus' got t'take a risk, else y'never goin' t'change nothin', na!"

Aji rubbed at his temples. "Really, love, you've got to learn how to control yourself." He jumped to his feet and offered Kiori a long, sweeping bow, glancing up through his bangs just long enough to throw her a wink. "Duty calls, pretty one. Shall I sing you to sleep before I calm the raging Kita?"

Kiori shook her head at the handsome charmer. "Thanks for the offer, but I don't think I'll sleep much tonight. Suppose something happens to Chichiri while I'm out, or—"

"Sa, if only _my_ lover were as thoughtful as that," he said with a wistful sigh. Kiori opened her mouth to protest, but Aji set a finger to her lips. "You needn't worry about your friend. The RAFT will watch over him as if he were our own. And if he takes a turn for the worst, I promise to wake you immediately. Does that sound fair?" She nodded, smothering another yawn. He chucked her under the chin. "Then take a rest, pretty one. You need it after such a long day."

A few minutes later Aji made his way over to the heated meeting. Kita stood up again, about to go on one of her infamous rants, when the rebel man silenced her with a quick kiss. "Hush, love. You wouldn't want to wake our little heroine, would you?"

Aji nodded at the college woman, and Kita fought back a smile. Kiori lay beside the unconscious monk, head on the straw bed and her body curled up on the packed dirt floor. One hand rested beneath her head as a pillow, but in the other she gripped the sash that had led her this far – and would hopefully lead her and Chichiri through the long night.

oOo

Setsuka, unaware of her hostage's escape, now leaned forward on a small chair inside of her shogun's tent, hands laced in her lap and practically twitching with excitement. "…And that," she concluded, "is our current situation."

Hataku nodded. "Two Elements lost, then, but a powerful seishi went with them." The shogun set his chin in his hands, a slow, thoughtful frown spreading across his face. "Hm, in the end, we may have won the battle after all. That sorcerer, the one called Chichiri... he was strong, very strong."

"He was more than just _strong_," Setsuka corrected. "He was the backbone of the Konan Warriors. They are reeling right now, and it is not because of their injuries. They are fragile because they have lost _him_."

"So you want me to attack."

Setsuka patted his cheek. "How astute of you, Hataku. You always were smart – much smarter than this rabble that you have so painstakingly trained." She took a few steps back, teeth glinting in a vicious, hungry smile. "Attack, my dear shogun, and attack with the all the hatred that you and your men hold towards the scum that wiped out a quarter of your force."

Hataku ducked his head in a short bow, and for once he didn't even consider disobeying. "Hai, my Lady!"

oOo

Chichiri woke up during the early morning to silence and the faint smell of a doused fire. He blinked against the dim lamplight and closed his eye again, unable to stifle a low moan from escaping his lips. Once the world stopped spinning so violently, and he felt that he could maybe look around, the monk chanced another glance at the ceiling, but as soon as he opened his eye a kindly, middle-aged man's face sprang into view, smiling down at him. "Ah, so you're awake, are you? Good, good! Our little Warrior will be glad to know that, very glad indeed. Now, don't try moving, please, that's the one thing I was given specific orders on – do not let him move! She'd skin me alive if I did that, hai hai, though I'm not sure which 'she' I'm speaking of, as Kita'd likely do it as well, hah!"

Chichiri tried to speak, but all he managed was a barely audible, "Where… 'm I?"

The man winked. "Safe!" Seeing the monk about to open his mouth again, the man waved a finger in front of his face. "Oh, very well, but I shan't bore you to death with all of the details, no, no, that would take half the evening. Don't think you'll last much longer than a few minutes, hm, if that, you look fit to fall asleep again, that you do. So let's keep this to a minimum: you may call me Otoo-san. You are in the Takamori farmhouse, just outside of the main village of Takkan." Chichiri's breath caught in his throat. "Haha, got your attention now, don't I?"

"How...?"

"Don't waste your energy on unnecessary words, quite a nuisance, saying things that don't need to be said." Chichiri almost laughed at that, but was afraid his tightened chest might snap under the action. "To summarize, you were rescued by the combined efforts of my comrades and I, that is to say, members of the RAFT – Rebel Alliance Forces in Takkan, you see – and the courage of a remarkable young lady, yes, quite the woman she is, I must admit."

"Dare... n'da?"

Otoo-san nodded towards someone directly at his right. "Why, Rika-chan – ah, but no, wait, excuse me, I've no head for names. Her real name, Kita said it, it was… Kiori! Yes, of course, foolish of me to forget."

Chichiri's eye widened. He tried to move his head to see her, but only managed to produce a flash of pain up and down his abdomen and a short, startled grunt. Otoo-san frowned. "No, no, what did I say already! Do-not-let-him-move, Kiori said! It's best not to beat yourself up any more than you already are, you see. And you are quite the sight, hm, hai hai, I've seen perhaps one other person survive an attack like this, and he's an old fool now, that he is, and hardly worth much at all. I doubt that'll be the case with you however, Seishi-sama."

"My name… 's Chichiri... n'da..."

"Right, right, pardon me," his head bobbed up and down in a wobbling nod. "Is there anything I can get you, something you might need? Nothing's too much for one of our Konan allies, of course."

"Water... please?"

Otoo-san couldn't help but chuckle. "Always polite, I like that in a person... yes, yes, right away, I'll get you some water, and, hm, maybe some of Takamori-san's broth, unless you'd prefer some rice?" Chichiri groaned at the thought of food and Otoo-san winced. "Ah, nothing solid just yet, then. Fair enough, fair enough. Be back in a moment, then."

The man disappeared out of Chichiri's vision, so the monk kept his eye on the ceiling and concentrated on the simple task of inhaling and exhaling. Funny; you never really thought about breathing until it became a laborious task, and then it seemed like the only important thing in the world. His mind trailed back to the few things he could remember about the past few days... the fight, the attack, waking up in a dark, cold room at least once... and now...

'_How am I still alive no da?'_ he wondered sleepily. _'There was so much pain… there _still_ is… but, I just couldn't let myself escape it. I kept hearing them. I kept hearing…' _ His unbroken arm slid off the side of the straw bed until his fingers brushed up against a familiar, smooth hand, and his lips twitched upwards into a tired smile. "Kiori..."

Chichiri heard the older man before he saw him. "Ah, here we are, here we are," Otoo-san popped up in front of him again, a steaming bowl in one hand and a cup of water in the other. "Hm, well, don't suppose you'll have the energy to hold these, will you? Not at all, not at all... Open up then, if that's the way we have to do things... hm, I've never been a nurse before, not a bad time to start learning, hai hai..."

Otoo-san continued to chatter as he alternated between water and broth, but Chichiri lost track of the details. There were too many names he didn't know and too many activities that sounded too complicated for him to figure out right now. Swallowing was his main goal, and he decided to let it stay that way. The monk attacked the water willingly, but only just managed to choke down a few gulps of the broth before he felt his body begin to shut down again.

The older man must have felt Chichiri relaxing in his arms, because he set the monk back down on the bed and heaved himself to his feet. "Ah, well, I should leave you alone. No reason to keep a person up just to hear another person chatter on about things they don't care about, agreed? Hm, well, I'll be just over here, so if you need anything, don't be afraid to give a shout, I'll come running, I assure you." He bowed his head respectfully, then disappeared once again.

Chichiri's eyelid drooped and finally closed altogether, shutting him once more in comforting darkness. He felt the college woman stir at his side, and instinctively wrapped his fingers around her hand, offering her one small, comforting squeeze. She heaved a happy sigh in her sleep, and Chichiri mirrored the action as he drifted back into dreams.

It was good to be alive.

oOo

Setsuka had spent the majority of the long night pacing her bedchamber, mentally preparing herself for the following morning and all the victories that she knew lay just at her fingertips. Now, as the sunlight peeked its first rays through her shuttered windows, the Lady of Takkan could contain herself no more and dashed towards her prisoner's cell. She chuckled to herself along the way, all but skipping from step to step as she made her way to the lower rooms. "I _do_ hope that seishi is still alive. If Tsuchi failed in his task then it would ruin everything, and that would be most unfortunate – for the _both_ of them."

She rounded a corner, headed down a long hallway, went around another corner, and finally down the short flight of stairs to the dungeons. "Ah, my dear hostage..." Setsuka swung open the cell's door and stepped inside.

The Lady of Takkan froze. Her mouth dropped. She took a few cautious steps into the room, turned around, turned back around, head whirling from side to side as she searched frantically, desperately, for something that was no longer there.

"Doko wa... doko wa..."

In two different parts of the palace four young Elements sat straight up in their beds, jolted awake by their Lady's blind, hysterical rage. Kaze and Sora exchanged startled glances. Mizu's eyes filled with tears. Tsuchi's mouth went dry with fear. Because there was only one thing that could possibly cause Setsuka to act like this…

"WHERE IS THAT SEISHI?"

oOo

Hataku was in his element as he moved from tent to tent, barking out orders to soldiers and captains alike, urging them to wake up and prepare for battle. The shogun looked at the pale golden sun rising in the east, managing a flicker of a smile. _'One victory,' _he murmured to the gods. _'Even after everything, if we can get just one victory, it'll change the men's entire attitude about this war. Then they'll be ready to march to Hell and back with me again – and with an army at my back, Setsuka won't have a choice but to listen to _me _for once. And, then…'_

But he didn't know where that "and then" led, so instead he turned his thoughts outwards again and snapped, "C'mon you lazy lot, up on your feet and get dressed! Get your weapons and let's move out! The Konan Warriors had a hard battle last night – now is our time to strike!"

"Huh, what's th' hurry?" the young soldier named Tori mumbled, trudging past and rubbing sleep out of his eyes. "I dun' see why anyone'd be excited about gettin' his ass kicked by that group o' wizards 'n' such – yeek!"

Hataku grabbed the young man by the ear. "I'm sorry, Tori-kun, I must've heard you wrong. I could have _sworn_ you just said that you didn't trust your shogun's judgment."

"Er, no, ahah, that's not it t'all..."

"Well, get this through your thick skull!" Hataku snapped. "We have one of their seishi locked safely away in the Takkan Palace, and the other's in such bad condition that he won't even be able to _lift_ an arrow, much less fire one!"

Tori's eyes widened. "Oh! Ah, yes, now I see whatcha mean, Shogun-sama!"

Hataku released his hold on the youth. "Put a little more faith into me, Tori-kun – the war isn't over yet, and we still have a lot of battles to fight. Now get dressed. This is going to be a good day for Takkan."

oOo

Setsuka stormed through the palace, temper worsening with every step. He was gone. He was _gone_! Somehow, someway, her hostage had managed to escape.

"Even a seishi can't just get up and walk away after a hit like that," she growled to herself, ignoring the startled glances the servants kept sending her. "Someone let him get away... someone in this palace..."

She slammed open the doors to her private sitting room, then turned around and closed them with such a force that she almost snapped the frames. She paced angrily across the long room, hands clenching, unclenching, and finally inching up her sides until she'd set one pale finger against "Kaji's" red gem. She sent out a faint psychic tendril, reaching for the faraway ki, and found it weak and far away in the Konan Palace. "Of _course_ it wasn't him," she scolded herself. "He was in no shape to rescue his comrade... but…"

She whirled, snarled, turned to pace the other half of the chamber. "Who could it have _been_? One of those other Konan Warriors, maybe? Yes, or maybe a RAFT member?" She shook her head. "No, not them, they're too cowardly to attempt a stunt like that. It _must_ have been a Warrior, there doesn't seem to be any other explanation."

Setsuka collapsed into a chair with an exasperated sigh. "But that doesn't make any _sense_," she growled at a nearly tapestry. "A complete stranger couldn't just march in, grab that seishi, and march out unnoticed. Someone had to have helped them – but _who_?" She reached up again and touched each of her gems one by one, searching her Elements' emotions. Kaze, restless as always; and Sora, composed as ever; and –

"Mm?" Setsuka's hand rested for several seconds on her forest-green gem, the gem that was nearly throbbing with anxiety and fear. Her eyes narrowed. "Tsuchi-kun. Of course! He was down there last night... but would he have done a thing like that?" She drummed her fingers against her thigh. "Only one way to find out, I suppose."

_"Tsuchi!"_ she called through the gem.

_"H-hai!" _came the stuttered, frightened reply.

_"Come to my study, immediately. I must speak with you."_

_"H-hai... r-right away."_

She waited for a moment, but he didn't say anything else. Finally, she said, _"My Lady, Tsuchi-kun."_

"_Eh?"_

"'_My Lady.' You forgot to refer to me as 'My Lady.' You always do that, Tsuchi-kun."_

"_H-hai! Do-doumo sumimasen."_

"…_My Lady."_

"_Hai! My…" _He swallowed hard, then spat out, _"My Lady."_

The Lady of Takkan snapped the connection. Her fingers slid away from the jewel until they came to rest against her mouth. "Oh, Tsuchi-kun," she murmured into her hand, "what in heaven's name have you done?"

oOo

Koji had always made it a point to get up early – on days when he hadn't gone out drinking the night before, of course – and this morning was no exception. The bandit leader woke up just an hour or so after dawn, restless and agitated, and spent the better part of thirty minutes pacing back and forth across his room, pawing at his bandage and scratching hard at the back of his head. "Kuso, this sucks. Akai 'n' Houki-sama wander 'round like they don't know right from left anymore… I ain't seen Genrou or Ritsu since the battle, so I dunno _how_ they're doin', but it can't be any better... I ain't allowed t'do nothin' strenuous fer a couple-a days, back still stings from that damn doctor and his alcohol – always knew alcohol was meant t'go in yer mouth, not on yer cuts... Kiori's run off... an' Chichiri... dammit, Chichiri..."

The bandit leader slid back the door to his room, ignoring the dull thud that pounded across his back and striding to the kitchens. He found the cooks bustling about from one side of the spacious, steamy room to the other, already busy preparing breakfast. Koji nodded politely to the head cook, a small, middle-aged woman with a sharp tongue and a soft temper. "Ohayou, Oba-chan."

She waved a ladle at him, pushing a strand of hair out of her face. "Find someone else to bother, Koji-sama. We won't have food ready for another couple of hours. You're better off sleeping than harassing my poor staff as it is. From what I hear, you took a decent beating in that battle the other day."

"That ain't the half of it," he said with a sigh, leaning against the counter. "I ain't hungry anyway, Oba-chan. I jus' came in t'grab somethin' t'drink."

She shot him a disapproving glare. "Koji-sama, drinking so early? Why, the sun hasn't even cleared the treetops!"

He managed the barest hint of his usual grin. "Early t'rise, early t'drink, early t'pass out. Always been my motto. An' anyway, I need it – I've had a couple-a rough days."

She sighed, crossing her arms over her chest and nodding sympathetically. "Mm, I know well enough. Akai-san has been coming in here every once in a while – poor thing looks like a lost puppy. Her Majesty hasn't been in much better spirits either."

Koji didn't feel like discussing it; he wanted to be alone to quietly steam. The bandit slid past the woman, grabbing a bottle of sake from the rack of drinks and a small cup. He offered her a low, respectful bow. "Arigatou, Oba-chan. You c'n be assured that th' bottle'll be put t'good use."

She reached out with her ladle and swatted him lightly across the head, but couldn't stop the chuckle from slipping past her lips. "I'm sure it will, you drunkard! Now get on with you, before I tell Yukeda-sensei that one of his patients is getting into the liquor supply."

Koji ducked out of the stifling kitchens and into the cool morning air. His gaze turned to the faint rays of dawn that were just creeping over the Konan wall, but something that he saw – or rather, something that he _didn't_ see – made him stare at the horizon for a moment. "Where th' hell're those little red flecks that always jumped around in the air? That barrier thing Chichiri put up? I c'n almost always spot it durin' th' day…"

He stopped dead in his tracks and a wave of fear washed down his spine. "Since Chichiri... does that mean th' shield collapsed when he...?" He paused for several long seconds, practically ordering the familiar red glimmer to appear. Nothing. "Ah, son of a… Let's hope those Takkan guys don't get any ideas on attackin', 'r we're pretty well screwed right now."

The bandit sighed and continued on his way. As he passed the door to Tasuki's room, he stopped for a moment, curious to see if his friend had finally woken up from his almost two-day long nap. Koji didn't hear anything for a long time, then, in a muffled voice, the faint sound of his friend mumbling in his sleep:

"Chichiri... no... y'can't... dammit, _dammit_..."

Koji bit his lip hard and lashed out a rock, sending it flying across the pathway and into the nearby pond. The bandit leader stormed down the hallway back to his room, slamming his door behind him. He uttered every curse word he could remember, then made up a few for good measure, finally ending his tirade with a frustrated, "Fer Suzaku's sake, I'm his best friend, his _best friend_... of all the people in the world, _I_ should be th' one who c'n do somethin' fer him… yet I'm so damned _helpless_!"

He threw himself down on his bed, tossed his sake cup across the room, and drank straight from the bottle. Koji stared at the ceiling for a long moment, watching as the rays of sunlight crept slowly from one side to the other, then set a hand to his forehead and heaved a long, discouraged sigh. "Yeah, I'm his best friend all right, but there're some things about him I'll jus' never be able t'understand. Even if he's Genrou, he's _also_ Tasuki." He took another swig of sake, sloshing the liquor around in his mouth for a minute before swallowing thoughtfully. "That's where 'Chiri came in. He was more'n a best friend – he was like a brother, 'r a soul mate 'r somethin', I guess. I mean, shit. How c'n I compete with that?"

On the other side of his door, Koji heard the familiar cry of the young soldier Aoi as he sprinted down the walkway. "Attack! Attack! Takkan forces coming from the north! Up on the wall, every able-bodied warrior!"

The bandit rose impulsively, but sat back down fast when another burst of pain swept across his shoulder blades. He swore again and tossed back the sake bottle, downing almost half of it in one smooth gulp. He had a feeling he might need another bottle before the day was out.

oOo

Kiori looped a bag of supplies across Kenichi's back – along with her own medicine bag – and glanced over her shoulder, pressing a finger to her lips. "Are you two sure you'll be okay with him?"

Aji flashed a pained smile from one side of the unconscious monk, whom he and Otoo-san had laid out on a makeshift stretcher. "Sa, perfectly fine, Kiori-san, so long as we don't slip and drop him, at least. But are you quite certain you need to be leaving so early? Takamori-san will be done with breakfast in less than an hour, and the sun has only just barely risen, so—"

Kita prodded the charmer between his shoulders, glaring at him. "Ch! Y'fallen in love wit' th' gel already, na, Aji-_kun_?"

He glanced over his shoulder just long enough to laugh and plant a kiss right on Kita's lips. "Perish the thought, O Divine Leader! I was merely expressing concern that our lovely guest might not have filled her stomach or regained enough of her energy."

She flushed bright red and stormed over to help tighten Kenichi's reins, though the majority of the work was already complete. Kiori shook her head at the other woman's behavior and hopped up onto her mount, then pivoted in her saddle just enough so she could help Aji and Otoo-san with the difficult task of hoisting Chichiri onto Kenichi's back. After a few minor struggles they slipped him into a more-or-less comfortable position in front of Kiori, with his legs draped across the horse's side and his head resting against Kiori's chest. "Oh…" the college woman blushed when she realized that she had the monk nestled between her breasts, but swallowed her embarrassment and ignored Aji's laughter with as much dignity as she could muster.

Kita patted the horse's side. "Well, looks like y'ready t'leave us, girlie. Y'better 'urry y'self back t'Konan quick, like, an' make sure y'friend there stays alive f'th'trip, na."

"That's one promise I _know_ I'll keep," Kiori assured her. She looked down at the seishi and bit her lip. "I hope he's okay, though. He's been asleep for such a long time..."

Otoo-san rubbed at the back of his head. "Oh, dear, dear! I'm truly an old fool, now, there's no escaping it! Kiori-chan, I completely forgot to mention that your friend woke up last night!" Her eyes widened, but the older man brushed her worries away with a fidgety wave of his hand. "Now, now, don't be upset with me; he seemed quite fine, that he did, and I didn't see it necessary to wake you up because you needed your sleep just as much as he did. He was only awake for a little over a half hour, as it is, you see."

Aji chuckled. "You didn't realize? Did you suppose his hand got looped into yours by pure accident?" The college girl blushed. Aji's laughter rang through the clearing. "Ah, pretty one, don't flush so bright a red, it's an unbecoming color on you." He kissed her hand and threw her another of his famous winks. "Be careful, and stay safe. If something were to happen to you, why, I'd drown myself in the river in sadness."

Kiori rolled her eyes but smiled in spite of herself. "I'll do that, Aji-san. And good luck to you, too."

Kita flashed her a thumbs-up. "Revolution's jus' 'round th' corner, girlie! I c'n feel it!" She slapped the horse again, getting it to break into a quick walk. "Ganbatte, Kiori! May y'trip be nothin' but 'appyness 'n' song, an' let's 'ope we all live t'spit on th' grave-a Setsuka—"

Four voices echoed resoundingly across the field. "May she die a thousand deaths!"

oOo

"'_And so, with the laughter of her rebel allies ringing in her ears, the young woman set off with the seishi towards home, safety, and the promise of tomorrow.'_"Keisuke chuckled and handed the book over to his now-awake friend. "End Chapter Sixteen."

-  
Chichiri: Mm? Oh, so I'm still alive after all. And it's because of Kiori? Only how did she?… Daaaa, on second thought, I won't ask any questions just now. It hurts too much. But it looks like we're almost home no da. I hope the others are doing all right, too, and… eh? What's that? Setsuka's sending somebody _after_ us? No, wait, this isn't how it's supposed to happen at all…!

The Next Episode of _Fushigi Yuugi: The Next Chapter_: "The Price of Life – Confrontation in Takkan Palace!"

I _have_ to keep everyone safe, no da… no matter what it takes.  
-

* * *

_**Ye Olde Author's Free-Chat: September 13, 2006; 11:05 PM**_

Ni-hao, minna!  
A late chapter and a thousand apologies, but this will probably be the norm from now on (again). I'm officially a college kid, now, which means Anime Club, Ki Aikido, parties, and lots and lots of homework. Which means _very_ little free time for writing. I've tried to put aside an hour every night to work on edits and the like, but… it hasn't really been working out too well. _(sweat) _I am trying, though, I promise, so bear with me and I'll get these episodes out sooner or later!

I split another chapter because this one was ungodly huge, but in the chapter itself there weren't a ton of changes. I threw in some extra dialogue between Tasuki and Ritsuka, and added the bit where Aji explains Kita's past, but that's about it. From here on out there probably won't be a _ton_ of changes to the 'fic, especially where the Konan Warriors are concerned; my writing improved considerably around this time of creating the original, so I don't feel the need to fix quite as much. Hopefully that'll mean quicker updates, too, but once again I really don't want to make any guarantees.

**Character Profile – Sora  
**Real Name: Tsukimiya Maemi  
Age: 16  
Height: 5'6"  
Birthplace: Kutou (her parents immigrated to Konan during the political upheavals)  
Birthday: January 12th (Capricorn)  
Blood Type: A  
Hair: Midnight blue; falls to her tailbone but is usually pulled up in a pony tail; no bangs  
Eyes: Gold (duh)  
Likes: Battles, praise, poetry and mahjong  
Dislikes: Failing in her duties and disappointing others  
Favorite Food: Peaches  
Least Favorite Food: Anything spicy

If I had to pick just one reason why editing this story was a good idea, it would be Sora. I created her as a "female warrior enemy" with a "personality as distant as the sky" (Soi-like, really) and pretty much left it at that. Of course, this ensured that she was as one-dimensional as it gets, and I deeply regretted that about halfway through writing the original. I'm _immensely_ proud of what she's become in the edit – a girl caught between adulthood and childhood, clinging to "loyalty" while trying to maintain "humanity" as well. Her deep relationships with both Hataku and Kaze – the man and the boy – reflect this as well (though don't ask me her exact feelings for either of them, because I certainly couldn't tell you!). In some ways, she's probably the most complex of the Elements, and definitely one of the most human. She's become one of my favorites to write for actually, so I hope everyone else can grow to love her as well (even if she _is_ technically an enemy!).

Oh, and on a side note… I didn't intentionally steal her power from CLAMP's _X_ series, but I saw the _X_ movie before I wrote this story, so I also can't honestly say that the movie didn't influence me in any way. Let's call it a "subconscious coincidence" for the time being – and anyway, in the edit I expanded her power to include all weapons, so it's not quite as rip-offy now, right? Right? _(…sweat)_

Thanks to Alaia, caspercat22, DPFYLUVR, Seira Ayuda, Kristall, Expi00962, Bishi-chan, Inu-chan (I'll visit the forum again soon guys, I promise!), miraclebutterly, Amaya-san, sakurachibi, DDZ, and InsanitySquirrel for reviewing! _(gasps for air) _Phew! If I get any more readers, I might not be able to list them all anymore! Thank you all so, _so_ much for keeping up with this story and cheering on Kiori, and please bear with my sporadic updates and stick around for the exciting conclusion to the Chichiri story arc!

See you all again soon, I hope! – Dee


	17. Episode Seventeen: The Price of Life

**_Disclaimer_:** I still don't own Konan, Suzaku and all characters and seishi pertaining to them. Kiori and Ritsuka are and shall forever be mine, and that holds for all the other "originals" (you'll know 'em when they appear, trust me). Obviously the story is mine as well.

_**Rating:**_PG-13, for moderate language and violence.

_**Translation Note: **lǐ, bù _– Chinese units of measurement (look at me, doing research! XD ) A _lǐ_ is 500 meter, a _bù_ about 1 2/3 meters.

_I made Top 10 in a writing contest the other day, and honorable mention in another. The sad thing was, the Top 10 was for a poetry piece, and I hate poetry. I just submitted it because I wanted an "A" in Creative Writing II. Does that make me really talented, or just really lucky? The world may never know… but I'm leaning towards option #2. (sweatdrop)_

* * *

**--Episode Seventeen: The Price of Life--  
Confrontation in Takkan Palace!**

Tetsuya prodded Keisuke with his foot. "C'mon, don't pause for a breath now, keep going! Is Sakamoto-san gonna get back to the palace okay? And what do you think's gonna happen to that Element kid? And what about everyone back in Konan? What if that Shogun figures out that the barrier is down? It's gonna work out all right, isn't it?

"How should _I_ know?"

"You're the one holding the book," Tetsuya said matter-of-factly. Keisuke groaned and his friend chuckled. "Hey, you _did_ keep fighting for reading privileges earlier. Now you have to pay the price."

"By listening to a barrage of annoying questions?"

"Pretty much, yeah."

"You're a first-class pain in the ass, you know that Tetsu?" The other student just laughed. Keisuke ran a hand through his hair, looking back down at the Chinese writing, and began:

"'_Back in the Takkan Palace, the young Element Tsuchi plodded towards Setsuka's chamber, feet dragging behind him as if chained to lead weights. The boy knew what she would ask, and he knew he would tell her everything, down to the last detail. For the Elements had never been able to say "no" to their Lady, particularly when she was at her most demanding. So, the boy would admit his guilt without a single denial, and the thought of the punishment that would surely follow sent a chill coursing down his spine…'_"

oOo

The doors squeaked as Tsuchi pushed them open, echoing through the large, silent chamber. At the end of the room sat the woman he had worshipped for so long, fingers laced beneath her chin, staring at him over an ornate mahogany desk. The boy took a deep breath and strode across the room, trying to keep his knees from shaking. As he reached her chair, he bowed low, though his head didn't quite touch the floor. "Y-you called… m-my Lady?"

Setsuka studied her nails. "The prisoner is gone. The seishi. He escaped."

"E-escaped...?"

"Yes, that's right," she said casually, as if they were having a simple discussion about the weather. "Somehow, he managed to escape. Now, Tsuchi, I have racked my brain for the past hour or so, trying to understand just _how_ such a thing could happen. I, unfortunately, am at a loss, and thus am forced to turn to the person who saw him last. Do you have any idea how this _possibly_ could have happened, Tsuchi-kun?"

"Eto..."

"Perhaps you gave him too much medicine, and he was instantly healed and fled from the room?" she suggested, voice rising in a dangerous purr. "Or perhaps a Konan Warrior cast a spell on the palace, snuck in, and stole him while we were frozen in time? Or maybe... just perhaps..." she dug her nails into the chair, glaring venomously at the trembling boy. "_You_ allowed him to escape."

The Element froze under her cold gaze. As their eyes met, Tsuchi fought briefly, bitterly against her will, desperate to lie to her, desperate to save his life… but, as always, he could not battle those silver pools for very long. "Hai, Setsuka-sama. I'm guilty," he whispered, almost trance-like.

The Lady of Takkan blinked. "Beg pardon?"

"I said I'm guilty," he repeated, voice barely audible. "A young woman came to the cell to rescue the seishi. I was there at the time."

"And you let her go," Setsuka sneered.

"And I let her go," he agreed, voice trembling.

Setsuka frowned, releasing her hold on the boy and allowing him to lower his eyes, still shaking from head to foot. "Tsuchi-kun, do you understand what this means? That is high treason – not just treason, but treason to _me_." She choked back a sob on the word. "By law, you should be killed on the spot for such a terrible act."

"K…killed!" Whatever courage he'd had left deserted him at the gruesome thought, and he threw himself to the floor, forehead pressed hard against the wooden panels. "Setsuka-sama! I... I don't... p-please... death...?"

The Lady's lips curled upwards into a victorious smile, though of course Tsuchi couldn't see it, and when she next spoke her voice was as sweet as honey. "Now Tsuchi-kun, there's no need to despair. I will not kill you. Silly boy, to think that I would do something like that." Setsuka chuckled gently, standing and moving out from behind the desk, until she knelt in front of the young Element. She lifted his chin in one smooth hand, forcing him to look her in the eyes. "You _are_ just a child, after all. I'm sure that nasty woman tricked you, somehow, didn't she my dear?"

"No! She _never_! I-it was me... I, I did it by choice..." his eyes flickered away for half an instant, but were drawn instantly back into her alluring stare.

Setsuka waved his words away. "Oh, I hardly believe that. You have always been such a good boy, Tsuchi-kun. You couldn't possibly betray me on _purpose_," she insisted. The Lady kept her hand on his chin, bringing him forward so they were almost nose-to-nose. "But, no matter the case, what you did is still very serious. You wavered. You _always _waver, Tsuchi-kun. And I am growing _sick and tired_ of waiting for you to grow up!" she snapped, voice rising to a dangerous snarl. "Tsuchi, we _must_ catch those Warriors at all costs. Follow my orders if you wish to redeem yourself. Do you understand? This is the _only_ way you may save yourself."

He said nothing, golden eyes staring helplessly into her silver ones.

Setsuka took that as a sign to continue. "You are to lead a small group of soldiers after the escaped prisoner. Find their trail, track them down and catch them like the sneaking rats they are." She paused, flashing one of her deadliest of smiles. "Kill the girl, as brutally as you wish. Bring the seishi back to me – now that he is out of imminent danger, I'd like to have a little fun with him before we begin the bargaining process. Do you understand, Tsuchi-kun?"

He swallowed hard. "Yes, Setsuka-sama."

"And are my orders to be followed, Tsuchi-kun?"

The Element swallowed again. "No, Setsuka-sama."

Setsuka's breath caught in her throat. She tugged his chin up so their eyes were right on level – so there was no possible way he could avoid the pressing force of her will against his. "_What_ did you say?" she hissed, half-seductive, half-threatening, and for the first time unsure if either emotion would do her any good.

Tsuchi closed his eyes, and this time his voice echoed through the chamber. "No, Setsuka. I won't do it."

The Lady felt a band of power snap. She jerked back, recoiling from the child, staring at him with eyes wide and disbelieving. A startled laugh tore out of her throat. "You… you must be joking. To deliberately disobey an order from _me_, from your Lady—"

"Uso!" he snapped, and the force behind the word was so powerful that it stunned even Setsuka into momentary silence. Tsuchi's hands dug into the wooden floorboards, still trembling but no longer afraid. He stared up at the Lady of Takkan unblinkingly and spat out his next words in a tidal wave of venom, frustration, and hate. "You – you want to kill them. _Both_ of them! More than that, you want to enjoy every second of it! That woman was willing to _die_ to save her friend, and the seishi suffered so much, but you just want to do even _more_ to him, it isn't about politics for you anymore, or maybe it never was, I don't know, but the point is it's _wrong_, and I _couldn't_ follow those kinds of orders! I couldn't _bear _to hear their screams. I couldn't. I _refuse_! And… and anyone who would say such things, who would make such orders in the first place… I could _never_ follow somebody like that." Tsuchi took a deep breath, but he never wavered. Not this time. "So… so you see, I'm not disobeying an order from 'my Lady' at all. I don't _have_ a Lady anymore."

Setsuka's knuckles shone white in her lap. "Are you quite finished?"

"I am."

The Lady of Takkan glanced down at the youth through a veil of blonde hair – and smiled. "Bravely spoken, Tsuchi-kun. Bravely spoken indeed. That _is_ how you truly feel, then?"

The young Element blinked. "H-hai. That's exactly how I feel."

A soft chuckle escaped the woman's lips. "Ah, I see. Well, then. If that _is_ how you feel…" Without warning Setsuka's hand whipped out, backhanding Tsuchi hard across the face. The blow knocked the youth off balance and sent him careening to the floor, but before he could rise Setsuka darted forward, grabbing a clump of his hair and jerking him to his knees, forcing his head back until he was staring straight into her snarling face. "Then you are a traitor, the lowest possible slime on the earth, and such slime must be dealt with fittingly! I never thought I'd see such _disgusting_ acts from _you_, but that does not make the punishment _any_ less merciless!"

Tsuchi winced against the pain, but he refused to cry out. "Kill me, then."

Setsuka threw back her head and laughed. "Oh, you silly, stupid _child!_ Do you _really_ think I'm going to kill you? Is that the _worst _punishment you can possibly imagine? Oh no, Tsuchi-kun. Death is much, much too good for a wretch like you!" Her free hand snaked up to the jewels dangling at her neck, brushing against Tsuchi's forest-green gem. Setsuka's teeth glinted in the morning light. "You still have uses, boy."

She pinched the gem between her fingers and tore the Element's life force straight out of it. Now Tsuchi really did scream, a blood-curdling sound that went on and on and sent chills down the spine of any servants within hearing range. Setsuka untangled her hand from his hair, allowing him to fall writhing to the floor. She stood, watching him for a moment, still drawing power bit by bit out of the pulsing green gem, smiling as he continued to shriek, tearing at his own arms in an effort to stop the fire from searing him from head to toe. Then, when she thought he could endure no more, Setsuka released the jewel, snapping the connection.

Tsuchi collapsed and curled into a ball, panting, sobbing, but the Lady of Takkan paid him no mind. She strode to the door of her chamber, calling out to the nearest servants. "You two! Yes, you!"

"Uh, M'lady?" one asked, bowing low and walking towards the door.

Setsuka nodded to the trembling Element behind her. "Get this boy out of my sight and back to his room. I never want to see his face again. Then, I'd like you to call the Head of the Palace Guard up to my chamber."

The servants bowed low and did as their Lady commanded, picking Tsuchi up none-too-gently and carting him down the stairs as quickly as they could.

Setsuka strode over to a mirror, gazing back at herself. Around her body glowed the faint aura of golden, orange, and silver ki. Her hands danced out to touch the separate flecks of light, naming them, "myself, Taiyou, and Tsuki," respectively. "And…" she paused for a moment, focusing on her power – and smirked as the faintest flecks of green added to the brilliant dance. "Ah, Tsuchi-kun, _there_ you are."

The Lady set a hand to the smooth, reflective surface. "So what if that seishi escaped? A couple of my better trackers will be able to find them before they're even halfway to Konan." She played with her necklace, chuckling darkly. "And, in the end, this may work out even better for me. At least now I've rooted out a traitor, and taught him a lesson that he will most certainly be unable to forget for the rest of his short, miserable life."

oOo

It was a very pleased shogun that watched the Takkan Army continue its relentless attack on the disheartened Konan soldiers that morning and on into the afternoon. Since a fourth of his force had been taken out of action by the seishi, Hataku had decided to approach the battle from a different angle: instead of surrounding the city, he simply focused his attack on the northern wall. His archers stood in lines, directed by one of his captains on when to shoot, duck and reload.

"Those Konan soldiers must think its raining arrows," Hataku remarked to himself. He looked up at the sun, and couldn't help but smile a little at the shocking simplicity of this battle. "They really _are_ nothing without their seishi. It's like battling children, now." The shogun's gaze flicked to the east. "Now if _they _have some success, then maybe…" but he shook his head before he could finish that thought. "I'd better not get too far ahead of myself. One step at a time, after all. Still…"

The shogun leaned back against a nearby tree, well out of arrow range, and watched the show with the gleam of victory in his eyes.

'_Still,' _he finished quietly. _'Kawahito-Taii might just win this war for us.'_

oOo

"All right, men, so here's th' plan. Shogun-sama says we prob'ly can't jus' scale the walls, but he wants us t'see if maybe we can't go _under _'em instead. So let's get this started quick 'n' quiet-like, everyone with shovels get goin', an' you three keep y'eyes open fer anyone comin' 'round th' wall. We wanna do this _secretly, _'r else it ain't gonna work."

"Hai, Kawahito-Taii."

A small contingent of Takkan soldiers stood at the corner of the south wall, grinning up at the empty ramparts. Since Akai was too out-of-sorts to think much about battle plans, and the other Konan leaders were all injured or missing, nobody had given any thought to posting a sentry on the walls away from the battle.

"Ha, can you _believe _our good luck?" one of the soldiers cried, plunging his shovel into the soft, rain-beaten earth.

The leader, a thirty-something Taii (Captain) by the name of Kawahito Manzo, swaggered up to the wall, looking it up and down. "Hm, this oughta work out real well! Get me noticed by th' shogun himself, I'd bet!"

Tori – the same soldier Hataku had reprimanded that morning – raised an eyebrow. "Huh, an' just _why_ d'we gotta bother with all this diggin', eh? I'm a soldier, not a tunneler. An' b'sides, looks t'me like we could scale these walls pretty easily if we tried."

Kawahito curled his lip at the young man. "That's why I'm Taii an' you ain't, Gaki (Brat). One-a them seishi built that shield 'round the whole capital, remember? You try t'touch that wall an' you'll get a nice li'l shock fer yer troubles, trust me on that."

The impudent soldier sniggered, reaching out a finger and setting it against the stone wall. "I'm still waitin' for my li'l shock, Taii-sama!"

Kawahito's jaw dropped. He pressed both of his own hands to the wall, sliding them first as high as they could reach, then right down to where the stones met the earth. "Well, I'll be damned."

"I wish y'were," Tori retorted. "Callin' me Gaki, when y'didn't even notice that that red glimmer was gone. Huh, some taii _you_ are – yowch!"

The captain grabbed the unlucky youth by the ear. "Enough of your cheeky mouth, _Gaki_! We need t'report this back t'Hataku-Shogun on th' double. Come on, men, looks like ya c'n hold off on th' diggin' fer now. Let's get movin'."

"Yeek, ouch, leggo me ear, this's no way t'treat th' person who found out th' barrier was missin'!"

oOo

Chichiri slowly seeped back into consciousness just as the sun reached its zenith. He squinted against the bright light, trying to get his bearings. He was outside – definitely not in the farmhouse anymore, assuming that hadn't just been a dream – and from the way his body kept shifting back and forth ever so slightly, he realized that he must be moving, though he didn't feel particularly uncomfortable. His head was even resting against something soft, though _that_ wouldn't stop swaying, either. It took Chichiri's fever-numbed mind another moment to figure out that he was on a horse, situated in front of Kiori – and another still to understand the identity of the "something soft" that cushioned his head.

'_Daa… but I suppose it's all right no da. _She's _the one who set me like that, after all.'_

The seishi closed his eye, breathing in the sweet smells of spring, unwilling to spoil the perfect tranquility of the afternoon by speaking just yet. The pair traveled on in silence for several minutes, until the horse hit a small dip in the road that made Chichiri's whole body jerk to the left.

"Kenichi, careful," Kiori hissed, pressing a protective hand against the monk's shoulder.

"You really ought to keep an eye out for those holes, no da," Chichiri muttered to the horse, pressing his uninjured arm against his ribcage.

Kiori almost jumped straight out of the saddle. "Chi-Chichiri! You're up?"

He shifted his head so he could look up at her, flashing the tiniest of smiles. "I guess I must be no da."

The young woman's face broke into a grin. "Yokatta! Otoo-san told me you'd woken up last night, but you hadn't stirred at all since then and I was starting to get a little worried... It's good to see you awake."

"It's good to _be_ awake no da," he muttered with a small chuckle. Chichiri glanced down again, and back out towards the surrounding forest. "Where are we?"

"About half a day's ride outside of the Takkan Palace," Kiori explained. "We haven't been going very fast, though – I didn't want to hurt you – so we've still got at least a two-day ride ahead of us, maybe more."

"Did you... at the palace..."

Kiori understood what he meant. "Mm. Setsuka took you from the battlefield, but I got you back. Of course, I had a _lot_ help, and from some of the most wonderful people, too. You met one of the RAFT members last night, but – well, anyway, it's sort of a long story. I'll tell you when you're feeling better."

"I wouldn't mind hearing it now, no da. We do have a long way to go after all. But…" Chichiri frowned, eye flicking back up to the college woman's face. "Setsuka must have found out by now. Do you know if she's sent anyone after us?"

"Mm, probably," Kiori agreed. "I'm trying not to think too much about it. We've got a nice head start on them, and besides, if anyone _does_ track us you'll sense them long before they sense _us_, so we'll be able to figure something out when the time comes."

"I wouldn't rely too much on that no da."

"Eh?"

"My strength is shot right now, Kiori. I'll be lucky to sense an enemy presence from five _bù_ away, never mind the usual five _lǐ_."

The young woman shifted, nervous. "Oh. So… your injuries affect your seishi powers, too?"

"They affect my seishi powers _the most_," he corrected. Sensing his friend's confusion, Chichiri explained, "In case you haven't noticed, it's _awfully_ hard to kill a seishi, because the gods' power has given us a little extra life no da. That's also why we tend to heal faster than normal people. By all rights, I should be dead right now." Kiori stiffened and Chichiri's voice softened. "It's true no da. Taiyou killed me that night. But the thing is… I kept hearing you, and Tasuki, and Ritsuka too, maybe, and I think I realized that I _couldn't_ die just then. I still should have, but… when my normal strength ran out, I fell back on the strength Suzaku granted me. My seishi power no da. That's the reason I'm alive, now. It's also the reason I'm not going to die from these injuries – and why they're going to heal faster no da. But…" Chichiri gasped as Kenichi stumbled over a rock, knocking him to the right and sending needles into his arm and abdomen.

"Chichiri!" Kiori yelped, hurrying to steady him.

The monk pushed back the pain with a deep shudder. "But it also makes me about as useless as a baby for the next week or so," he finished through gritted teeth. "Gomen, no da."

"Oh, for heaven's sake, don't apologize! I'd much rather see you alive than blasting holes through anymore Elements." The young woman shrugged, forcing lightness back into her voice. "And besides, I think we'll be all right. The RAFT spent the entire morning before I even woke up working out about ten false trails for any would-be trackers to follow. Setsuka's men will be searching the forest for _at least_ the rest of the day."

"You keep talking about the RAFT no da, but what _are _they?"

"Oh, well, that's part of that long story I was telling you about…"

And so, at the monk's bidding, Kiori launched into the story of her time in Takkan, careful not to forget any detail, especially about her colorful new rebel friends. Chichiri nodded from time-to-time, finding that he wasn't paying so much attention to her words as he was to the sound of her voice. It was surprisingly soothing, and helped him forget the small stabs of pain that raced across his abdomen every time the horse hit a particularly rough patch of the path.

The monk felt Kiori run a hand through his bangs. "I'm not boring you, am I?" He heard her ask through his growing haze.

"Nn. I like listening to you," he murmured quietly, leaning his head against her chest and letting the sun warm his face. A shiver traced down his spine in spite of the nice weather. "I hope everyone else is all right no da..."

She chuckled. "Half-dead and you still only worry about the others. I'm sure they're doing all right, more or less. Of course, they don't think _either_ of us is coming back…" her chuckle turned into a full-fledged, jubilant laugh. "Oh, but I can't _wait_ to see the look on Tasuki-tachi's faces when the two of us come riding through those gates, alive and well. They'll probably think we're ghosts, at first, so…"

But Chichiri never heard the rest of her sentence. The swaying horse, the woman's soft voice, and his fever had sent him back into a quiet, peaceful sleep.

oOo

Hataku listened to the soldiers' report, nodding every once in a while as they explained the new situation. The shogun felt a thin smile creeping onto his lips. "Not only is their spirit gone, but their barrier has vanished as well…"

"Hai!" Kawahito said, bowing sharply. "I figgered I oughta report right back t'you. Would ya like us t'continue with the tunnelin', or—"

"Forget that," Hataku murmured with a wave of his hand. He glanced up at the wall, a new idea forming in his war-wise mind. "We'll scale the walls instead. It's quicker – easier. Go back to camp and get the…" The shogun trailed off. He could practically _hear_ Setsuka now, standing over him, that snarl on her face, demanding to know why he'd ordered a plan of attack without her consent. Hataku paled as the sound of a whip cracked in the back of his mind.

"Er, Shogun-sama?"

Hataku shook his head. "Call off the army. They've had enough for one day – we'll make this our warning signal. I need to speak with her Ladyship, then we'll worry about what to do next. Working outside of her commands would be suicide for the both of us."

The captain bowed swiftly, charging off down the lines and barking out the new order.

Tori, the cheeky soldier, snickered quietly to his comrades. "Hehe, get a load of Hataku-sama. Looks paler'n a ghost. Huh, ya'd think Setsuka-sama was his mother'r somethin', the way he's—" the shogun snatched him roughly by the ear, cuffing the young man across the back of the head, "yowch!"

oOo

Kiori watched as the sun began its slow descent behind the trees, casting deepening shadows across her, Kenichi, and the sleeping monk. "Hm…" she murmured, rubbing at one drooping eyelid. "I guess we might as well take short break. I could use it." The horse snorted and Kiori smiled, patting his neck. "You could use it too, eh, Kenichi? Still, we can't rest for too long. Setsuka's probably sent someone after us by now, and there's still Chichiri to worry about, even if he _is_ feeling better. Not to mention it'll be harder for anyone to track us in the dark, so let's keep this break to about two hours." Kenichi snorted again. Kiori stifled a giggle. "Fine, fine, _three_ hours. But not a minute more, okay?"

The young woman guided her horse away from the road and into the trees, plodding a short way through the underbrush until she found a small clearing, surrounded by thick shrubs and sheltered by a drooping chestnut tree. She drew Kenichi to a halt, then glanced down at the sleeping monk in her lap. "Oh, I hate doing this, but…" Kiori touched a hand to his uninjured arm and shook it gently. "Chichiri. Ne, Chichiri? C'mon, we're gonna take a break for a couple of hours, okay?"

His mahogany eye fluttered open. "I thought I _was_ taking a break no da."

"This one's for all of us," she said with a smile. The college student shifted Chichiri forward until he was resting against Kenichi's shoulder and neck, then hopped off the animal and stood, glancing back up at the half-awake monk. "Okay, I know I can't lift you down from the horse all on my own, so do you think you can support yourself, just a little bit?"

He nodded, offering her his uninjured hand. Kiori accepted it and reached up her other arm to catch him as he slipped to the ground. The monk's legs nearly gave out from under him, but Kiori wrapped an arm around his shoulder, and after a wobbly few seconds he managed to steady himself. Kiori helped him hobble over to a nearby tree, where his strength deserted him and they both promptly dropped to the ground.

He sighed, leaning back against the chestnut's thick trunk. "Walking was never so hard before. Thanks for the help no da."

"No problem." Kiori went back to Kenichi, tying him off against a nearby tree and grabbing her knapsack. She walked back over to Chichiri, rummaging around in her pack as she went. Kiori pulled out a small animal skin filled with water and a pair of lumpy dumplings. "Here," she said, handing him the water pouch. "Drink as much as you want. I'm not really thirsty. Do you feel like eating real food, or…?"

Chichiri stomach rumbled and the two laughed. "That sounds pretty good no da. What's on the menu tonight, Cook-san?"

Kiori laughed. "Burnt rice, if I really _was_ the cook." She held out one of the dumplings. "It's not palace gourmet or anything, but it ought to hold you over."

The monk took the offering, biting into it and making a face. "It's pretty awful no da."

"Yeah, Aji-san said it might be. The RAFT aren't starving, exactly, but they don't get a lot of _good_ food, I don't think." The young woman shifted, glancing towards the nearby forest.

"How much farther to the palace na no da?"

Kiori shrugged, still hopping up and down from one foot to the other. "Oh, another couple of days, if we keep this pace up. That's my best guess, anyway."

"Is everything all right no da?"

"Eh?"

The monk gestured towards her bouncing body. "You seem… bothered."

"Oh." Kiori blushed, glancing towards the trees again. "It's just… we've been riding for a while, and I haven't really given myself a break since noon, so…"

Chichiri sweatdropped. "I'm not going to run away no da. Go on ahead."

"Oh, right!" she bowed low, then darted off into the surrounding forest. After a moment she popped back out again, looking considerably refreshed. She glanced towards her traveling companion and flashed a nervous smile. "Do you need a… break… too?"

"I think I'm all right no da. We stopped at noon, and I've barely drank anything over the past few days."

"Sou," she said, and both paused to blush, remembering _that_ awkward conversation. Kiori shook off the embarrassment and glanced back towards Chichiri. "Well, never mind for now, but if you _do _need anything, just let me know. It's my duty as your nurse after all. By the way, how're you feeling?"

"Okay no da."

Kiori crouched beside the monk, placing a palm against his forehead. "Didn't your mother ever tell you not to lie? I could fry dinner right on your forehead."

"Good," he said with a weak chuckle. "I'd love a cooked meal no da."

The young woman frowned. "Well, you don't _seem_ any worse for it. Tired?" A nod. "Dizzy?" Another small nod. She held up three fingers. "How many?"

"Three," he told her. "I'm hurt, not blind no da."

Kiori took a small towel from her bag and drenched it with some of their water. "Here, just lay back and take it easy." Chichiri did as she said, using her lap as a pillow at her bidding. She set the cool cloth to his forehead, then set to work tightening up a few bandages here and there. The monk winced, but endured it quietly, listening to the gentle murmur of the young woman's voice as she muttered aloud about her work.

Chichiri was just about to drift off to sleep again when suddenly his eye snapped open, entire body tensing. Kiori opened her mouth, a "doushita no?" on her tongue, but the monk pressed a finger to his lips, glancing back towards the nearby road.

Kiori didn't have to wait long to understand his odd attitude. In less than a minute she heard the sound of horse hooves thumping into the packed earth. She stiffened, peering through the foliage and praying that it was only a passing traveler.

"Gaw, we been at it all day! Let's take a rest, Taii-sama!"

"Oh, shut up! You're a tracker, aren't you? So give your mouth a rest and your _eyes_ the workout."

"Taii-sama, we're pretty close to 'em as it is. See here, these tracks're fresh as can be."

"I'll believe your promises when we've found those two. Now get back to work."

"Oi! Look here! The horse's trail leads off t'the side o' the road! Y'think they tried t'throw us off?"

"Shut up, idiot. Can't you tell they're nearby?"

A stifled whimper slipped its way out of Kiori's throat. Chichiri glanced up at the frightened young woman, mind racing. _'They don't need Kiori. They're only after me. If they catch her, they'll…'_

Kiori clenched her jaw, gripping hard at Chichiri's hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze. "It's okay," she whispered, though she could barely keep the tremble out of her voice. "Whatever happens I'll stay here. I won't leave you to get caught by those jackals, not alone."

The monk's gaze softened for the briefest of moments – then hardened right back into a look of fierce determination. _'We lose no one,' _he repeated silently to himself. Chichiri closed his eye, reaching deep into his pools of Suzaku-given power until he found one last flickering crimson spark. It would have to be enough, he decided, and pulled with everything he had left.

Kiori looked down in time to see Chichiri set two fingers to his mouth and utter a low chant. "Chichiri, wait, you can't..." she trailed off, eyes flickering towards the red portal opening up beneath the small clearing, encompassing woman, monk, and horse alike.

She managed to hear the startled cry of one of the trackers, dashing through the underbrush as he squealed, "Oiiii, Taii-sama, they're sinkin' straight inter th' earth!" before she disappeared into the void. Kiori gasped, fighting for breath as she found herself surrounded by cold nothingness for one terrifying second – and then she was lying on the ground, still hugging Chichiri to her chest, with Kenichi stamping nervously just a few feet away.

"What…?" she breathed, glancing around and immediately recognizing the clearing as the same one she and Ritsuka had arrived in, so many weeks ago. "But… but this isn't…" her face broke into a relieved smile. "Oh, Chichiri! But you told me you didn't have the strength to—" The red light around them at last vanished, and the body in Kiori's lap seemed to cave in on itself, slumping back into her arms with all the resistance of a rag doll. Her eyes jerked back down to the monk, widening at his pale, sweat-drenched face and heaving chest. "Chi…Chichiri?"

"Tell Tasuki I'm sorry," he gasped, then collapsed in a dead faint.

"Chichiri? _Chichiri!_" Kiori cried, gripping hard at his shoulders. He didn't answer. He didn't even move. She put a hand to his forehead, breath catching in her throat. "Oh, God. He's on fire." She shook him until she was afraid he might break. "Chichiri! Chichiri! Please, please wake up. I – we – oh, we need to hurry, and I don't think I can move you by myself, only I… oh…!"

At last his eye fluttered open and he offered her one low moan, which did nothing to ease the terror rising in her chest. "Listen, you're in bad shape. We need to get moving, back to Konan. We're only a day away now, I think, except… with Kenichi… and I don't…" his eye started to droop closed again, and Kiori almost screamed. "_Please_ Chichiri, stay with me, just for a little longer. I can't—"

_"Stop shouting. It won't help him,"_ a deep, comforting voice seemed to whisper in her ear, bringing her back to earth with a crash. _"What he needs right now is water, to give him some life back, and to cool him down."_

Kiori took a breath, fighting back her panic. "You're right," she murmured, not even bothering to ask just _where_ the voice had come from. She snatched up her water bottle and turned it upside-down, cursing when she remembered that it was empty. Kiori slid the monk out of her lap, springing to her feet and glancing over her shoulder towards the sound of running water. "That stream and pond are nearby… Listen, Chichiri, I'll be _right_ back, okay? I need to get us some more water, and then we're gonna head out."

He closed his eye again, managing a tiny nod to show that he understood.

The college girl raced through the trees, following her memory towards the clear pond. She all but threw herself across the bank, reaching down with her arm to scoop as much water as she could into the pouch before sealing it tightly and darting back to the clearing, heart still pounding in her throat.

As the college girl broke through the trees, she froze for a second, staring hard into the clearing.

Was she _dreaming_? It _looked_ like a broad-shouldered man was crouching next to her friend. He had his hand on the monk's forehead, eyebrows scrunched together in deep concern. He glanced up at her, frowning.

Kiori blinked, and when she opened her eyes the apparition had vanished. "Okay, and now I'm seeing things. That's lovely..."

_"Hayaku."_

The girl whirled around, but saw no one. She shook her head. "I don't have time for this." Kiori took her place beside Chichiri, forcing him awake once more. She practically poured the water down his throat, though for his part he swallowed without much of a fight, then wet the damp towel from earlier. "Chichiri," she hissed, patting lightly at his cheek. "You can't go to sleep again just yet. We need to leave, right now. Do you think you can get to your feet, just for a second?" He offered her the barest hint of a nod. "Arigatou."

The college girl wasn't quite sure how she did it, but somehow she managed to guide Kenichi over to the monk, tug him down to his knees, sling Chichiri over his shoulder, and climb on afterwards, only then urging the patient animal back into a standing position. Kiori kicked Kenichi into a trot, then into a smoother canter, on a beeline for the nearby road.

Chichiri moaned into her shirt, shivering from head to toe and clutching at his injured side. Kiori placed the damp towel on his forehead, steadying him with one arm as she tore through the underbrush. "Gomen, Chichiri, but we have to hurry. If we don't..." she shivered. "I can't think about what might happen."

oOo

Ritsuka sat down at the dinner table wordlessly. She glanced up at Akai and Aoi, both of whom looked on the verge of fainting. "Tough battle?" she asked.

"War really is Hell," Aoi mumbled through a bite of rice.

Koji took a swig of tea, glancing towards the nearby door. "Is Genrou with you?"

The college woman shook her head. "He said he wasn't hungry. That he wanted to be alone, for a while." She stirred her fried noodles around with her chopsticks. For the first time in her life, her appetite was almost completely gone. "Personally, I think that's the _last_ thing he needs, but I didn't want to push him just yet. Maybe in a day or two, but for now I figured I'd give him his privacy."

"How's Tasuki-sama holding up?" Akai asked.

"It's hard to say," Ritsuka admitted after a moment. "One second we'll be talking, and he might even crack a joke or two, and the next he gets real quiet and won't hardly look at me. It's been like that all day." She sighed, forcing a bite of fish into her mouth, even though it was the last thing she wanted right then. "He's been driving me nuts, to tell the truth, but there's nothing I can really _do_. It's not every day you lose a brother, after all."

Koji slid back his half-finished plate. "Where is he?"

The redhead blinked. "Uh, he told me he was gonna take a walk down to the pond. I guess he'd be around there. Why? You gonna go talk to him or something?"

The bandit leader nodded and piled some food onto a fresh plate. "Take him some dinner, too. Genrou ain't eaten in a couple-a days – even if his appetite is gone he still needs t'get _somethin'_ in him."

"Best of luck," Ritsuka called after him. "You'll probably need it. He was in one of his rotten moods when I left him."

"Then I'll just have ta beat it outta him, won't I?" Koji said with a forced smile, then turned and trotted out the door. He followed his instincts, veering away from the pond and back towards his friend's room. "Now, if I know anythin' about anythin'…" he trailed off, turning the corner and grinning at the ladder propped against the palace wall, leading up to the roof. "Bingo."

The Konan Warrior took the ladder two rungs at a time, wincing a little as his wound threatened to open again. He hauled himself over the ledge, still balancing the tray of food in one hand, and glanced around. Not too far away lay Tasuki, uninjured arm behind his head, staring up at the sky. "'Knock knock!' 'Who's there?' 'It's Koji, bringin' his buddy Genrou some first-class dinner.' 'Ah, Koji, what would I ever do without ya? Come right up!' 'A-ri-ga-tou...'" the bandit leader flashed his friend a small smile. "Hey, Genrou."

Tasuki didn't bother looking over. "Hey, Koji."

The bandit hopped across the tiles like a practiced acrobat, taking a seat on his friend's right. "Figgered ya'd be up here. You used t'go up t'th' roof when ya wanted t'be alone back on Reikaku, too."

He managed the barest hint of a smile, pushing himself into a sitting position. "Yeah, an' you'd always interrupt me back there, too."

Koji followed his friend's gaze to the star-strewn night sky. He set the tray in Tasuki's lap, an unspoken demand hanging in the air. The seishi grabbed the chopsticks and took a couple of halfhearted bites, chewing slowly, eyes flickering back and forth between the meal and the stars. After a few minutes of silence, Koji spoke. "You gonna be okay?"

"Mm," Tasuki muttered. "Yukeda-sensei said th' burns oughta heal up scar-free, and my shoulder'll be all right in a couple-a weeks."

"You know that ain't what I meant."

Tasuki set down his chopsticks, small appetite vanishing. "Yeah, but I thought I'd try focusin' on th' good stuff. 'Cause I can't make ya any promises about… _that_." His fist tightened in his lap. "You know, whenever I was in trouble that monk was always around t'get me outta it. And yet, every time he needs _me_ t'help _him_, I can't do a damn thing. Even back when we were fightin' Hikou, Taka was th' one who thought up that plan. I just stood there, like an idiot..."

"There wasn't nothin' you _could_ do, Genrou," Koji reminded him, stealing his friend's cup of tea and taking a quick sip. "None of us could. Chichiri knew what was gonna happen, an' he did it anyway."

"I know, it's just..." Tasuki sighed, setting his chin in his hand. "I wish I could, y'know, get a chance t'go back and kill Tsuki, make things happen the way they shoulda."

"Well, Genrou, if wishes were bottles-a sake I'd be a very happy man," Koji said with a slight chuckle. "There's no use sittin' up here givin' yerself an ulcer about second chances. In case ya haven't noticed, th' past is a real bitch about keepin' itself _in_ the past." Tasuki said nothing. The bandit leader frowned. After another long, silent moment, Koji suddenly looked upwards, pointing towards a set of stars in the east. "That's yer constellation there, ain't it? The one that's shinin' the brightest?" The seishi followed his gaze, nodding. "Why's it so bright, d'ya think?"

"Prob'ly 'cause I'm th' only one still alive," he grumbled dejectedly.

"Right th' first time," Koji agreed. He punched his friend's uninjured shoulder. "So what're you gettin' so gloomy about, huh? Chichiri died t'keep th' rest of us alive, an' with that life we're gonna go out there an kick Takkan's ass, Suzaku willin'."

"You just don't get it," Tasuki said, heaving another long sigh.

Koji rubbed hard at his temples. "Listen, Genrou… I know what happened was tougher on you than it was on everyone else. I ain't _stupid_, after all. But ya gotta keep yer chin up. Th' others depend on you, now, you know that. _Someone's_ gotta lead us t'victory. I can't do it, I already got some people t'lead. Akai can't do it, she wouldn't feel right bossin' around us older members. Ritsuka an' Houki-sama can't do it either, one bein' too tactless an' the other too gentle. That leaves you. An' I think you'd do a damn good job of it, too, if ya'd just get off yer ass an' _do _it."

Tasuki looked away. "Ya really think we c'n win this thing, even now?"

"After seein' th' way you took out Taiyou? There ain't any doubt in my mind, pal," Koji told him with a grin. "We're gonna try our damnedest anyway... if only for him. That's what Chichiri woulda wanted… no da."

The seishi couldn't help but chuckle. "Koji... that was good."

"Ah, ya woulda done th' same fer me," the bandit said, swinging an arm around his friend's shoulder. "Now c'mon, what say you 'n' me go raid the kitchens fer some sake, get ourselves good 'n' drunk, an' pass out on one-a them grade-A palace featherbeds?"

"Believe it 'r not, that's the best idea I've heard all day."

oOo

Kiori rode hard across the plains all that night and into the next day, not bothering to stop for more than a minute or so to refill her water bottle. She called out to Chichiri constantly, but by dawn he had stopped responding. His ki was fading by the minute, and the college girl was helpless to stop it.

"Please, please hang on Chichiri!" she murmured for what felt like the hundredth time that day.

The monk's eyelid didn't even twitch. _'His energy's drained almost completely. After what he did in the woods last night, I don't think he has the strength to keep fighting much longer,'_ she thought to herself. _'Even if I had the right sort of medicines to keep fevers down, it might not do much good.'_

Kiori squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, forcing back the tears that threatened to fall. "Don't you dare cry, Kiori! You can't cry yet. Not while he's still alive – not while there's even a _chance_ of saving his life." She kicked Kenichi into the fastest pace she could muster without causing the monk too much pain. _'And there is one last option,' _she reminded herself. _'Only I can't risk it out here. If something goes wrong, and no one is around to help…'_

"Keep fighting, Chichiri," she whispered, giving his shoulder a comforting squeeze, "at least until we get to the palace. I'll save you, then, but until that time this is your own battle."

oOo

As the sun rose to its peak in the spring-blue sky, the Takkan soldiers at last came awake, shaking off hangovers and calling out to one another, laughing about the "first victory" festivities from the previous night.

"Oi, Takashiro, don't ferget those ten ryo ya owe me from last night! I told ya I'd clean ya out in a game-a chance!"

"But I was savin' that money fer a brothel visit when I got back home!"

"Hah, like anyone'd wanna get inta bed with a shrimp like you!"

"I'd say he's got a point there, Takashiro."

"O-oi, minna…!"

Shogun Hataku strolled through the camp, returning hails of "Ohayou, Shogun-sama!" with rare smiles and small-talk of his own. "Ah, Nakamura-kun, how's that arm of yours? Healing up pretty good, I'm sure? Tori-kun, you're up? You drank so much last night I didn't expect to see you awake for another three years! Kawahito-Taii, nicely run gambling booth yesterday – you took Utara for all he had, the poor bastard!"

"I'm doing fine, thank you, Shogun-sama!"

"Hwaaaa, leave me alone, I musta puked up half my insides last night…"

"Y'saw that, did you, Shogun-sama? Yep, Utara's scrapin' th' bottom of his money-bag today, that's fer sure! I'll buy you a drink when we get back t'Takkan, sir, at th' best place in th' capital! You deserve it, after leadin' us t'that victory yesterday!"

"Hai, and Shogun-sama's gonna lead us to a hundred more, ain't that right, sir? You just say the word and we're with ya!"

"Here, here!"

Hataku chuckled and waved a dismissive hand at their compliments, enjoying the festive atmosphere as much as anyone. He was so involved in boosting troupe morale that morning, in fact, that he never once glanced to the side and saw Setsuka standing, just a few feet away, cloaked in shadows and staring venomously into the shogun's back.

"So, that's the game you want to play," she snarled under her breath. "Those fickle fools have returned to your side, and with an army at your back, why, there's no end to the things you could accomplish, no end to the ways you can force yourself into power. Is _that_ the way you think it's going to work?" Her hands tightened at her sides. "Well, we'll just have to see what _I_ have to say to that, won't we, Shogun-sama?"

The Lady of Takkan vanished back to the palace, determined to settle the situation once and for all. After what had happened with Tsuchi, she knew it was something she could not afford to ignore any longer.

oOo

The dying monk's breath burst out of his mouth in short gasps, growing shallower and more erratic by the second. Every so often Kiori thought she heard him murmuring to himself, but the words had become little more than additional gasps, anymore, and it was impossible to know if he could even _hear_ her, calling his name, reaching through the sash, but only catching a flicker of life force, a flicker that was all too close to disappearing completely.

The young woman bit her lip until it bled, but she never once allowed herself to cry. She glanced up through her bangs, smiling at the sight of the Konan Palace, looming in the distance and growing closer with every fall of Kenichi's hooves. "Thirty more minutes, Chichiri. Just please, _please_ give me thirty more minutes. Fight back, I know you can do it. Just a little bit longer…"

oOo

Midday came and went in the capital as the second day of mourning began its gradual downward slide. Although he had intended to take it easy, and maybe even spend some time with his fellow warriors, late afternoon found Tasuki instead leaning against the rampart on the North Wall, gazing out at the horizon. The sun pounded against his back and shoulders, bare but for a light jacket and a fresh set of bandages, but he hardly noticed the Konan heat, or the light glaring into his eyes, forcing him to squint. He had other things on his mind, that day.

'_Could it be…?'_

"Oh, so this is where you went."

He jumped at the sudden voice and turned around. The four other Konan Warriors stood behind him, smiling sadly. Ritsuka, the one who had snapped him out of his reverie, rubbed at her nose. "Not that we were worried or anything, but we couldn't find you anywhere. Then Koji thought..."

"Koji knows me _way_ too damn well."

The bandit flashed a thumbs-up. "That's my job, pal." He took a seat next to Tasuki. "How's everythin'?"

Tasuki scratched his cast. "Okay," he said distractedly, eyes never leaving the darkening line of trees to the northwest.

Houki took a couple of steps forward, setting a gentle hand against the seishi's shoulder. "Is something troubling you, Tasuki? I mean to say, other than..."

He nodded, eyes narrowing as he peered into the trees. "When I woke up this afternoon – er, after Yukeda-sensei got me some stuff fer my hangover, that is," Koji chuckled, "I started sensin'... somethin'."

"Something?" Akai repeated, following his gaze.

"Yeah," he admitted with a small sigh. "Like... weird as it sounds... like a part-a me was comin' back." He frowned, puzzled golden eyes never once leaving the horizon. "Are you still alive, Chichiri?" he murmured, more to himself than the others, though they heard him anyway. He put two fingers to his Suzaku symbol, sending a quick, hopeful message through the red mark. _'Chichiri, are ya there? C'mon, you suicidal monk...'_

Ritsuka watched him with concerned blue eyes. "Tasuki-chan, he's not—"

Koji shushed her. "Leave it alone, Red. He's jus' gonna have ta figure it out on his own."

oOo

"Ta…s'ki..."

Kiori's head jerked down at the monk's murmured word – the first one she'd been able to understand in hours. Her eyes widened, watching as his symbol glowed faintly through his pant leg. She kept a firm grip on his chest and urged Kenichi forward, just a bit faster this time. "That's right, Tasuki, you reach him and I'll reach him. Keep at it, Chichiri!"

oOo

Akai's sharp violet eyes caught sight of a horse riding across the plains. Her body tensed against the ramparts. "That's my horse."

Three heads snapped her way; Tasuki was still concentrating on connecting with his friend. "Eh?"

The warrior girl leapt up, bolting for the stairs and laughing the whole way. "Oh, my horse, that wonderful animal! I never thought I'd see him _or_ her, not ever again..."

Houki took a timid step towards the girl, hands spread in complete confusion. "What in heaven's name are you talking about, Akai?"

She whirled on the steps. "Don't you see? I loaned _Kiori-san_ my horse!" Akai turned again and raced towards the main gate, slippers slapping the stone with each stride. "She's back! And if she's back, then that means that _he's_ back!"

Houki's hands flew to her mouth, a soft gasp escaping her lips. "Oh, Suzaku." She gathered her skirts in one hand and ran after Akai as fast as she could, Koji lending her an arm as he kept pace with the energized Empress. "Oh, Koji-san, this is too good to be true! Could Chichiri truly be alive?"

"We'll find out soon enough, won't we yer Highness?" Koji said with a joyful chuckle.

Ritsuka squinted through the afternoon sunlight, shaking her head. "There's no way. Still..." she tugged on Tasuki's sleeve. "Nee, Tasuki-chan, you coming or what?"

The seishi came back to reality with a start. He stared out at the approaching figure, then up at the young woman, who offered him a hand up. He took it, grunting at the movement. "Red, d'you think..." he glanced back out at the plains. "I mean, d'you really think it's...?"

Neither dared to answer, in fear that they'd be sorely mistaken. Limping hand-in-hand, the pair made their way down the stairs after their speedy friends.

oOo

Kiori found the main gates flung wide open as she neared the palace, five figures standing at their center. As far as she was concerned, they were angels welcoming her to heaven. "Koji, Akai, Houki-sama, Tasuki, Ritsuka!"

The young woman raised a fist, feeling her heart rise in her chest. At the same time, Chichiri gasped a shallow, ragged breath and his ki plummeted. Kiori dashed through the gates, pulling to a halt just long enough to shout, "Ritsuka, hop on. Tasuki, race me back to the palace. Chichiri's going to die if you don't. The rest of you better run fast!"

Her orders were followed without question, as Ritsuka scrambled on behind her friend and Tasuki, oblivious to all previous injuries, made a mad dash for the palace, keeping pace right alongside the sprinting Kenichi.

"Kiori, what, how, where..." Ritsuka stammered breathlessly, hanging onto her friend and hissing in pain every time the horse hit a small ditch.

"No time to explain now, Ritsu," Kiori said out of the corner of her mouth. "C'mon Kenichi, hurry!"

The redhead glanced over her friend's shoulder at Chichiri. His chest rose and fell in shallow, ragged gasps, and he looked pale, much too pale to be healthy. "Kiori, will he...?"

"Dunno," she murmured, jerking hard on Kenichi's reins as the horse made his way up the long steps of the palace. She pulled them to a halt at the first set of doors she found, then swung herself out of the saddle, helping Ritsuka down and gesturing for she and Tasuki to help her unload the monk. "Quick, get him through there, onto the floor. Careful, he's got some broken ribs."

The three friends managed to lift Chichiri from his mount, carting him through the doors of the room – a small study, as it turned out – and setting him gently on the floor.

"He gonna be all right?" Tasuki asked, panting heavily. He sunk to the ground next to Kiori and Chichiri, eyes darting back and forth between the monk and the woman, unsure where he wanted to look the most. "He'll be okay, won't he, Kiori?"

She shook her head. "Not if I don't do something fast. His injuries aren't fatal, not anymore, but his energy is shot. He saved our lives out in the forest, though he had to sacrifice what little strength he had left to do it."

"Again?" Ritsuka asked with a touch of fond exasperation. "Okay, what do we need to do?"

"He needs one of those ki transfers, like what I tried doing to Aoi. It's the absolute last resort, but it's the only thing that'll save him now, I think."

"I'll do it!" Tasuki said immediately. "Just tell me what t'do an' I'll—"

Kiori shook her head. "The two of you are too weak, plus you've never done it before." She clenched her jaw, steeling herself for the inevitable. "It's going to have to be me."

"Kiori, you _can't_!" Ritsuka protested. "Remember last time? What if you can't control it? What if it kills you both?"

The brunette whirled on her friend, eyes blazing with protective ferocity. "If I don't, he'll die anyway. I _have_ to, Ritsu, it's his only chance."

The redhead opened her mouth to argue, but the words died on her lips. She glanced between Tasuki and Kiori, seeing that same anxious, caring looks on both their faces. She sighed. "There's that stupid heart I'm supposed to listen to, yelling at me again. Ganbatte, Kiori."

Kiori set a hand to the monk's pale, fever-hot arm. She took a deep breath. "Ne, Ritsuka?"

"Mm?"

"If I look like I'm not controlling it... if one of us screams..." she shuddered at the thought. "I want you to do anything you can to stop me. Pinch me, hit me... stab me if you have to. Just don't let me kill him."

Ritsuka nodded, biting hard on her lip. Kiori closed her eyes, but a strong hand caught her sleeve. The brunette looked up into Tasuki's penetrating gaze, and for the first time Kiori saw real fear in his expressive golden eyes. "Kiori... please..." his hand trembled against her arm. "I can't lose him twice. I can't."

Her eyes softened, and she managed the tiniest of smiles. "You won't, Tasuki. I'll save him somehow. I promise you that."

No time to put it off anymore. Her eyes closed again, and she concentrated all her power into pouring her ki into the nearly lifeless monk. Ritsuka set one hand on Kiori's arm, watching her with curious, frightened eyes. Tasuki touched his own hand to Ritsuka's shoulder, more to steady himself than her. The three friends sat like that as Kiori fed her energy into the monk, connected in their fears, sorrows, and hopes as they silently sent their strength into the dying monk.

_'Please, Chichiri,'_ Kiori thought to herself, though she felt like the others were saying it with her, sending their words through her connection and down, down into the darkness. _'Come back to us. You have to come back to us. We can't lose you. Tasuki, Ritsuka, they all need you. _I_ need you. Please, Chichiri. Live! For Suzaku's sake, live!'_

Feeling her friends' presences but not daring to draw any real power from them, Kiori focused on that ticklish feeling from before and sent her own ki into the monk. Changing tactics just slightly, she fed it bit by bit, like a mother spoon-feeding her child, rather than trying to slam everything into him all at once like she'd try to do with Aoi. Chichiri, either too weak to fight back or simply trusting himself to the new presence, accepted the life force gratefully, bit by bit as well.

At last, after ten long minutes, Kiori's lids fluttered open. She rubbed a hand across her face, surprised to find tears streaking her cheeks, then turned to look down at Chichiri, pleased to see that his troubled features had faded back into a calmer, more peaceful look. He was sleeping, she realized. Just sleeping. She had done it.

Kiori glanced up to find Koji, Akai and Houki standing in the doorway. Akai chewed on her nails; Koji attempted to look confident, but did a very bad job of it; Houki wrung her hands in nervous impatience. Ritsuka's hand on Kiori's arm still shook in fear, so much that she couldn't get any words out. Tasuki stared straight at Kiori, his face drawn tight with anxiety. "W-well?"

She smiled and slid back to the floor. Her head was leaning just slightly on Chichiri's arm as she felt herself drifting off to sleep. She said exactly what they needed to hear, because it was all she could manage at that point.

"Safe."

oOo

"_'The unusual heroine closed her green eyes, energy drained from the final effort that had saved their seishi friend. As the sun began its downward descent, the five Konan Warriors exchanged looks that mingled feelings of relief, respect, and above all, joy.'_" Keisuke let out a long breath, and Tetsuya couldn't help but cheer. "End Chapter Seventeen."

--  
Koji: Well, the seven's back t'gether, an' Takkan's lost itself two more Elements. Heh, I bet ol' Setsuka's really steamin' in that palace-a hers! Even so, things ain't as easy as I wish they were. We're still out three warriors, and that Takkan army just doesn't wanna give up! Ah, don't worry about it, minna! Akai, Aoi an' I can handle these clowns!

Hey, but wait a sec... c'mon Kiori, d'ya really think th' middle of a war is a good time t'be flirtin'?

The Next Episode of _Fushigi Yuugi: The Next Chapter_: "The Seed of Love? Deadly Games Between Allies!"

I jus' don't believe this...  
--

* * *

**_Ye Olde Free Chat: 28 November, 2006; 3:16 PM_**

Ni-hao, minna!  
So, the Chichiri Story Arc has come to a close at last! Hopefully that was a satisfactory finale for everybody – though the story itself is of course far from over. We're heading back into romantic comedy for the next couple of chapters, though, so it ought to give everyone a chance to smile and relax before things get crazy again (hey, we _are_ in the middle of a war, after all!). I felt like a changed a _ton _in this chapter, but it wasn't so much that I changed a lot as I just made a couple of _huge_ changes. I added that seishi power explanation from Chichiri, totally changed the spell he used against the Takkan trackers, and for the first – and probably last – time, I deleted a scene (I promise you aren't missing anything, though – it was pretty lame, all things considered).

Now! I do have something **important** to talk about. And that is… _(trumpets play) _my new Blog! I sent out e-mails about this a while ago, but very few people seem to be visiting it, so I thought I'd advertise via Fanfiction and encourage you all to check it out. It's called "Otaku Graffiti," and it's basically a community blog to talk about fanfiction, insert teaser-trailers for upcoming chapters, share each other's stories and artwork, recommend anime/manga/etc., and so on. Better still, there's a music page, where you can currently listen to the Opening and Ending themes for "Fushigi Yuugi: The Next Chapter," and a lyrics and translations page where you can see what they're saying (I'll also be posting selected background music in there, so people can finally listen to my suggestions without having to scour the internet for them). So go check it out! The link is:

www . xanga . com / otakugraffiti

It's also my homepage link, if that's easier for you. You don't _need_ a Xanga account to access it, but you do need one if you want to leave comments. And even if you don't want to leave comments, feel free to send e-mails with artwork, fiction, and so forth! I'll happily post it!

**Character Profile – Kaze**  
Real Name: Koyama Kiba  
Age: 15  
Height: 5'6"  
Birthplace: Sairou (they later moved to the Konan border)  
Birthday: November 5th (Scorpio)  
Blood Type: O  
Hair: White; falls in a messy wave across his head; cropped short in the back  
Eyes: Gold  
Likes: Winning (at anything), telling jokes, and playing sports  
Dislikes: Waiting, criticism, and Taiyou  
Favorite Food: Anything spicy  
Least Favorite Food: Mushrooms

Ah, Kaze… I'm never quite sure what to say about him. One minute he's loveable, the next he's driving you crazy… does he like Sora _like that_, or does he just think of her as a close friend? And would he really turn on Setsuka, for all his talk? Kaze's really just a kid, and I think he's used to hanging onto Sora, but at the same time he wants to be the strongest and protect her, so he gets frustrated often. That's how I see him, anyway. His power is a blend of magic and technique, as he mixes outside forces (herbs, chemicals, and the like) with his own ki to make those pellets. So, in truth, he's probably more of a sorcerer, but he wants to be a warrior, so you only see those pills of his when he really needs them. Another reason why he gets frustrated so much, maybe? (What? You don't know? Aren't you his creator? _(sweatdrop)_) Kaze becomes a much more important character after the Chichiri story arc, particularly in regards to what Setsuka did to Tsuchi, so hopefully he'll grow on everyone, a bit. (And on a random note, before Setsuka rescued he and Sora from the orphanage, Kaze had dreams of becoming a Reikaku bandit :) But that's all in the past now, I guess…)

Thanks to _(takes a deep breath) _antyem, caspercat22, Kristall, Expi00962, Amaya-san, miraclebutterfly, DPFYLUVR, Furry's Footsteps, Seira Ayuda, Mirai R. Tailtops, FeyWhyte, Roku-senpai, DDZ, Insanity Squirrel, Samantha B, GhiMiNaRuHo, Bishi-chan, and Tayk for reviewing! _(Passes out from lack of air) _Seriously though, I might have to stop thanking you all by name. This is getting out of control! Heheh, but it's a good thing, of course. I adore each and every review I get, so hopefully I'll hear from you all again soon!

Until next time (maybe around New Year's)! – Dee ;)


	18. Episode Eighteen: The Seed of Love?

**_Disclaimer_:** I still don't own Konan, Suzaku and all characters and seishi pertaining to them. Kiori and Ritsuka are and shall forever be mine, and that holds for all the other "originals" (you'll know 'em when they appear, trust me). Obviously the story is mine as well.

_**Rating:** _PG-13, for moderate language and violence.

**_As a reminder:_** **Bold font** indicates someone actually speaking (or singing) in English, and these -/-/- indicate a flashback.

**_Oh, and by the Way... _**I tried out end notes for the first time, so when you see this (1), just be aware that there's a little explanatory message at the end of the episode. You don't need to scroll down and read them _right away_, though – they're more "fun facts" than anything else. Also, let me know if you think these work well, or if they're annoying. I'll stop using them if they get in the way of the story.

* * *

**-Episode Eighteen: The Seed of Love?-  
Deadly Games Between Allies!**

Yui muttered something unintelligible, opening her blue eyes just as she heard Tetsuya cheer. "What's going on?"

The two looked over. Keisuke grinned. "Oh, so the other Sleeping Beauty's finally awake. And after missing one hell of a ride, too."

The girl sat up, stretching. "I wasn't asleep for _that _long. What could I have possibly missed?" Her eyes widened as a thought flitted through her mind, and she jerked upright, hands smacking the coffee table. "Oh! Nobody died, did they?"

"No one we like, at least," Tetsuya said with a chuckle. He grabbed the book from Keisuke, setting his finger on the beginning of chapter eighteen. "Explain it to her Keisuke, and make it the abridged version. I wanna get started on this next chapter."

oOo

Kiori's eyelids fluttered open slowly, only to widen in surprise as she found herself unusually close to the face of a still-sleeping monk. The college student sat up, rubbing sleep out of her eyes and yawning wide. She glanced around, blinking when she realized that she was lying in Chichiri's bed, and not in the living quarters where she had first fallen asleep.

"I guess the others moved us in here... huh, I bet it was Ritsuka's idea to move me in here too, she knows me too well..." Kiori chuckled, noticing Tasuki sleeping on a nearby pallet. "Knows him pretty well, too."

She turned her attention back to Chichiri, glad to see that he was breathing normally and the color had returned to his skin. Of course, she had to do a bit of guesswork on that second factor – someone had slipped the smiling mask back across his features. Kiori considered taking it off, but decided the cut underneath would be all right.

She touched a hand to his forehead. "His hair's wet. I guess some of Yukeda-sensei's assistants must've given him a proper bath not too long ago. Fever's gone, too," she murmured aloud. "Yokatta." She meant to pull her hand back, but for some reason it strayed instead down to his cheek. "It's funny, but this mask feels just like real skin. You'd almost think it _was_ his face… but I guess that's the whole point, huh?"

'_Chichiri, do you _really_ think you need this mask to get people to accept you?'_ she wondered to herself. _'Or are you just using it to hide?'_ Kiori sighed a little. _'I guess I'll never understand you, unless you want me to. Still…' _she smiled tenderly, wiping his damp bangs away from his face, _'maybe… one of these days…'_

So deep in thought was Kiori that she didn't notice Ritsuka standing in the doorway until she spoke. "Such a kind, gentle little doctor."

The brunette jumped, whirling around. She turned chibi, waving her arms in embarrassment. "Oh, Ritsuka, I didn't know you were – I was only – I mean that..." she blushed and looked down, rubbing hard at her nose. "You weren't supposed to see that."

Ritsuka chuckled. "You're pretty fond of Chichiri, aren't you?"

Kiori's eyes fell on the monk again, forever-cheerful in his fox-faced mask. "We're a lot alike, you know. He's the only person I've ever met to understand what it's like to have your whole world just fall down around your ears, to suddenly be standing by yourself when you're used to having people around you. Even though he's had time to let it heal, when he looks at you honestly, you can tell it still hurts him. There's _pain_ behind that smile, even now, even after everything. So I guess I understand that. But at the same time, we're completely different too, you know? Because he's figured out how to move past all that guilt. How to make up for it. He's so _strong, _Ritsuka. He really is, only he never uses that strength to protect himself. So… maybe I, who's never done anything for anyone... maybe I kind of want to do it for him." She looked back at her friend, smiling that sad, cheerful smile. "Or maybe I'm just jealous. He's pretty much the complete antithesis of me, after all. Anyway, how long have I been asleep?"

The redhead blinked at the abrupt topic change. "Uh, a couple days, give or take," she said, shifting uncomfortably. "But listen, Kiori, if it's like _that_ between you two…"

"Mm? Like what?"

Ritsuka opened her mouth to answer, but Tasuki yawned from his pallet, rolling over and staring up at the ceiling. "Was th' other day jus' a dream, 'r is Chichiri really alive?"

"You asked that question yesterday morning too. You oughta know the answer by now," Ritsuka said, offering the seishi a toothy grin. "Though I'll pinch you if you doubt me."

"Somethin' tells me yer pinches're more like gettin' hit with an arrow," Tasuki shot back, and honestly smiled for the first time in almost four days. His fangs glinted in the morning light as he stood, walking over to take a seat next to Kiori, who had shifted out of Chichiri's bed and into a nearby chair. "So, he's gonna be all right?"

Kiori nodded, giving a thumbs-up. "In a month or so he'll be good as new!"

Tasuki flashed another quick grin. Suddenly, he slammed his uninjured hand onto his knee, bowing his head until it was almost in her lap. "Arigatou, Kiori. Yer a real hero, y'know that? Chichiri'd be dead right now if it weren't fer you... huh, an' we all thought y'couldn't do it..."

The college girl blushed. "Any of you would've done the same thing, if you hadn't been hurt. And you probably wouldn't have flubbed it up as royally as I did. I just got lucky, is all. It wasn't anything, really."

"Wasn't anythin'?" a familiar bandit voice repeated with a chuckle. "Now _that's_ modesty, there."

Kiori turned to see Akai, Koji and Houki standing in the doorway. All three wore wide smiles on their recently-somber faces. She blushed brighter, rubbing the back of her head. "Arigatou, but..."

"Why are you thanking _us_, Kiori-san?" Akai asked. "You're the one who brought the Konan Warriors back together. We should be the ones thanking you. About ten times over, really."

Ritsuka clapped a hand on her friend's back. "Don't argue, Kiori, just smile and nod."

Houki looked over Tasuki's shoulder at the sleeping monk. "How is our other hero? Do you suppose he will awaken today?"

Kiori shrugged in an off-hand manner. "Hard to say, really. Maybe today, maybe tomorrow. You don't get pulled from the gates of Heaven and spring immediately back to life, _no da_."

"I thought that was my line no da."

Six heads whirled to face the speaker. Chichiri propped himself up on an elbow, groaning and flashing his trademark chibi smile and victory sign. "Ohayou."

The monk was practically smothered as Kiori, Ritsuka and Tasuki tackled him in a trio of bone-crushing hugs.

"Oh Chichiri thank God you're all right!"

"Never thought I'd see you again in this world buddy!"

"You stupid suicidal seishi, I'm so, so, _so_ glad to see you awake!"

"Daaa..." Chichiri grabbed his ribcage. He winced, but the pain seemed unimportant compared to his friend's happiness. "Minna. It's good to see you, but a little unbelievable no da. How did I get here?"

Koji chuckled, waiting until the three had backed off of the monk to answer. "Kinda a long story, but the gist of it is that Kiori here saved ya."

"Kiori?" he turned his mahogany eye to the college girl, offering her a raised eyebrow and a grateful smile. "You've done that a lot recently no da."

The college girl blushed. "It was the least I could do, after you risked your life for me out in the woods." She scowled, pointing a reprimanding finger right at her friend's chest. "Why the hell did you do that anyway? You knew you were too weak to try any spells, but you still teleported us halfway to Konan, like it was nothing! That almost _killed_ you, you know! If I hadn't—"

Houki fought hard to suppress her giggles, setting a hand on the other woman's shoulder. "Kiori, please calm down. Our friend only just awoke. Perhaps we should provide Chichiri with some breakfast before we berate him about his heroic, albeit very dangerous, behavior."

"Oh, that's right, food!" Ritsuka cried, drooling at the thought. "I was so happy to see our ol' monk awake that I nearly forgot how hungry I was."

"You musta been pretty damn happy if ya almost fergot t'feed that black hole you call a stomach," Tasuki muttered.

"What was that Tasuki-chan?"

Koji grinned, waiting for the infamous, _"Don't call me that!"_ but it never came. The seishi chuckled, swinging his good arm around Ritsuka's shoulder. "I said, 'Lead me t'the meal, an' hurry, or Koji'll steal everythin' fer himself.'"

"Oi, th' only thing I ever stole from you was a bottle-a sake, an' you know it!"

Akai chuckled at the trio, who pushed each other playfully through the door and out of sight. "Two bandits and a stomach-on-feet. I guess we should hurry, Houki-sama, if we want anything." She nodded at Chichiri. "I'll bring you a tray, Chichiri-sama. And if Ritsuka-san tries to swipe your portion, why, I'll defend it with my very life."

Kiori laughed and waved the young girl away. "That's all right, Akai, I'll do the tray-carrying. I need to bring my food back anyway so I can do a quick check-up on Chichiri."

Houki followed Akai out the door, turning around at the last second to speak to both seishi and college student. "It is very good to have you both back with us. Konan seemed so empty and desolate without you."

Chichiri smiled. "I'm glad to be home, Houki-sama."

Houki's serene face broke into an unusually carefree smile. "Oh, everything really _is_ going to work out all right, isn't it?" She turned, gathering up her skirts and trotting after Akai; it was the happiest both Chichiri and Kiori had seen her in a long time.

Kiori stretched, turning to leave. "Everyone's so excited now that you're back. I'm glad I could play a part in it."

The monk caught her hand, stopping the young woman in her tracks. She turned, staring into a pair of concerned, puzzled masked eyes. "Kiori... how exactly did you save me no da? The last thing I really remember was you and Tasuki calling to me. And I wanted to answer, but I didn't have anything left to answer _with_. Then everything went black, and... and now I'm here no da. What _happened_?"

She stared hard at the floor, poking her index fingers together. "Oh, about that. Well, er, y'see... I sort of..." she took a breath, murmuring in a barely audible whisper, "Sort of loaned you some of my ki."

"You did _what?_" Kiori winced at the accusing tone. "Kiori, you _knew_ what could have happened no da! What if, what if you'd been killed? And after I practically ordered you not to do that again, too..."

"Gomen," Kiori said, eyes still focused on the ground. "I know it was risky, and I know I probably shouldn't have done it. But, Chichiri... even if I hadn't been able to control it, and I'd known that ahead of time..." her green eyes snapped upwards, meeting his masked face defiantly. "I _still_ would have done it. Because I promised myself and the others that I wouldn't let you die, and I was going to do everything possible in order to keep that promise." Her look softened into a small, tender half-smile. "That's what you do for the people you care about, you know."

Chichiri stared at her in curious wonder, noting something in that expression that he hadn't seen directed at him in a very long time. "Kiori, I—"

The young woman stood. "I'll go get some breakfast. I'm starving. I'll be right back." She sighed. "And, I really am sorry for trying such a risky method. I won't do it again."

"I've heard that one before no da," he grumbled. But as she reached the door, he called out again, gently this time. "Ki... Kiori?"

She turned. "Mm?"

Chichiri smiled, a smile that was meant all for her. "Arigatou."

oOo

Back at the Takkan Camp, the victorious Shogun Hataku sat relaxing in his tent. The shogun sipped lightly on a glass of tea, looking up at the roof of his tent and smiling secretly to himself. "Things are finally starting to go my way."

"Yes, the recent events have been very good to Takkan."

Hataku jerked to his feet, spilling some of his drink in the process. He stared up at Setsuka for a moment, too surprised by her arrival to do anything but gape. "Ah, Setsuka-sama!" He shook his head to regain his composure, setting his drink on the nearby table and touching his forehead to the ground. "What do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"

Setsuka knelt beside to her shogun, smiling her sweetest. "A pleasure, you say? Then I suppose we are on decent terms again?"

Hataku forced himself to sound innocent. "Were we ever on poor terms, my Lady?"

"Hm, I suppose not, if _you_ do not think so," she agreed. Setsuka stood again, gesturing for him to do the same. "The war is going quite well. We have captured our first victory, and the barrier is gone. You are doing splendidly, Shogun-sama – I assume you will take advantage of the force field's disappearance?"

"Hai, my Lady!" he said with a small bow of his head. "Oh, how is that seishi you have held hostage?"

Setsuka studied her nails for a moment, then avoided the question entirely and said, "Hataku, many events have occurred over these last few days, and they have been weighing heavily on my mind. I wish to speak with you about such things, privately, back at the palace. Away from this rabble that you have somehow managed to train into respectable soldiers. That would be all right, wouldn't it?"

"I suppose, but should we really let them have another day to lick their wounds? Meaning no offense to your judgment," he added hastily, "but attacking quick and hard today would be in our best interests."

"No offense taken, I assure you," she said with another lovely smile. "I have no doubt that you are correct." Hataku's eyes widened at the agreement, but again, he regained his composure in an instant. "Still, I would like to keep _some_ of their men alive, so that after we win we will have more soldiers to recruit. Perhaps... perhaps you could send one of your captains, and a group of men out to parley, one more time."

"Do you think it'll work? Last time—"

"They have lost a lot, since last time," she reminded him. "Maybe they'll see reason. If not…" she clenched her fist, "then we will crush them!"

Hataku bowed. "Very well, my Lady. I'll go give Utara-Taii his orders. I won't be but a moment."

"Please hurry back, my dear shogun," Setsuka said with all the sweetness of a kitten, even as her tigress-eyes glinted behind his back. "We really must get back to the palace soon – there is much to discuss."

oOo

The entire group of Konan Warriors arrived in Chichiri's room at noon, each bearing a tray of food. Kiori balanced two in one hand, commenting to Ritsuka that it was a good thing she'd worked as a waitress for a while.

The brunette woman handed Chichiri his plate with a flourish. "Your royal meal, Chichiri-dono."

The monk laughed, glancing across the smorgasbord of famous Konan dishes. "Arigatou, Kiori-kun," he said, playing along with her 'royalty' act. He picked up his chopsticks, fiddling with them one-handed for a moment until he managed to get a good grasp on them. "If there was one thing I missed besides all of you, it was the palace food no da."

Akai held up a finger and waved it back and forth. "But the staff didn't make this meal, Chichiri-sama. Ritsuka-san did the cooking all on her own."

"S-sou?" Chichiri said, eyebrows raising a bit as he glanced back down at his meal, a good deal more skeptically than before. "I didn't know earth girls… er, that is, I didn't know Ritsuka could cook no da."

The redhead shrugged, sitting down on the floor between Tasuki and Akai. "I'm a pretty decent chef, if I do say so myself. My four big brothers made me cook almost all the meals when my parents weren't home, so I had to..."

She trailed off as Tasuki grabbed her in a chibi hug. "Soul mate!"

Akai raised an eyebrow, scooting away from her friend. "Is Tasuki-sama feeling all right? What... exactly is he doing?"

Ritsuka sighed. "Does Tasuki-chan _ever_ feel all right? Every time I mention my older brothers he gets like this."

Chichiri and Koji chuckled. Everyone dove into the food with a will, chatting about the war, what had been going on the past few days, and whatever else came to mind.

Houki finished off the delicious lunch, a happy little sigh escaping her lips. "That was wonderful. I must admit I was a bit nervous, having heard several tales about Miaka-san's adventures in the kitchens," Tasuki and Chichiri shuddered at the memory, "but that was excellently prepared, Ritsuka."

The redhead wasn't one to turn down praise. She puffed out her chest, grinning broadly. "Ah, all in a day's work! Nothing's too difficult for Ritsuka the Great, you know." She stretched, popping her back. "Heh, I almost wish those Takkan boys would attack us. I'm about ready to get back at 'em."

Kiori shook her head. "Not for a while, you won't. Yukeda-sensei told me he gave you and Koji strict orders to stay away from doing anything strenuous for at least a week, and that Tasuki's more-or-less forbidden to fight until his shoulder's healed."

Koji snorted. "I never had much respect fer high 'n' mighty doctors like that Yukeda guy."

"He is very skilled at his profession," Houki reminded the bandit. She hesitated, adding carefully, "Though I will admit he is a bit pompous..."

"Pompous is an understatement," Koji muttered. He raised his nose and performed a passable impression of the head doctor. "No, no, you silly bandit, only _one_ sip of sake, or it's off with your head! Blast it, now you've gone and breathed without me telling you to!"

Chichiri chuckled along with the others. He set his tray on the table next to his bed, but when Kiori reached out to collect it, the monk stopped her. "That's all right, Kiori, I'll take it back to the kitchens no da." He slipped to the edge of the bed, feet just touching the floor, and started to stand.

"OH NO YOU DON'T!" Kiori and Tasuki roared, leaping to their feet and tackling the monk right back into bed.

A chibi Tasuki glared at his friend. "Jus' two days ago you were ready t'keel over dead, an' you wanna start walkin' around?"

Kiori, equally chibi, nodded in agreement. "You're stuck in here for _at least_ three more days, Chichiri!"

The duo backed away, allowing the seishi to sit and rub at a sore rib. "But I really don't feel that bad no da," the told them. "And besides, didn't you notice no da? When Taiyou almost killed me, I lost my grip on my spells, and the barrier around Konan disappeared. If those Takkan soldiers decide to climb the walls..." He looked up at his stubborn friends. "I _need_ to fix that no da."

"Not a chance," both said with fierce shakes of their chibi heads.

Houki stood, holding out her hands. "Now, calm down, the two of you. I am sure if Chichiri did not think he was up to such a task, he would say so."

A resounding "HAH!" echoed through the small room, courtesy of the other Konan Warriors.

Houki smothered a giggle and turned to the injured monk. "Now, do you _truly_ believe you are ready to move around and work on the barrier?"

"Hai na no da."

"HE'S LYING!" Kiori and Tasuki bellowed.

Akai stepped between them, holding up an arm to prevent the two from tackling their friend to the bed again. She glanced over her shoulder at Chichiri. "Okay then, Chichiri-sama, let's see if you're telling the truth. Koji-san, give him a hand up."

The bandit complied. "C'mon, 'Chiri, up on yer feet, an' try not t'collapse too fast."

Chichiri actually did manage to stay on his weak legs for a second… but only for a second. He sat back down with a _whump_, grabbing at his jostled ribs as he did. "Daa... okay, so maybe I lied a little no da."

Ritsuka chuckled, patting him on his shoulder. "Too bad, we all get to play nurse for a while."

"It's not that simple no da," the monk pressed. "Fine, so I won't build the barrier. But what about council meetings? They're bound to hold one either today or tomorrow – right Houki-sama?" She frowned, nodding. "I need to be there no da. With the force field down, we'll have to make some changes to our defensive strategy, and they'll want _my_ opinion on that. So—"

Tasuki took a breath and straightened to his full height, practically coming to attention as he interrupted with: "I'll take care of it, 'Chiri."

"Da?" the monk stared at Tasuki. "But you _hate_ Council Meetings."

"Damn right I do! Bastards're annoyin' as hell. But I know more about battle strategy than you do, an' besides that, yer hurt, ain't'cha? So you worry about gettin' healthy, an' I'll take care of it. I'll take care of everythin'."

"Demo…"

Tasuki set his jaw, and something strangely mature glittered out of his gold eyes. "You ain't th' only seishi in this palace, y'know."

The monk fell silent, unsure how to respond to that. Koji shot his friend an approving grin, but before anyone could comment on the sudden switch in leadership the door to Chichiri's room swung open with a bang. Aoi stood in the doorway, hands on knees, panting hard. "Houki-sama... minna... ordered to get you... ran from… North Wall..."

Houki glided across the floor to the tired boy. "All the way from the northern wall? Oh, goodness." She grabbed her half-full cup of water from her tray and handed it to Aoi. "Here. Now, calm down. Has another battle begun?"

He shook his head, pouring half the water in his mouth and the rest across his face. "Phew, that's better. No, not to fight. To parley, Majesty."

"Again?" Akai snorted. "They just don't know when to give it up, do they?" She set a hand on her currently swordless hip, sighing. "Well, I guess I ought to go and tell them no deal. You coming, Houki-sama?"

Houki nodded and followed Aoi and Akai out the door. Koji stood as well, saying as he did, "Oi, I wanna come too. These cocky guys need t'know that we ain't takin' any more-a their shit."

Chichiri watched them leave, heaving a fake yawn. "Well, I guess you three will be wanting to go too no da. I'll just take a nap or something..." The chibi monk trailed off, sweatdropping as Kiori and Tasuki pulled a coil of rope from thin air and started to tie him down to the bed. "You _really_ don't trust me to stay here, do you na no da!"

Tasuki crossed his arms across his chest. "_You_ tried to sacrifice yourself t'save us—"

"Twice!" Kiori added.

"If we don't trust you, then we got plenty-a good reasons," Tasuki finished.

Chichiri sighed, but couldn't help but chuckle. "I guess I ought to be grateful no da." He tried to move, but found it almost impossible. "Don't you think you could loosen these up a bit?"

Ritsuka looked at Kiori and Tasuki, who were shaking their heads in perfect rhythm. She offered Chichiri a smile and a shrug. "I guess not, Chichiri. Oh, don't worry, we'll untie you for meals." She waved a hand at the lassoed monk, heading out the door. "Now, you just take a nice nap and wait for dinner, okay?"

"But what if..." Chichiri sighed as both Ritsuka and Tasuki exited the room. "Da."

Kiori chuckled, patting his arm. "We're just giving you a hard time. Here, let's see if I can get these knots out..."

"Doumo," he said. Chichiri couldn't help but smile as Kiori let the ropes fall away. "You sure have odd ways of showing you care no da."

She smiled. "Some people send flowers to sick people. We strap them to their beds." She sat down in a nearby chair. "Well, Yukeda-sensei's given me the next couple of days off, so I can keep you company if you'd like. Anything you need, or want? A book or something?"

"D'you think you can bring me the scrolls for the legend?" Chichiri asked immediately. "Since I can't do much of anything for a while, I'd like to be of _some_ help no da."

Kiori shook her head in amazement. "Saves all our lives and thinks he hasn't been of any help." She stood up, smoothing out her Konan-tailored skirt. "I'll do that right now. You want me to give you a hand with those riddles?"

"Hai na no da. I get the feeling I'm going to need it."

oOo

Utara Benji, a short, mousey man in his late twenties, swept his matted black hair out of his eyes as he paced to and froe, chest puffed out and body swinging in an ambitious, cocky swagger. He stopped for a moment, foot tapping out an impatient beat against the soft ground. The six soldiers who had accompanied him on this little errand stood around in a half-circle, watching the taii and exchanging curious glances with each other as their leader murmured, "Now, what should I say to 'em, eh? Gotta be somethin' t'inspire fear. Hm… maybe, 'Give us the city're we'll give you an arrow through yer heads'... heh, that's a good 'un, I'll have t'remember that..."

"Excuse me? Sir?"

Utara strained his head upwards, shading his eyes against the afternoon sunlight. Empress Houki stood upon the wall, flanked on either side by Akai and Aoi. Koji leaned against the ramparts as if he could care less about what the captain had to say, yawning wide. Utara puffed out his chest and tried to look official. "Hataku-Shogun has sent me out here t'deliver a message t'you an' yer people, Majesty."

"Very well..." she paused, "Oh, I am sorry, but I did not catch your name."

"Utara Benji, Utara-Taii t'you," he answered with a small sneer. "Our shogun didn't find it worth his time t'come out here, so he sent me."

"Huh, he's prob'ly gettin' over a hangover from celebratin' his _only_ victory," Koji muttered. Akai and Aoi stifled giggles.

Utara didn't hear the remark. He cleared his throat a couple of times, then shouted out like a schoolboy reciting his spelling words. "We know that yer recent position ain't th' best. Two days ago we attacked an' took at least two hundred lives. T'top that off, yer barrier's missin'. Our generous shogun—"

"Hah!" Akai and Koji cut in as one.

Utara glared at them and continued. "Our generous shogun doesn't want t'waste any more lives over a war that's sure t'be won in a few days. Yer soldiers are disheartened, three of yer warriors are injured badly, one's missin' an' another's been taken hostage. He'd like t'give you the chance t'surrender, and prevent anyone else from bein' killed needlessly."

Houki opened her mouth to speak, but Akai held up a hand. "Please Majesty, let me handle this moron." She stepped forward, leaning out over the ramparts and calling down to the arrogant captain. "Well, Utara-Taii, let me fill you in on a little bit of news that might interest you. Your hostage is safely back in the palace with us at this very minute, and so is our missing warrior. Just having them back has put new spirit into the soldiers. If you think you've won this war, then you're going to be sorely mistaken."

Utara scowled fiercely. "Is that a no, then?"

"That's a Hell No, ahou!" Koji snapped. "Tell yer shogun that th' Konan Warriors don't plan on surrendin' or bein' defeated, an' if he thinks otherwise then he's stupider'n you! I'd sooner get made inta a pincushion by those sticks you call arrows then hand myself over t'a rabble-a grimy, dumbass soldiers from some pissant little nation like Takkan!"

Utara raised his nose in the air, crossing his arms hard over his chest. "Then that's that. Y'didn't give us Konan, so now we're gonna give y'an arrow in yer – _oof_!"

Koji had gotten tired of the captain's pompous attitude. Picking up a good-sized stone from the battlements, he drew back his arm and let fly. The miniature missile whizzed through the air and hit Utara in the head with such a force that he tumbled over, flat on his back.

A soldier by the name of Asakawa knelt down next to the unconscious Utara. He glared up at Koji. "Oi, this is a peaceful negotiation, Konan Warrior! Why'd'ja have t'hurt th' taii?"

"He was gettin' on my nerves," Koji explained coolly, putting his hands behind his head. He winked, teeth glinting in a devil-may-care grin. "An' don't worry, he ain't hurt – I hit him on th' head, didn't it?"

The cheeky soldier Tori burst into fits of laughter. "Heehee, hit him on th' head! That's a good 'un, ol' lunkheaded Utara—" a fellow soldier scowled, tweaking his insolent friend's ear. "Yowch!"

oOo

Tasuki had not joined his friends on the wall top – he figured Houki and the others could handle the "negotiations" on their own. Instead, the seishi bandit decided to take some well-deserved rest and relaxation hours out by the pond before his hell-meeting with Houki's magistrates. He strolled over to the palace pond, plopping down under a big willow and running a hand through the cool liquid. He didn't mind water, not really, so long as he didn't have to get _in_ it.

The seishi's golden eyes trailed upwards to the tree branches, and the form of a familiar friend caught his eye. Tasuki chuckled. "Hey, I think I just spotted a Red-bird."

He was expecting a classic Ritsuka retort, but the young woman didn't even seem to hear him. She had her back against the tree, eyes closed and feet straddled precariously across a branch. There was some kind of device in her ears, too. Tasuki frowned, standing up and watching her. "Oi, Red? Red!" Ritsuka didn't even flinch. Tasuki scowled. "Huh, the silent treatment'r somethin'? What's she think I did this time?" He grabbed the branch beneath her feet and pulled it back, giving it a tiny pluck. "Red!"

The college student's eyes snapped open and she lost her balance on the branch, tumbling out of the tree with a squeak of alarm. Tasuki yawned, catching the woman in one outstretched arm and steadying her against his chest.

Ritsuka pulled off the black lumps on her ears, glaring at the bandit. "What's the big idea?"

"Got yer attention now, don't I?" the seishi said. A slow, teasing grin spread across his face. He leaned in so close to Ritsuka that she felt her cheeks flush. "Say Red, does this mean yer fallin' fer me?"

"I think you should worry less about making stupid puns and more about saving yourself from my fists," she growled, wondering why she was blushing even brighter. "I coulda cracked my head and fallen into the pond or something!"

Tasuki dropped her, rolling his shoulder. "Whew, fergot how heavy ya were." Ritsuka was too worried about making sure the device in her hands was undamaged to smack him for the remark. "And anyway, it's yer own fault fer ignorin' me. I was _tryin'_ t'get yer attention, y'know."

"Sorry," she muttered, brushing off a speck of dirt on the machine's silver surface. "When I put my headphones on it's like I'm in another world."

"Headphones?"

Ritsuka raised an eyebrow, then sighed. "Oh right, I forgot. You've probably never even heard of an MP3 or an MP3 Player, have you?"

"An Emu-pii what?"

"M. P. 3. Play-er," Ritsuka said slowly. "Here." She looped the headphones around his ears and pushed play.

Tasuki yelped and yanked them off, turning chibi. "What th' hell!" He stared at the small device with wide eyes. "How... how'd they fit a friggin' instrument inta that thing?"

Ritsuka smothered a giggle. "They don't, baka. The music comes from the MP3, the music file. Hm – how to explain this? – the people who sing the song and play the instruments are recorded in a studio. Then, the music is copied onto these little files that we sort of insert inside this thing," she tapped the player for emphasis. "Get it now?"

He nodded seriously, then frowned and shook his head. "Not one little bit."

Ritsuka face-vaulted. "Like explaining a car to a caveman." She sweatdropped, sticking one of the small earphones into her own ear and the other into Tasuki's. "Well, you don't need to understand it. Hm, this playlist has a lot of L'Arc and Jihen on it, and some old Luna Sea, too. Rock music. I bet that'd be right up your alley." (1)

"Rock music?" Tasuki held up a stone to make a point.

The redhead turned chibi, blue lines appearing under her eyes. "Sometimes I think your head is a rock."

"Eh?"

"Never mind Ancient China-boy, just have a listen," Ritsuka skipped back to track one and pushed play. Tasuki listened intently for a couple of minutes, tapping his foot along with the beat. Ritsuka glanced up as the first song came to an end, watching the seishi's reaction. "Well, whaddaya think?"

Tasuki grinned, showing his fangs. "Rock music kicks ass!"

oOo

Setsuka strolled down the halls of the Takkan palace, Hataku following just a step behind. The shogun wasn't quite sure where they were going, but he wasn't horribly concerned. Setsuka had been surprisingly civil and respectful to him – almost as if he were her equal – for the first time in almost two years. Hataku nodded to a couple of servants who looked his way, enjoying a sense of authority that he hadn't felt in a long while.

"Now Shogun-sama, you have been doing a wonderful job fighting against our enemy," Setsuka said, straightening a faded tapestry. "But I'm sure there is something you or your men need. Please, do not be afraid to tell me. Nothing is too much for the soldiers who will lead Takkan to victory."

Hataku rubbed the back of his head. "Well, your Ladyship, to be honest, we haven't received any of the boy Tsuchi's medicines in a few days. We're already running a bit low, and if it wouldn't be too much trouble..."

Setsuka smirked with her back to the shogun, but by the time she had turned to face him, her features had settled into a small, troubled frown. "Oh, dear." She set a hand to her cheek. "That's one request I'm afraid I can't grant, Hataku."

"Why not, my Lady?"

Setsuka sighed, shaking her head mournfully. "Tsuchi-kun is... well, let me show you. Then I will explain everything."

Hataku frowned behind her back. _'Something tells me this isn't going to be good,' _he thought warily, but curiosity won over caution, and he followed his Lady down the long hallways and to the boy's room.

Setsuka shooed Kaze and Sora out of the room they shared with Tsuchi. She strode through the small quarters and into the back area, the one that had been used at one time by Tsuki and Taiyou. Hataku swept back the curtain separating the two spaces, peering through the shadows. His eyes widened as he spotted Tsuchi, curled up in a tight ball, pale and shivering all over. "Setsuka-sama, what in the world happened to him?"

oOo

Kiori tossed a pile of scrolls onto Chichiri's bed, frowning down at the mess. "So, where do we start?" The girl's hand strayed to one wrapped with a silver ribbon, but Chichiri picked it up before she had a chance.

"Gomen, that one's mine no da," he explained.

The young woman nodded, waiting for him to read it, but the monk just set it on his nightstand and said nothing. She frowned and took a seat at the foot of the bed, digging through the pile until she found her own, still neatly tied with its sky-blue ribbon. She managed a small chuckle. "Can you believe it? I haven't opened this thing yet. I just got so busy with the war and everything that I never even thought about it." Kiori unrolled the parchment, skimming over its contents. She glanced over the document at Chichiri. "Wanna hear it?"

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, but I wouldn't mind hearing it no da," he said absentmindedly, glancing at another one of the scrolls.

"Well, it is a little odd, but I wouldn't mind telling it to you," she said. Kiori cleared her throat and read the lines out loud: "_'Believe in your own strength and courage.' _That's all. Huh, doesn't seem like much... wonder what strengths they could be talking about?"

She felt Chichiri watching her. The college girl's green eyes trailed up the scroll, meeting his face. "You really don't know no da?" he asked. Kiori shrugged. The monk chuckled. "So modest." Chichiri cupped her chin in his hand, smiling. "Kiori, you saved my life. You faced an enemy city, soldiers, even Elements to get me back here. If that isn't bravery, I don't know what _is_ no da."

Kiori blushed and her eyes fell right back to her lap. "Everyone keeps telling me that, but I really didn't _do_ anything. I had help every step of the way, I made a bunch of _stupid_ mistakes, and I just got lucky that those Elements decided to let me go. And when we were out in the woods, hiding from those trackers, I didn't feel very brave _or_ strong. I just felt like a scared little kid."

"Trust me, everyone does no da. It's what you do in the situation that determines whether you're a coward or not." His voice lowered to an almost guilty murmur as he reminded her, "You could've run no da."

"And leave you?" Kiori squeaked. "Chichiri, I don't know about all that strength and bravery stuff, but abandoning someone that I… er… that is to say…"

Both of their eyes trailed to where Chichiri's palm still sat cupped around her chin. The chibi monk flushed and jerked his hand free. "Da! Gomen, Kiori! I didn't mean to be so forward, I just... ano, that is, ah... na no da..."

She smiled, though she couldn't quite wipe the flush out of her cheeks either. "Maybe we should get back to those scrolls."

"Hai no da!" he agreed.

Kiori unrolled one of the documents, barely paying attention to the kanji symbols. She glanced up, watching as Chichiri poured over a scroll of his own. Kiori bit her lip, fighting back a giggle. _'He's still blushing. I never thought I'd see _him_ blush like that… it's kind of cute.' _She felt more than saw his masked eyes flick upwards towards hers; the young woman jerked her eyes back down to the scroll, forcing herself to focus. Her eyes caught on the word _Mizu _and a light bulb clicked on in her head "Oh, I almost forgot!"

"Hm? Forgot what no da?" Chichiri asked.

"There was a girl in the Takkan Palace, one of the Elements, Mizu-chan. She seemed like a nice kid, even went against her Lady's orders and let me sneak by to rescue you," Kiori explained. "And she seemed to know you personally."

"Hontou?" the monk asked, frowning. "I don't recognize the name Mizu no da."

"Mm, I didn't think you would. That's not her real name after all. She called _you_ Houjun, and said her name was..." Kiori's eyes turned to the ceiling. "Oh, think, Kiori, what was it...?" She snapped her fingers. "That's right! Ukizaki Mae. Ring a bell?"

Chichiri's head snapped up and he jerked forward across the scrolls, ignoring the jarring pain that raced across his abdomen and up through his arm. He was almost nose-to-nose with Kiori as he all but demanded, "Mae-chan's one of the Elements?"

oOo

"Setsuka-sama, what in the world happened to him?"

The Lady of Takkan studied her nails, smiling secretively. "Do you remember that rogue Element Kaji? The one from Konan who would not come to our side?" Hataku nodded. "Tsuchi-kun decided to follow the wayward path of that seishi. He turned against me. Therefore, he is no longer of any use to me."

Hataku stared at the boy, eyes wide in alarm for one of the first times in his life. "But, but what—"

Setsuka squeezed the green gem around her neck and smiled as Tsuchi curled into an even tighter ball, biting his lip until it bled. "Perhaps I should have rephrased that. He is no longer of any use to me _as a healer._ He is, however, still a good source of power and additional strength." She chuckled darkly, squeezing the gem harder and watching him shout in pain. "It is also very entertaining, wouldn't you agree?"

Hataku fought back a shudder. "My Lady, if you don't mind my asking, why do you use this child as a power source? Wouldn't the seishi, the real traitor, be of more use?"

"Alas, no, my dear shogun," she said with a small, sad headshake. "He is too far away, both in body and spirit. Had I been able to break him, even for a while, then perhaps he would be of some use..." she sighed. "Even if I were to smash this red gem between my fingers right now, I wouldn't be able to kill him. Hurt him, for a while, perhaps, but that would be all."

"Sou desu ka," was all Hataku could think to say. "But how did he manage to break free from you? And _why_?"

The Lady answered her shogun's question with a question. "Tell me, Hataku, do you know why I chose to begin this war while my Elements were only children? Why do you think I didn't wait for them to grow older?"

The older man shrugged. "I wondered about that myself, but I never found a good answer. I just assumed that you somehow _knew_ the time was right. That was how you found the Elements, initially."

She shook her head almost sympathetically. "Ah, you are so intelligent, yet very naïve about some things, my dear shogun." Hataku watched her back silently, listening as she explained her deadly motives to him as if he were a comrade and not a subordinate. "I chose this time in their lives for two reasons. The first is irrelevant, but the second… You see, Hataku, they are all old enough to defend themselves, but they are also still very young in many ways. They do not yet know what they will become. Their images of right and wrong are still maleable, their alliances and ideas still quite easily manipulated. Add that to my own power to force my will onto them, and my Elements are completely loyal in every way."

"Like slaves," Hataku murmured, trying hard not to spit the words.

Setsuka either didn't hear or didn't care. "Hataku, do you know why that seishi did not obey me?"

"His friend, that monk, called him back to their side," he answered easily.

"Wrong again. Or at least, not completely right," Setsuka corrected. "The seishi's friendship certainly helped, I agree with you on that. But the simple fact of the matter is that Kaji is no longer a child. He's a young man now, and his loyalties were already strongly rooted with Konan and the seishi. In all honesty, I never _really_ expected to make him a follower."

"But why the boy?" Hataku pressed. "Why would Tsuchi ever consider turning on us?"

"Some could say he was shown the brutal truth, and it opened his eyes. But the answer is nothing quite that dramatic." She looked up, meeting the shogun's eyes. "A very simple reason, Hataku: he grew up. He grew up and he chose to follow his own path, one that did not follow mine. I have no use for someone like that."

"Your Elements seem like fickle fighters," Hataku remarked. "One incident and they change sides?"

Setsuka turned her back on the shogun, facing Tsuchi once more. "You are right about that. That's the reason I called you here."

"Beg pardon?"

"Let's go to my room, shall we? I will explain everything there." Setsuka started to leave, but paused. Her eyes fell back to Tsuchi and she squeezed his gem again, chuckling as he cried out in pain once more. "Very well. Off we go, then."

Hataku followed his Lady silently, hatred-filled eyes burning a hole through her back. Setsuka smiled, knowing full well her shogun couldn't see her. _'That's right, Hataku, hate me. Hate me for everything I have ever done to you and everyone else. Let it cloud your judgment... then, like the patient bird of prey, I will strike.'_

oOo

"Kiori, tell me you've made a mistake! Mae-chan can't—" Chichiri cut himself off, grabbing at his side as he hissed in pain.

She leaned across the bed and gently pushed the monk back against the pillows. "Calm down, Chichiri, you'll just hurt yourself if you jerk around like that." She straightened a crumpled scroll, green eyes still watching her stunned friend. "Her name was Ukizaki Mae, I'm sure of it. She told me to tell you that 'Mae-chan says to get out of Konan and stay out of the war,' or something like that."

Chichiri looked down at the bed, shaking his head. "Ukizaki Mae... an _Element_ no da? She was always an unusual girl, but still..."

"How do you know her?" Kiori asked, then added hastily, "Er, I don't mean to pry, it's just, when I told her you were still alive she seemed awfully concerned."

The monk nodded. "She would be," he agreed. "Mae-chan… was a girl from my village no da. An extraordinary person – had these crystals that always trailed behind her – but the sweetest little girl you'd ever know no da." He smiled a little. "I was always pretty fond of her, even before everything happened."

"Wait, your village?" Kiori asked. She remembered the similarity she'd noted between the pair's hair color. "Any chance you're related?"

He shrugged. "Distantly, maybe. The village wasn't very large, so a lot of us were fourth or fifth cousins no da. But no, I wouldn't say we were blood relatives."

"I thought you were the only one to survive that flood."

"So did I, at first..."

vVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVv

Houjun had spent the past day alternating between searching for survivors, sobbing out his misery, and contemplating suicide. Now, as he plodded away from the flooded riverbanks, he felt his heart sink still lower in his chest. "I'm the last one after all..." he muttered to the muddy ground. "Okaa-san, Otoo-san… Kyoui-chan... Kouran... Hikou… dammit all, Hikou..."

His ears perked up. Dimly he thought he heard the sound of someone sobbing. Following the noise through the woods, Houjun came upon a young girl, four or so, leaning against a tree and wailing to the skies.

He blinked, disbelieving, choked on his words, and at last managed to whisper the familiar child's name. "Ma...Mae-chan?"

She looked up, rubbing hard at her eyes. She gasped, taking a cautious step forward. "Houjun?"

Houjun collapsed to his knees, too weak and too relieved to remain standing. "Oh, thank Suzaku."

The little girl raced across the clearing and buried her face in his wet shirt, crying miserably. "Oh, Houjun, they're gone! Everyone's gone! Mama, and Papa, and, and..." Her words shattered into wails.

Houjun hugged her as tight as he could to his chest, afraid that if he lessened his hold even a centimeter she might disappear, too. "I know, Mae-chan," he said, surprised to find tears in his own eyes. He had thought he'd run out of them hours ago. "Daijoubu." _'Funny, that I can say that when it's the last thing I feel.'_

Houjun pulled the young girl away after a long moment, drying her eyes on a clean patch of his shirt. "Mae-chan, how in the world did you survive? The flood came so fast."

She sniffed, touching the green crystal that hummed at her side. "They saved me. I got scared, and they started makin' funny noises an' then I was here." She managed a small, sad smile. "I'm okay, though, so don't worry."

He did his best to return the smile, but it fell just short. "I'm very glad to hear that."

"But _you're_ not," Mae said, reaching up a chubby finger to touch the jagged scar that raced across his eye. "How did you...?" (2)

Houjun cupped her hand in his own and heaved a deep, tired sigh. "A long story, Mae-chan. I'll tell you later, when I can stand it."

vVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVv

Chichiri set his chin in his hands, drifting back to the present. "The two of us traveled together for a while, trying to find a little peace and someplace to call home no da. We were both in pretty awful shape after the flood, and I think it was really a blessing that we had each other. Mae-chan gave me a reason to live, and I did my best to keep her cheerful no da."

"No wonder she was so worried about you," the college girl commented. "Why isn't she still with you, though?"

He flashed the young woman a small, sardonic smile. "Kiori, you might find this hard to believe, but I wasn't the most warmly welcomed stranger no da. I couldn't force Mae-chan to live that kind of life – she needed a home, with someone who would care for her the way she deserved. One day, we found refuge at an old farmhouse no da. The people there were very kind, and didn't seem to mind my..." he gestured to his scar. "We stayed for almost a month, and when the month was over, I asked Mae-chan if she liked the couple no da."

"She did, and you left her," Kiori finished.

He nodded. "Funny. She always thought that I'd been the one to keep her alive for those two years, but it was really the other way around na no da. It wasn't too long after that that I tried..." his mask darkened and Kiori frowned, "something, which eventually led to my meeting Taiitsukun, and beginning my training as a seishi no da."

"Have you seen her since?"

"When I was traveling with Nyan-Nyan, we stopped by the farm a couple of times no da." Chichiri chuckled at the memory. "Mae-chan was always so happy to see me, and she sulked for hours after I left, according to her new family. By then, I had a decent grasp on my seishi abilities, and I helped her come to terms with her own power no da. She was so strong, even back then, I'm sure she could do some damage if she continued to follow the training routines I taught her na no da."

Kiori laughed, but the action held no humor. "I'd say she has. She paralyzed me to the spot without breaking a sweat." She looked at her friend. "I see why you didn't want to believe it when I told you. Sounds like the two of you were pretty close."

Chichiri shook his head. "It wasn't just that. Mae-chan was..."

vVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVv

"Mae-chan, there's someone here to see you."

The girl, now almost eight years old, turned her golden eyes upwards. She looked into the fox-eyed face of a youth, not quite a boy, not quite a man, smiling down at her. He tipped his staff at her, the rings on the end of it jingling slightly. "Mae-chan, how are you no da?" She blinked, cocking her head to the side. He frowned. "Don't you remember me?" The man nodded, snapping his fingers. "Ah, right, the mask and all." He slid the material off his face, revealing a single, sad mahogany eye. "C'mon Mae-chan, you didn't forget about me, did you no da?"

Her young face lit up. She leapt to her feet and threw herself into his arms. "Houjun! I didn't recognize you with the funny mask and the high voice! How are you I missed you soooooo much don't ever leave again okay Houjun?"

He chuckled, kissing her forehead. "I almost didn't recognize you either, you've grown a lot. I'm doing all right, and I missed you too no da." He sat down, allowing the girl to sit in his lap. "Good news – I've taken vows as a monk, and I've started my seishi training, now. Everyone's calling me Chichiri these days no da."

"Wow, seishi training," she said, nodding even though she didn't really know what it meant. "Must be funny gettin' your name changed."

He chuckled. "I'm getting used to it no da." He started to set his mask back against his features, but Mae's hand stopped him. "Da?"

"I like you better without it," she told him in her straight-forward manner. "You'll always be Houjun, to me. And you're more like Houjun without the mask."

The traveler blinked back at her, and one of his hands inched unconsciously towards his scarred eye. "You really don't mind that I…?"

She looked up at him with innocent eyes, smiling. "That you what, Houjun?"

He smiled, grabbing her in another tight hug. "Hm. I don't know no da. Arigatou, Mae-chan."

vVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVv

Chichiri couldn't help but smile. "Mae-chan was the first person to ever really accept me for who I was. I guess she never really thought of me as anything but Houjun no da. Even after I told her about what had happened that night during the flood, she never thought anything different. She still loved me as much as she ever did no da." The seishi frowned, masked eyebrows scrunching together. "Mae-chan's such a sweet, wonderful little girl – well, not little anymore, she must be about thirteen… But why would she be on that woman's side?"

Silence filled the room for a second, then Kiori poked her head into her friend's range of vision, offering him a small, hopeful smile. "We'll find some way to save her. Just because the rhyme said 'a golden-eye for each' doesn't mean it has to happen that way." The monk nodded but said nothing, and now Kiori mirrored his frown. "Oh, please don't get so down about this, Chichiri. It'll work out all right. That's what you're always saying, isn't it?" He nodded again, still silent. Kiori steeled her courage and cleared her throat. "And you know, for what it's worth... _I _still like you, with or without the mask."

Chichiri's head jerked up. "Kiori...?"

She snatched up a scroll, shoving her nose into the paper in order to hide her embarrassment. "Ah, well, I'm sure Tasuki and Ritsuka and everyone else feel the same way, too, so you should cheer up about it and not worry so much, except maybe we should worry just a little bit, because we won't be able to save her if we don't figure these puzzles out, right? So, ah-hem, back to work and all..."

Now it was Chichiri's turn to look at her from behind his ever-cheerful mask, offering her the same fond smile that she'd given him just minutes before. "Of course no da."

oOo

"Hey Koji-san, any sign of those Takkan soldiers?" Akai called up to the wall top.

Koji shaded his eyes and made a big show of scanning every inch of the horizon. He turned, bowing sharply. "All quiet on the northern front, Akai-Taii."

She giggled, putting her hands on her hips. "Then what in the world are you still doing up there, soldier? It's almost dinnertime. Off the wall and down to the dining room this instant, and that's a direct order."

"Permission t'stuff my face?"

"Granted, so long as you leave enough for me."

Koji took the stairs two at a time, falling into step with his shorter friend. The bandit leader laced his hands behind his head, whistling an old bandit song quietly to himself. Akai looked up at him. "How does that one go? I've never heard it before."

He chuckled. "Too many naughty words fer young ears. Maybe I'll tell ya in a few years."

As they were heading up the steps to the Konan Palace, Aoi fell into step with the duo, still panting from his light jog across the capital. "Everything's still as a tomb on all sides. D'you think they're planning something?"

Koji shrugged. "Who knows what goes on in th' heads of complete idiots?" He frowned, chewing on his lip. "I wouldn't mind _knowin'_ though, this waitin' game is a real pain..." a slow, crafty smile spread across the bandit leader's face. "Say Akai, Aoi-kun, how d'you two feel about guerilla attacks and reconnaissance missions?"

The Palace Warrior shot him a sideways glance. "As long as they're done safely, I find both to be excellent ideas – of course, any plans have to be run by the Empress beforehand. What do you have in mind?"

"Now, don't go tellin' half the palace an' the other Konan Warriors – 'specially Chichiri, I know he'd try t'stop us –but listen closely an' I'll tell ya all about it..."

oOo

"Please, Hataku, make yourself comfortable," Setsuka bade her shogun to take the chair across from her own. A bottle of the finest sake sat next to her on a small table, two cups at the ready. Hataku took in the scene – _'Something either very good or very bad is about to happen,'_ he decided in an instant – and accepted the offered seat.

"If I may be so bold, my Lady, what is the point of all of this?" Hataku asked, choosing each word with the utmost care.

Setsuka smiled. "Always right to the point. You were never one for needless words, even when you were young and just beginning your service under my father." She sighed wistfully. "Ah, those were quite the days, weren't they? Real soldiers, then, and the conquering of this very nation... if I recall correctly, you and I were much closer in that time."

"Times change," Hataku remarked, careful to guard his emotions. "I'm the shogun now, and you're the Lady of Takkan. It's only natural that there would be some level of separation."

Her smile was a sad one. "Such a shame, that it had to happen." She sat down with a ruffle of skirts, setting her elbows on the arms of the chair and lacing her fingers just below her chin. "Very well then, I'll make this brief. As you have already noticed, my Elements are not the trustworthy warriors I once believed. They have failed me twice and rebelled against me twice. I put my trust in them, _all_ of my trust in them, and I am beginning to realize the true depth of that error. For, despite my Elements' talents, there is only one person in this nation who has never left my side, only one person who has never failed me, and only one person whom I can trust, anymore. That person is you, Hataku."

"_Me_, my Lady?"

"Mm," she agreed. "I see now that all those times I was so hard on you, why, you didn't deserve it at all! You were always working in the best interests of Takkan, and you have followed my orders as diligently and efficiently as your abilities allowed. You have toiled long and hard, turning that rabble of fools into dependable soldiers, quelling the rebellions in the capital, leading our army to so many victories... I must apologize, Hataku."

His composure vanished, eyes widening. "Apologize?"

She nodded, staring at her lap, thoroughly ashamed. "How have I rewarded you for your work? With hard words and hard whips! How could I have ever been so... I even took away your position as my second-in-command! It's a wonder you even _bother_ to serve me, after how terrible I've been..." Setsuka set a hand to her forehead, taking a deep breath. She looked almost on the brink of tears. "I wish I could make it all up to you, but I'm afraid all I can ask for is your return as my strong right-hand, and your forgiveness. That isn't _too_ much to ask, is it?"

Hataku leaned forward, setting his hand gently across the one that still lay in his Lady's lap. She glanced up, eyes wide, glimmering with tears and hope. The shogun smiled, almost tenderly. "Setsuka-sama, that isn't too much at all. I thank you for the offer, and my forgiveness has already been given."

Her face broke into a bright smile and she clapped her hands together. "Oh, splendid! Though I should be the one giving the thanks – you really are a wonderful person. I don't know how I could have forgotten that."

"It's nothing, my Lady."

Setsuka reached for the bottle of sake, filling each cup to the brim. She handed one to her shogun, holding her own high. "It is good to have you back where you belong, Hataku. Let us toast our renewed partnership and seal the deal with the finest of the palace wines."

Hataku took the sake, suddenly wary again. He watched her out of the corner of his eye, setting the small bowl to his lips but not daring to drink just yet. Setsuka frowned, taking a sip. "Oh, Hataku, has it really come to _this_? You expect me of poisoning your drink? Do you really think I would do something so dirty, so underhanded as killing you with poison? I'm shocked – I thought we were on good terms again."

Hataku's expression softened under that lovely, wounded gaze. "You're right, of course. I didn't… I apologize, Setsuka-sama." He tipped his cup towards her. "To our partnership, then," he said, taking a quick taste of the rice wine.

He waited for a moment, suspicious out of habit, but nothing happened except for the typical, creeping sensation of warmth that always followed a sip of sake. Setsuka and Hataku smiled at each other over their bowls, tipped them to one another again, and took another, deep draught.

"Delicious, isn't it?" she asked.

He nodded. "The perfect way to start over."

"Indeed," Setsuka agreed. She watched as the shogun raised his arm for a third sip, but just as he'd set the cup to his lips it slipped out of his hand, clattering against the floor. Setsuka smiled, covering her giggle with one long sleeve. "Clumsy. Drank too much already, Hataku?"

He frowned, bending down to collect the lost bowl. "I apologize, Setsuka-sama. I don't know what..." he trailed off, choking on his words as his legs gave out from beneath him. Hataku collapsed helplessly to his knees, face paling. He moved to catch himself, but his arms had gone limp at his sides, and he would have crumpled straight to the floor if Setsuka hadn't swept forward, steadying his tensed shoulders, eyes glinting with malice in the failing afternoon light. "Y-you..."

"One of Tsuchi's potions, a sort of paralytic drug, though I am pleased to say it does not numb one's senses in the least. I spread it around the rim of your bowl, though you must have realized that by now. It was originally meant to calm an unruly patient, but I... discovered my own uses for it." Setsuka grabbed his drooping chin in one hand, leaning forward until she was almost nose to nose with her shogun. "You stupid, pathetic fool! To think that I would _really_ offer you such a high position when you so obviously hated me, when I knew full well that you'd been plotting to overthrow me?"

"Teeme..." he gasped out through gritted teeth.

Setsuka clucked her tongue. "Such language in front of your Lady. You really _were_ a very talented shogun, and I must say it will be sad to see you go. Still, I can't have the vermin wandering around freely anymore, just _waiting_ to ruin my victory. Tsuchi-kun taught me that much, at least."

"If you wanted to kill me then why didn't you just poison the drink and get it over with?" he demanded.

The Lady's eyes flashed with sadistic pleasure. "I told you, Hataku, that I would never do anything that underhanded. I would have preferred to simply kill you outright, without the use of any sort of potion, but there's still one more lesson I much teach before the day has ended, and I need you for that." She leaned forward and kissed him hungrily, with all the warmth of a tigress about to devour her prey. "Besides," she hissed in his ear, "it wouldn't be _nearly_ as much fun that way, would it?"

oOo

"Hey Kiori, tell me what you think about this no da..."

The young woman leaned in so she and the monk's heads were almost touching, eyes trailing towards the line just above his index finger. "Mm-hm, that might have a lot to do with the pattern. Here, I'll underline it just in case..."

The door to the room slid open. Kiori and Chichiri both jerked up, knocking heads in the process. "ITE!"

Ritsuka and Tasuki stood in the doorway, both trying to stifle their laughter. Ritsuka grinned teasingly. "When Kiori told me you were going to put your heads together to figure out the riddle, I didn't think she meant it literally."

A chibi Kiori glared at her friend. "Ha, ha." She stood, rubbing at her aching skull. "What are you two doing here, anyway?"

Tasuki held out his uninjured hand. "What, I can't check up on my poor, ailing buddy and his nurse?" Kiori and Chichiri met him with knowing stares. The bandit grinned. "Actually, we came t'tell you it was dinnertime. If ya don't hurry, yer bound t'go hungry."

The redheaded woman smile dangerously. "I haven't had a bite to eat since that _very_ small lunch."

Kiori giggled. "In that case, I better bring a sword with me." She turned to the monk, gathering the scrolls in her hands and dumping them onto the nearby table. "We can work on these later, all right? I'll bring dinner back for you, so—"

"Nah, I'll take care of it," Tasuki told her. "I wanna talk t'Chichiri fer a while anyway. Ya don't mind, do ya?"

Kiori cocked her head to the side, a puzzled smile twitching on her lips. "Why would I?" She followed Ritsuka and Tasuki out the door, shooting one last backwards glance at Chichiri.

Ritsuka elbowed her in the ribs. "Mother said if you stare at someone for too long, your eyes'll get stuck there."

"No mother _ever_ said that," Kiori retorted, flushing and closing the door as quickly as she could. Ritsuka eyed her knowingly, but said nothing. The trio continued down the pathway in silence for a time, until Tasuki broke the peaceful quiet, leaning back and singing to himself:

"**That's right you love me so much, don't you?… I should thank you for that, maybe…**"

Kiori turned to Ritsuka, raising an eyebrow. "Am I hearing things, or did Tasuki just sing part of Jihen's 'Kenka Joutou (First-class Brawl)'?"

The redhead groaned, putting a hand to her cheek. "I had him listen to my MP3 player today. Big mistake. He's learned all the words to about half the songs on my J-Rock List and won't stop singing the bloody things." She shot the bandit an accusing glare. "He doesn't even know what he's saying… I keep _telling _you, Tasuki-chan, that song is about a girl breaking up with her boyfriend! When you sing it, it sounds _weird_!"

He paused for a moment to say, "Quit makin' things up, Red. It's jus' gibberish, so how c'n it mean anythin'?" Then promptly launched right back into: "**You would be best off far-a-far alone, I'm really sick-so-sick-so-sick of you and I hate you…**"

Ritsuka rolled her eyes. "Gibberish, he says. Wonder what my American movie stars would have to say to that? Oh, but I guess it wouldn't matter, 'cause it'd be gibberish."

Kiori giggled and threw back the doors to the dining hall, rubbing her hands together. "Okay, lead me to the gourmet!"

Koji, Akai, Aoi and Houki waved to the trio as they began to pile their plates. Akai smiled, watching Kiori shovel down her mountain of food. "I'm surprised you left Chichiri-sama's room, even for dinner. I _never_ thought you'd come out of there."

The female redhead swallowed fast and shot Kiori a wicked grin. "Kiori's having a nice time playing doctor, aren't you?" Her friend shrugged, nodding. Ritsuka snickered. "And tomorrow, I hear they're gonna play police..."

Kiori choked on her noodles, flushing bright red and whacking Ritsuka over the head with a chibi fist. "It isn't like _that_!"

Aoi chuckled. "What is it like then, Kiori-sama?"

The college girl blushed even brighter and poked her index fingers together. "I don't think I know what you mean, Aoi. It isn't – I mean, it's not like it's really anything, yet—"

"_Yet?_" Akai, Aoi, Koji and Ritsuka all cried.

Akai clapped her hands together under her chin, eyes growing big and gooey. "Kiori-san and Chichiri-sama..."

"Aww..." Koji fluttered his eyelashes. "I shoulda seen it comin'. That is so—"

"ADOWABLE!" all four sang.

The college girl shoved a bite of noodles into her mouth, grumbling around it, "Are you goink to teashe me about thish for the resht of my life?"

"Maybe just for the rest of the evening," Akai assured her with a devilish grin. "I assume you have Tasuki-sama's blessing?"

Tasuki scratched his head, picking out his name in the odd conversation. "My blessin' fer what?"

"Why, for Kiori and Chichiri, of course," Houki replied with a small smile.

"Eh? What about 'em?"

Everyone face-vaulted.

Koji sweatdropped. "I shoulda known Genrou'd be clueless about all-a this."

"Yeah, he wouldn't know the word 'romance' if it smacked him in the face, would he?" Ritsuka asked with a sigh. She cleared her throat, pulling a marker and poster board out of thin air and scribbling hurriedly. She held the sign up to the seishi. "Tasuki-chan, what does this kanji mean?"

He snorted. "Oh, that's easy. 'Ai.'"

"And Kiori is in _what_ with Chichiri?"

Tasuki gave her a blank look, blinking twice. "Ano..." then the light bulb clicked on, and his eyes grew to about twice their normal size. "She's in _love_ with him?" A very chibi bandit whirled on Kiori. "Hontou da?"

Kiori blushed, rubbing hard at the back of her head. "Well I don't know if I'd call it _that_..."

Tasuki closed his eyes, shaking his head hard. "Nah, never mind, y'know what? I don't wanna know. I'm just, I'm just gonna stay outta _all_-a this." He balanced a pair of trays on his uninjured arm, one for himself and one for Chichiri, and moved as fast as balance would allow him towards the exit. "Jus' gonna pretend that whole conversation didn't happen... Gonna keep my nose outta everyone else's business, that's what I'm gonna do..."

Ritsuka giggled as Tasuki trotted out the door. "I should have figured he wouldn't want to touch romance with a thirty-foot pole." She took a sip of tea, looking to Houki. "Oh, I forgot to ask. How'd Tasuki-chan do in his first meeting with the Council?" Houki buried her face in her hands. The others sweatdropped. "That bad?"

"At times, I feared for my life," she summarized with a crooked smile. "Bandits and politicians were never meant to cooperate with one another, I do not think. Still, he mapped out an excellent plan of defense against Takkan, should they grow bold and attempt to enter the capital." She smiled at Koji. "I believe he's put you in charge of the details, deshou?"

Koji nodded, grinning. "There ain't a better strategist in Konan than me 'n' Genrou when we put our heads t'gether. He set up the basics, but I'll fine-tune 'em by tomorrow mornin', an' get us a nice little system of guards 'n' messengers, don't you worry 'bout that, Houki-sama."

"You think they'll attack again that soon?" Ritsuka asked.

"Hard to know, really," Akai said. "But we have to be prepared."

"It is a shame that there is no way we can know of their plans ahead of time," Houki remarked, thinking out loud.

Koji nodded solemnly. "Yeah, it's a real shame Yer Majesty." Neither Ritsuka, Kiori nor Houki noticed the look that passed between him and the two young soldiers.

Houki rose from her chair, bidding the others a pleasant evening and retreating to her chambers. A few minutes later Koji stood too, stretching and nodding to Akai and Aoi. "Hey, you two, I got something I wanted ya t'look at over by the North Gate. Think ya can meet me there in, say, twenty minutes?"

The two nodded. "Hai, Koji-san/sama."

Ritsuka watched the trio leave the dining hall, eyes narrowing. "Something tells me those three are about to do something Houki-sama isn't going to appreciate." She looked back at her friend, who had relaxed visibly once everyone had left. Ritsuka grinned and took another bite of rice, humming "Here Comes the Bride" under her breath.

Kiori's eyebrow twitched as her chopsticks cracked in her hand. "Ritsukaaaaaa..."

"But you _do_ love him, don't you?" Her friend looked down and said nothing. Ritsuka squealed. "YOU DO! Hah, I knew it I knew it I knew it!" She waited, but when Kiori still remained silent, the redhead scowled, leaning over. "What, no delighted cheering? You're in love and you look like your dog just got ran over. Why so glum?"

"Because it's _embarrassing_," Kiori said, burying her face in her hands. "Because I've only had two steady boyfriends in my life, the second one for almost two years, and _each_ time I thought I was 'in love' with them, and _each _time I woke up one morning and realized the whole relationship was dead. So how do I know this isn't the same thing? Maybe it's just some passing crush."

Ritsuka turned chibi and fell into a meditation pose, saying in a sage-like voice, "What is love?"

Kiori shoved her friend playfully. "I'm being serious! And besides, I bet Chichiri's still attached to that old fiancée of his, in a way, and... oh, I just don't know... I mean let's be serious Ritsu we don't even live in the same world."

"So? Miaka got her man, and you'll get yours."

"He's not my man!" Kiori snapped. She sighed, rubbing at her temples. "It's not that easy, okay? I mean, he's a monk. Don't they have some sacred law that says they _can't_ fall in love or something?"

Ritsuka went into her sage mode again. "Ah yes, Thou Shalt Not Getteth Any." She dodged Kiori's flying plate, catching it before it crashed against the wall. "Well, if Chichiri feels the same way you do – and he sure does seem to like you a lot, y'know – then what's the problem with not being a monk anymore?"

"He might not feel like that..." Kiori reminded her.

"Ask him."

"WHAT?" Kiori almost fell over. "Ritsuka, I've _never_ asked a guy out before! I wouldn't have the faintest idea what to do!"

"Oh, it's so easy. You just go right up to him and say: 'I've really gotten to like you, wanna get it on?' – or something like that. If he says yes, you have a celebration, and if he says no, you move on. What's the problem?"

"You've never _really_ cared about a guy before, have you?" Ritsuka shook her head. "Then why am I talking to you about this? Maybe I should go ask Houki, she and Hotohori seemed to be pretty close..."

The redhead clapped her friend on the back. "Okay, okay, look, I'm sorry. You know I just have to tease you. How about this: I'll talk to Tasuki-chan tomorrow about Chichiri. See if he's the kind of monk who can't get tied down, find out what his feelings regarding you are, you know, the whole bit."

"Doesn't that seem a little, I don't know, Junior High?" Ritsuka shrugged. Kiori sighed. "Let me handle it, okay? I just don't want to go diving into this stupidly and then have to deal with the consequences. Chichiri's a great friend, and I'd like to try to keep it that way regardless of what happens. I appreciate the offer, but I'm a big girl. I'll be fine."

Kiori pushed back her chair and walked out of the room. Ritsuka remained at the table, a smile creeping onto her lips. _'If I let Kiori "handle it" she'll hem and haw for a year and a half before she gets up the nerve to say anything, and by then we'll probably be back home and then she'll _really_ be screwed.'_

The redhead cracked her knuckles, flashing a chibi victory sign to no one in particular. "Just call me Cupid na no da!" Ritsuka blinked her chibi eyes, sweatdropping. "Ch, now Chichiri's got _me_ saying it..."

oOo

Tasuki stared at Chichiri's door and just couldn't help himself. "'Knock knock!' 'Who's there na no da?' 'It's Gen-chan, bringin' a tray-a food fer his fav'rite monk!' 'Ah, Tasuki, I'm starvin', come right in no da'!" He flung open the door, flashing a fanged grin. "'A-ri-ga-tou.'"

The monk glanced up from his own scroll, smiling at his friend. "Kon-wa, Tasuki no da. It took you a while to bring the food - everything okay, I hope?"

"Yeah, we jus' had a little, er, chat in the dinin' room. Sorry."

Chichiri rolled up the scroll and took the tray. "How did the meeting go today?" he asked. Tasuki turned chibi and hid in the corner. His friend sweatdropped. "That bad, huh?"

"I hate politicians," Tasuki grumbled, but brightened almost immediately. "We got a defense plan set up, though, so that's a start. Koji 'n' I'll handle everythin', so don't worry 'bout rebuildin' that barrier 'till yer good 'n' ready, na?"

"Arigatou," he said. "And Tasuki? Sorry about earlier. I knew you'd be able to take care of things no da. I just..."

The bandit waved a dismissive hand. "Ah, don't worry about it. B'fore t'day, I prob'ly wouldn't've even made th' suggestion. But you said 'Take care of everyone fer me,' an' Koji said, 'You'd do a damn good job leadin' us if ya'd jus' get off yer ass an' do it.' Maybe I took it all t'heart. B'sides, it ain't really fair, makin' you do all the rotten jobs, na?"

Chichiri smiled, mirroring Koji's approving expression from earlier. "I guess that's true no da." With that behind them, the monk snatched up his chopsticks and dove into the palace food with a will. Tasuki watched him out of the corner of his eye, eating his own meal with slow and steady thoughtfulness. After a moment, Chichiri glanced up. "Something on your mind no da?"

"Well, I was just thinkin' I guess."

"About what no da?"

"About..." Tasuki scratched at his cast, "well, it's just, I was thinkin' about the girls. About how much they hated that first battle, and about everythin' they been through... it just seems like an awful lot, I guess."

"Sou," Chichiri agreed, sipping at his tea. "But they seem to be adjusting pretty well, and as far as I can tell they're happy here no da."

The bandit frowned. "Yeah, I know, but... I guess I was just thinkin' that, those Elements're pretty tough 'n' all... I mean, they nearly did the two of us in, an' I don't mean t'brag but we're no easy targets."

Chichiri chuckled. "You're worried about them. I am too, a little. The rhyme says an Element for each, and it warns of repercussions no da."

"Exactly. What if one of 'em gets repercussioned... er, that didn't come out quite right, but y'know what I mean..." he shrugged. "I know they ain't Priestesses'r nothin', but I think I'd prob'ly die fer 'em anyway. I really don't wanna see either of 'em hurt – Akai or Koji or Houki neither, but there ain't much we can do about them stayin' or goin'..."

"Tasuki, quit taking the long path from point 'A' to point 'B' and tell me what you're planning no da."

He took a breath, then forced it out in one short sentence. "I think we oughta try t'send 'em back home. I mean, Taiitsukun prob'ly knows how t'get 'em back, an' if we put our ki into it I bet we could break th' barrier, or whatever divides our worlds..."

Chichiri tapped his chopsticks against the side of his bowl. "I understand what you mean no da. There probably is a way. But I think the real question is: will the girls want to go back no da?"

"Miaka—"

"Miaka did, but these two aren't Miaka no da. Kiori doesn't have much of anything to go back to, and Ritsuka has those brothers of hers—"

Tasuki's eyes turned to goo and he muttered dreamily, "Soul mate."

Chichiri sweatdropped. "How do you expect us to talk them into going home no da?"

Tasuki chewed on his lip. "If I talk t'Red, I could get her t'see it from my view. That last battle shook her up pretty bad, an' I think she'd be willin' t'listen t'reason. I dunno about Kiori, though. Before this whole mess with Setsuka, I'd-a said she'd be th' easy one, but she's a lot tougher than she acts. Stubborn, too."

"I could probably talk her into it no da."

"I dunno, Chichiri. Like you said, she don't have anythin' t'go back to, and she's got an awful lot t'stick around here for." He watched his friend closely, debated what he was about to say, then pushed forward with his usual, blunt honesty. "She loves you. You know that, doncha?"

The monk sighed, staring down at his tray. "Hai. I know."

Tasuki stared at his friend, waiting for more, but Chichiri said nothing, and his mask effectively blocked any stray emotion from passing through – he might as well have been made of stone, for all Tasuki could tell. The bandit scowled, reaching up and peeling back the edge of the mask, peeking beneath it.

A chibi Chichiri jerked back, almost knocking his tray off the table. "What are you doing no da?"

"I'm _tryin'_ t'understand what's goin' on behind that mask of yers!" Tasuki said. "I'm yer best friend an' I still can't figure you out at all. If you love her, then say so. If not, then say so."

Chichiri smiled, though his heart didn't seem to be in it. "Don't worry about it, Tasuki. To be honest, I haven't thought about it no da. It's… it's not even really important, you know, if we're going to send them back."

The seishi nodded, eyebrows still raised in a skeptical, silent question. "Yeah, I guess that's true. So... you'll talk t'Kiori t'morrow?" Chichiri nodded. Tasuki grabbed both of their trays and headed for the door. As he reached the frame, he stopped, looking back at his friend. "Y'know, maybe Ritsuka's right. It ain't healthy t'hide _everythin'_ behind a smilin' face. You shouldn't be afraid t'just, I dunno, be open fer once."

Chichiri chuckled. "Tasuki, I'm all right no da. I appreciate your concern, but..."

"Jus' think about it, okay? Y'don't have t'do anythin'. Jus' think about it," Tasuki told him, and was gone before his friend could think of a decent reply.

Once the door shut behind him, Chichiri took off his mask, frowning down at the limp cloth. "Maybe..." He lifted one, timid hand to touch at his scar, but at the last moment seemed to change his mind and dropped his arm back into his lap. He shook his head and picked up the mask, setting it on his nightstand. _'No. It's better _not _to think about it. I gave up that kind of love a long time ago, and I gave it up for a _reason. _It's just... it's just too complicated, is all. Neither of us needs that, especially during a war. And besides, if we're going to send her back then it doesn't matter anyway...' _he blew out the lamp by his bedside, saying more as an afterthought than anything else, _'no da.'_

oOo

Koji, Akai and Aoi met just inside the northern gates, all carrying bows and arrows. Aoi brought two horses with him, while Koji handed a sword to each of his friends. "Hopefully there won't be too much fightin' t'night, but jus' in case y'better take these with ya."

"This _is_ safe, isn't it Koji-sama?" Aoi asked, hopping from one foot to the other.

The bandit winked, flashing a thumbs-up. "Safe as swimmin' in the palace pond – unless yer Genrou, a-course, then that ain't so safe, heh... Don't worry, I never do anythin' without the full intention of comin' out alive. We'll be fine."

His younger friends nodded, preparing to mount and head out to the enemy camp...

oOo

Inside her room, Ritsuka listened to Kiori murmuring in her sleep. It sounded a little like she was talking to Chichiri, but it was hard to tell. Ritsuka smiled, closing her blue eyes and thinking about her new self-appointed job as match-maker...

oOo

Tasuki stared up at the ceiling of his own room, listening contentedly to Chichiri's snores next door. _'Yeah, this is the way things oughta be, with 'Chiri next door an' Kiori right down th' hall, an' all of us t'gether… 'cept, by t'morrow night, we might all be split up again.' _He frowned, scratching at his cast. _'I wonder if Red'll even listen t'me… huh, I wonder if I even _want_ her t'listen t'me…'_

oOo

Setsuka strode through the doors of one of the underground cells, glancing at the limp, bloodied form of her shogun chained to the wall. She nodded to the pair of guards, both sporting whips in their hands, who stood to either side of the body. "Oh, my. It looks as if you two had a bit too much fun. He _is_ still alive, I hope?"

The guards touched their heads to the floor, rising again only at their mistress' bidding. The one on the left, who looked a bit kinder than his companion, answered for them. "H-hai, m'Lady. We did exactly as you asked. Except, er, well… Tanaka's whip got away from him, I guess y'could say, an' snapped the prisoner's face pretty good. The mark ain't deep, but it was right over his eye... I think the shock of it might've knocked him fer a spin. We c'n wake him up without much trouble, though, if that's what y'wish, m'Lady."

"Please do," she agreed, arms crossed tight below her breasts. "When you've accomplished that, bring him to the dungeon. _You _know the one. I need him for one last display. And bring the staffs with you."

They bowed again. "Hai, m'Lady!"

Setsuka swept from the room in a flurry of skirts, stopping just outside the door to grab at a passing servant. "Tell the Element girl Sora to meet me in the last room on the bottom floor of the palace. Tell her to come as soon as she is able. Her Lady wishes to speak with her."

The servant nodded and darted off, leaving the Lady of Takkan to walk the long corridors alone, heading for the darkest and most vile of her underground chambers. "I do hope those guards are able to bring you around again, Hataku," she murmured to the darkness, tigress-eyes sparkling at the impending kill. "This next part would be such a bore if you weren't conscious enough to enjoy it."

oOo

"_Only the lonely moon and the stars that surrounded it were witness to the four separate, secret plans; one for information, one for love, one for the safety, and the last for death.'_" Yui snatched the book neatly out of Tetsuya's hands. He sighed, setting his chin in his hands and grumbling: "End Chapter Eighteen."

-  
Houki: There is so much happening among my fellow Warriors these days that I just cannot seem to keep up with it all! Is Kiori really in love with Chichiri? It certainly seems so, but no one tells me anything these days...  
Koji, Akai, Aoi! What in the world are you doing, sneaking out at night, and without even asking my consent? And _where_ are you running off to, exactly? The Takkan Camp? What in heaven's name will you...? Oh, goodness, Chichiri and Tasuki will skin you alive if those Takkan soldiers don't kill you first! This is really just too much.

The Next Episode of _Fushigi Yuugi: The Next Chapter_: "Battle Tactics! Cruel Lessons beneath a Midnight Sky!"

I _wish_ someone would explain everything to me, for a change...  
-

* * *

_Special thanks to **Tetris no Miko** **(www. angelfire. com/ geek/ tetrisnomiko/ fynovels/ fynovels. html) **for her translation of "Shouryuu Den" and "Oumei Den," which I drew on a bit for this chapter, and will probably continue to reference whenever I talk in detail about Chichiri's past._

**End Notes**  
(1) L'arc as in "L'Arc-en-Ciel," Jihen as in "Tokyo Jihen," and Luna Sea as in… well, "Luna Sea." :) All real Japanese bands. And may I say that Ritsuka has _exquisite _taste in music. Also, for fun, I'll go ahead and post Tokyo Jihen's "Kenka Joutou" on the blog, so you can hear what Tasuki's singing. You can check out the music video on YouTube, too, if you want.

(2) Okay, so probably someone out there is saying "Waaah, the flood happened just a day ago! How is Chichiri's eye _already_ scarred?" Well, because Mitsukake healed it! _(receives 'okay, she's finally gone wacko' looks from everyone)_ No, seriously. It's in Mitsukake's gaiden novel, "Oumei Den" (and expanded upon in Verse 13 of my other FY fanfic, "Rhapsody of the Fallen Stars"). See, Houjun, half-dead, gets carried to a nearby survivors' camp, and Mitsukake's there, and he heals Houjun's eye. But Houjun won't let him heal it completely, so he stops him after he stops the bleeding, and then sorta… wanders off again. That's where this scene picks up. If you're interested in reading the piece from Oumei Den, you can find a link to it on my homepage.

**_Ye Olde Author's Free Chat: January 1st, 2007; 12:34PM_**  
Happy New Year, minna-san! Mine was a little _too_ happy, if you know what I mean... Ah-heh-heh. _(insert giant sweatdrop here)_

So I wound up working _a lot_ over break and didn't get this chapter posted quite as quickly as I'd originally hoped. Oops. Well, it was a very long chapter, if that makes up for the wait. I thought about splitting it, but I couldn't find a good spot, so I just rolled with it. The next two should be of a more manageable length. Which actually brings me to a **question:** What kind of stories do you, the reader prefer - A relatively small amount of long chapters, or a hefty amount of smaller chapters? It may affect the way I decide to split episodes from here, so please let me know what you like best!

Anyway, what'd you think of this one? Now that Chichiri's home safe, things are going to veer more towards romantic-comedy again for a bit, so I hope everyone is enjoying the humor and, of course, the fuzzy love-love! _(giggle)_ I had a reviewer use that phrase one time, and I loved it so much that I always call it that, now. Anyway, I didn't change too much in this chapter, just added a few bits of dialogue here and there. With luck I can keep doing that, and chapters will come out a little easier (she says for the 15th time since she became a fanfic author...)

**Character Profile – Tsuchi**  
Real Name: Shi Fuyuko**  
**Age: 14  
Height: 5'2"  
Weight: 115 lbs  
Birthplace: Eiyou, the capital of Konan  
Birthday: March 14th (Pisces)  
Blood Type: A  
Hair: Forest green; bangs that fall to about his eyebrows; small ponytail in the back; wears a dark blue headband  
Eyes: Gold (this is getting redundant)  
Likes: Helping out, playing mahjong  
Dislikes: Confrontations  
Favorite Food: Any kind of soup, especially Tomato Eggflower  
Least Favorite Food: Water chestnuts

Hm, what is there to say about Tsuchi? He came about because I needed a healer-type character for the Elements, and then somehow he wound up becoming a fairly large player in the FY:NC world. I don't think I originally intended to have him rebel against Setsuka, but it's been ages since I first wrote the outline for this story, so who really knows? _(sweatdrop) _He's a really sweet guy, so I've taken a liking to him, but he's also very weak-willed, maybe the worst of the Elements. Even though he was the first besides Tasuki to turn against his Lady, it's unlikely that he would have done it if Setsuka's cruelty hadn't shocked him so badly (maybe he had a little crush on Kiori, too?). He still has a lot of growing up to do, but with the way his life is right now, he might not get that chance. You won't see too much of him from here on out, but his decisions create a surprisingly strong ripple effect, starting with Hataku in this episode and ending with the other Elements in later scenes, so keep an eye out for all of that – and give the poor kid some sympathy, while you're at it! Suzaku knows he could use it. _(tear)_

Thanks to Expi00962, antyem, miraclebutterfly, Kristall, Amaya-san, DPFYLUVR, Seira Ayuda, FeyWhyte, Inuphantom, Fury's Footsteps, caspercat22, phoenix-firebird, and Insanity Squirrel for reviewing! I hope you all had a fantastic holiday season and New Year's, and with luck I'll see you in the review pages again!

'Till Next Time! – Dee ;)


	19. Episode Nineteen: Battle Tactics!

**_Disclaimer_:** I still don't own Konan, Suzaku and all characters and seishi pertaining to them. Kiori and Ritsuka are and shall forever be mine, and that holds for all the other "originals" (you'll know 'em when they appear, trust me). Obviously the story is mine as well.  
_**Rating:** _PG-13, for moderate language and violence.

**_Musical Selections: _**"He's a Pirate" (yes, from _Pirates of the Caribbean_) for the Koji scenes, particularly towards the end when the action gets more intense. Also: "Fading Stars" (an original piece from a friend & budding composer, Eric Gabel) – for the first scene. Start playing it when they start talking about "the Palace Champion." Both pieces are available on me blog ( www . xanga . com / otakugraffiti ) under the Audio section.

_I finally gave up on Viz ever translating the Fushigi Yuugi Gaiden novels, so I got onto Amazon Japan and ordered "Shouryuu Den" and the two "Sanbou Den" novels. I think I've officially reached a point in my Descent Into Otaku-dom from which there is no return… _(sweatdrop)

* * *

**-Episode Nineteen: Battle Tactics!-  
Cruel Lessons Beneath a Midnight Sky**

Yui glanced over at Keisuke and had to work hard to stifle her laughter. The college student sat with his arms crossed and his chin almost touching his chest, nodding ever so slowly as if about to fall asleep, then at the last second jerked up, blinking hard and shaking his head to clear it. She smiled, setting her finger at the top of the next chapter. "Keisuke, you know, it _is_ getting pretty late, and you're the only one of us who's been awake the whole time. Maybe you should take a quick nap."

"And miss the action? No wa—" he had to stop mid-sentence, yawning wide.

Tetsuya grinned. "Don't worry. Unlike you, _I_ wake people up when things get interesting. Nighty-night, pal, or do you want a lullaby first?"

Keisuke snuggled down into the couch, rolling his eyes at his friend. "You'd better let me know if there's a fight, or a kiss, or... I dunno, _something_..."

oOo

"You wanted to see me, Setsuka-sama?"

The Lady of Takkan turned, smiling as Sora stepped into the room. "Yes. Thank you for coming so quickly."

The Element glanced around, taking in the spacious dungeon in an instant. She and Setsuka stood at the far end of the room, staring out across a dark expanse of limestone, wet with underground moisture and cast in shadowy light by the nearby wall sconces. Other than her mistress, the room was empty. "What _is_ this place?" she asked, patting at her arms to stay warm.

"Mm, I suppose you could call it the interrogation room. Normally I use it to torture answers out of those obnoxious rebels. Today, however, its purpose shall be… slightly modified." Setsuka stepped forward, setting a hand on the girl's shoulder. "Sora, you've seen Tsuchi-kun by now, I'm sure?"

"H…hai, my Lady," she said, staring at her feet.

"You do not sound pleased."

"I've no right to question your judgment, Setsuka-sama," Sora answered, fists clenched resolutely at her sides. "I just do not quite… understand it, I suppose."

"Yes," Setsuka agreed, leading the girl gently away from the door and back to where she had originally been standing, just inside the circle of light. "I can't blame you for that. However, you're old enough to be told these things, Sora. You're mature enough to be able to understand them, I believe. That's why I've brought you here. I hope that, before the hour is over, all of this will make a bit more sense to you."

"Eh?" she glanced up, cheeks flushing, a small smile breaking across her face. "My Lady… does that mean you…?"

"Yes, my dear, I've forgiven your earlier mistake," Setsuka agreed, brushing a strand of hair away from her Element's face. "You are only human, after all, and you have always served me well in the past. You never question my decisions, do you, even when they seem strange to you? You always trust me. You always remain loyal. I greatly appreciate that quality, Sora. I hope you will never lose that."

"Never, Setsuka-sama!" she agreed hotly. "A warrior lives to serve her master! That's the only thing that ever matters. If I couldn't do even that, why, my life wouldn't be worth living!" Sora bowed low, clasping her hands before her bent head. "And I promise not to fail you again, my Lady. From the moment my arrow missed its mark, I vowed to become perfection for you. And I will. You have my word on that."

The Lady of Takkan smiled. "I believe you, Sora-chan, and I am honored by it. That is why you will become my Champion, when we take Konan."

Sora glanced up through her bangs, halfway meeting her Lady's gaze. "But Setsuka-sama, I always assumed… Hataku-sama is much more skilled than me, and he…"

Setsuka drew her lips back into a small, pained smile. "Funny that you should mention Hataku. That is the reason you and I are here." Sora paused, straightening again, a question in her eyes. Her mistress clapped her hands twice, calling into the gloom. "Bring him in."

A door in the far corner of the dungeon, hidden before in the shadows, creaked open, revealing the silhouettes of two men dragging another, limp figure between them. They paused at the edge of the rim of light, tensed their shoulders, then heaved their burden into the center of the room. Sora's hands flew to her mouth at the sight of the shogun, stripped to his waist, hands bound together behind his back, breathing heavily in the dim light. He looked perhaps half-conscious, his back a crosshatching of torn skin and fresh whiplashes. Judging by the streak of blood left across the floor, his chest must have received the same treatment.

"Setsuka-sama…" she gasped. "What in the world…?"

The Lady of Takkan crossed her arms below her breasts, a tiny, satisfied smirk twitching at the corner of her mouth. "Traitors come in all shapes and sizes, my dear. Never forget that." Then, to the guards still hovering in the corner: "Get him up. I'm not finished with him yet."

The two moved forward, keeping their heads low as they grabbed the slack body, carting him to the back wall and to the single clasp dangling in the darkness. They looped his chained hands over the steel piece, forcing him into a half-standing, half-crouching position. His legs trembled but held his weight. "Look at me, Hataku," she demanded. "The drugs ought to have worn off enough by now that you can do at least that."

He didn't move, so one of the guards forced his chin up with the butt of his staff. Sora almost cried aloud as one brown eye met hers across the gloom, the other swollen shut from a stray whip strike. Blood leaked lazily down the left side of his face, and she knew without question that his eye was gone forever. "Ha… Hataku-sama…" she stuttered, shaking, unable to tear her eyes away from the battered shogun.

His eye widened at the sight of the young Element. "Sora…" he breathed. His gaze flicked towards his former mistress. "What the hell is she doing here, Setsuka?"

The Lady of Takkan ignored him, stepping forward and barking across the dungeon, every inch the righteous ruler: "Watanabe Hataku, you have been charged with high treason against the nation of Takkan. You have conspired against its ruler, plotting to overthrow her for no better reason than your own wounded pride. You have shown blatant insubordination, both to your Lady and to her Elements, and have deliberately strayed from the orders laid before you." She stepped to the side, eyes snaking over to the trembling Element before turning back to Hataku. "Would you care to defend yourself?"

He ignored the Lady as pointedly as she had ignored him, keeping his eyes fixed on Sora. His voice remained quiet, yet somehow the words seemed to fill the chamber. "I neither deny nor consent to anything. I did exactly what I thought was right for Takkan. Nothing more. You _know_ that, Sora-kun."

"You deny nothing?" Setsuka snarled. "Then you are found guilty."

She took a few short steps away from the shogun to stand again beside her Element. Her silver eyes glinted in the torchlight, and she gave the guards one small, acquiescing nod. One of the guards bowed and darted out the door, but the other grabbed Hataku's topknot in one hand, shoving the shogun's head down and forward. The guard's knife flashed once in the dungeon light, then the topknot fell to the ground with a soft _thud_. Sora gasped between her fingers at this pointed insult. She had known from the moment she saw him that Hataku was going to die, but she had never once guessed that Setsuka would give him this traitor's death, leaving him without country or family or even a shred of his honor to take into the next life. "Oh, gods..."

If Setsuka heard her, she gave no indication. She merely snapped her fingers once, scowling down at the remaining guard. He nodded and picked up his staff again. The guard took a step to the side, drew back his staff, and slammed it hard into the shogun's midriff. He choked, coughed blood, gasped for air. Setsuka next words came out in a hiss. "Make the traitor suffer to his last breath."

Hataku jerked his head up, eye flickering once more on Sora before shooting back to Setsuka, desperation soaking his words. "No," he hissed, still fighting to find his breath. "You can't do it like this. If you're going to kill me then go ahead and do it, but dammit, Setsuka, you've got to leave _her_ out of it!" His head jerked hard in Sora's direction, and the Sky Element felt something catch at the back of her throat. "You can't show this kind of thing to her! For Suzaku's sake, Setsuka. She's only a child."

"I believe he just insulted you," the Lady sneered, never once glancing at the girl. Her fingers snapped again and this time the blows came hard and fast, only pausing for a moment so the guard could regain his grip on the blood-slicked wooden staff before beginning again, each sickening _thud! _another death knell for the gasping, bound man at the end of the room. Sora kept her hands clamped firmly over her mouth, biting down against her thumbs to keep from screaming, to keep from sobbing aloud as the tears pooled in the corners of her eyes and streamed down her cheeks, as Hataku's breaths grew more and more ragged, as she heard the crunch of bone in his chest, collarbone, shoulders...

The staff in the guard's hands snapped in half, and at last the nightmare rhythm of wood on skin vanished into nothing. The soldier looked back up at Setsuka, then down to the two halves in his hands. "What should I do now, m'Lady?"

Setsuka inspected her former shogun, eyes narrowing at the ragged rise and fall of his chest. "Are you still awake in there, Hataku?"

He groaned, though it almost sounded like a snarl, the tiger still willing to face the tigress even as she tore him to shreds. He jerked his head upwards, now-short hair sticking wetly to the sides of his face. He glared at her out of one half-open, half-conscious eye, but Setsuka just snorted, arms still held tightly across her chest. "Well, I'll certainly give you full marks for toughness," she said. "Shame, though, that you've had to feel every last one of those blows. What _isn't_ broken, I wonder?" His eye started to flutter shut, but he forced it open again, still watching Setsuka, still waiting. She shrugged. "Well, if he still has the energy to growl at me, then we might as well continue. Get the other staff."

Sora moaned around her cupped hands, but Setsuka didn't seem to notice. Hataku did, though, and their eyes met across the distance, and the shogun's unfocused, bitter gaze softened, if only for a moment. Sora bit down so hard on her thumbs she drew blood.

The guard stepped back into the pool of light, a new staff slung over his shoulder. "Back to it, then, m'Lady?"

She nodded and he readied the staff. But at the last moment, something inside the shogun seemed to split open, and with one last burst of energy he gasped, frantic, "Setsuka!" Then, quietly, as if it was the last thing he could manage, "Please."

The Lady smirked. "Oh? Ready to beg for your life, are y…?" but she trailed off, because she realized that he wasn't looking at her anymore. She followed the man's gaze, across the room, towards the girl at her side, the one she had not bothered to notice since the slow death had begun. Setsuka's mouth dropped. "Sora-chan…?"

The girl at last tore her eyes from the shogun, whirling on her Lady, tears pouring from her red-rimmed eyes, soaking her hands and tunic, lips trembling so badly she couldn't even speak.

"Please, Setsuka," Hataku rasped again, and this time she knew what he meant.

The guard slammed his staff into the shogun's kneecap. The sickening _crack! _echoed through the chamber, and both girl and woman jumped, jerking their eyes back to the condemned man just in time to see his left leg crumple beneath him, though in entirely the wrong direction. Hataku's eyes rolled into the back of his head, and his body at last went slack in the chains, leaving his arms to dangle weakly from the metal clasp above his head.

A strangled sob tore its way out of Sora's throat, and she would have collapsed to the ground as well if Setsuka hadn't swept forward, catching the girl in the soft folds of her dress, clutching the Element to her chest. She turned to the guard, who had stopped for the moment to watch the stricken girl. "Leave him be, for now. I'll be back in a moment."

She slipped out of the dungeon, Sora still clutching her robes, weeping in silence. The Lady of Takkan shut the door behind her, then wrapped her arms around the young Element's shoulders, holding her close. "Hush, Sora-chan. It'll be all right. I know it's hard. He was my ally once, too. But he's a disgusting, awful traitor now. Just like Tsuchi-kun. Hataku turned on us. He deserves this. You understand that, don't you?" Sora nodded, but still couldn't get any words out. Setsuka hugged her tighter. "Gomen nasai, Sora-chan. I hadn't realized that you two were so close. Had I known, I never… gomen nasai."

She slid one of her hands up to the girl's chin, tilting her head back until their eyes met. "But you know why I showed that to you, don't you? I needed you to understand the true depth of betrayal. I needed you to understand why Tsuchi-kun is being so severely punished, and why Hataku must die, tonight. I needed you to understand that treachery is the one thing I can _never_ forgive. You will be my Champion, Sora-chan, because I know you will never do such a thing to me – and I know you will protect me from further traitors at all costs. But I had to make you realize _why_ such things must be guarded against. You understand that, don't you?" Again she nodded, wordless. Setsuka released her hold on the girl, smiling gently at the young, shaken Element. "You are excused from the rest of this."

Sora bowed once, turned on her heel, and bolted down the hallway before Setsuka could say another word. She took the corners at lightning speed, head down, tears still blurring her vision, nearly running over two servants but not stopping for even a second. She found her way to the palace's main entrance and threw open the doors, feet pounding against the grass until she reached the far corner of the western wall, deserted at this time of night and sheltered by a grove of young cherry trees. Only then did the girl drop to her knees, screaming out her horror and frustration and sorrow to the lonely midnight sky.

oOo

Far away from the Takkan Palace and ignorant to the events occurring there, a pair of young soldiers and their recruiter stood just outside the northern Konan gates, horses at the ready and bows slung across their shoulders. Koji waved to the guard who stood at the top of the wall, shouting out his final instructions. "As soon as y'see us comin' back, get ready t'open the gates." He flashed a reckless smile. "An' if there's an army at our heels, be ready t'close 'em fast, too. Do as I say an' there'll be five ryo in th' deal."

The guard shifted nervously from foot to foot. "Er, yessir, Koji-sama."

The bandit leader kicked his horse into a trot, and Akai followed suit. Aoi hugged Akai's waist from behind, calling across to his older friend, "Koji-sama, that guard looked awfully nervous about this. You _did_ get the Empress' permission before we left, didn't you?"

Koji's chibi face was the picture of innocence. "Hm… I guess it musta slipped my mind."

"NANI?" Akai cried. "Koji-san, I told you to run this by Houki-sama first!"

The bandit waved a dismissive hand at the girl. "Ah, relax Akai-chan! If I'd-a told her Majesty, she'd-a asked Chichiri 'r Tasuki if it was safe. Tasuki woulda wanted t'come along, with a gimp shoulder 'n' everythin', an' 'Chiri woulda flat-out ferbid it." He grinned at the fuming Palace Champion. "You _do_ wanna find out what they're plannin', doncha?"

Aoi chuckled, prodding her teasingly in the ribs. "He's got you there."

Akai's head drooped and she sighed into her chest. "I guess so." She glanced up again, glaring daggers at the older man. "But if we get into trouble for this, I'll sic Ritsuka on you."

Koji held his hands up, laughing. "Oh please, anythin' but that!"

oOo

With their shogun gone and rumors running rampant about his whereabouts, the Takkan soldiers had spent the evening in high disarray. They ignored chores and training, preferring to sit around private fires with bottles of sake and heads full of gossip. One of the captains had had the good sense to post sentries here and there, but half of those had left their posts to join in on the gambling games and drunken brawls breaking out across camp, and the remaining fifteen guards posed little threat to Koji-tachi. The trio had them stunned, bound, and gagged before most had a chance to blink.

Koji patted the last guard's head roughly. "Now, don't look so scared, we ain't gonna kill ya, though somethin' tells me you wouldn't-a done the same if you'd caught _us_. Jus' relax here nice 'n' quiet-like while we take care-a some business in camp, okay?"

The bandit leader turned to his younger friends. "All right, let's split up. Aoi, Akai, you keep yerselves hidden an' find out as much infermation as y'can. I'll meet up with ya b'fore long."

"What about you, Koji-san?" Akai wanted to know.

He chuckled. "Don't worry about it, I c'n take care-a myself. If someone sees ya, sprint fer the horses an' don't wait fer me. I'll find another way back. Ya got all that?"

They both saluted smartly. "Hai!"

Koji watched the two jog towards the edge of the camp, a concerned half-frown on his lips, but shook his head hurriedly. "Ah, they'll be fine," he assured himself, then turned his back on the pair, trotting quietly through the trees towards the far side of the Takkan camp. The bandit skirted the many campfires that dotted the area, ducking and weaving to keep himself hidden from any sharp-eyed soldiers. Spotting shadows up ahead, Koji darted behind a tree, pressing himself to the bark and taking a moment to catch his breath. He chanced a glance around the trunk, quick hazel eyes picking out the row of tents that sat on the outskirts of the camp. A positively devilish grin broke out across his face. "Bingo." Koji slipped up quietly to the first tent, clucked his tongue at the pair of snoozing sentries, and ducked under the flap. He blinked, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the darkness, then smiled again at the sight before him.

The room was littered with crates of food, drink and medicine supplies – and no doubt the other tents possessed the same sorts of items as well. Koji grabbed a bottle of some sort of alcohol out of one of the boxes, took an experimental sip, and spit it right back out. "Damn, s'like dirty water! No wonder these Takkan boys're always fightin' – if I had t'drink shit like this I'd be pissed off at everyone too."

Koji found three apples that looked only half-rotten, dusted them off on his shirt, and snuck out of the tent. He jotted down a mental note about the location of the supply tents, then slipped back the way he had come. He had just made it to the Konan-side of the camp, and was debating where Akai and Aoi might have gone, when a voice from behind made him pull to a sharp halt.

"Either one of the soldiers has taken a liking to dressing like a thief, or you don't belong here."

Koji whirled, whipping out his daggers and turning to face a young, well-groomed man in the standard green-and-white of the Takkan army. The bandit leader picked out the three-striped band on the other man's arm and smirked, crouching into a fighting stance. "Got a name, Taii-sama?"

His opponent didn't reach for his weapon, but rather swept out an arm and offered an elaborate bow. "Furosaki Yuki, if it pleases you. And you, Bandit-who-so-easily-defeated-my-sentries-sama?"

"Oh, so yer the one with enough sense t'post guards, eh? Guess I should be impressed that someone in this camp has brains," Koji shot back, ignoring the request for a name. "So what happens now? We gonna duke it out in the moonlight, like in all th' good stories?"

The taii (captain) glanced up through his bangs, and Koji blinked, surprised by the dangerous glint in his eyes. "How many men do you intend to kill tonight, Bandit-sama?"

"Only th' ones that get in my way," Koji assured him. "That gonna include you?"

The taii rose from his bow, features transferring so swiftly back to a pleasant grin that Koji wondered if the light from before had just been his imagination. "If it's all the same to you, I think I'll pass on the duel. I'm not a fan of dying, you see, and judging by the way you handled the other men I'd say it wouldn't be much of a fight." He tossed his hair. "I wasn't promoted just for my dashing good looks, of course, but, well, some become taii because they can rip people in half with their swords, and some become taii because they can map out a battle formation in their sleep. I'll leave it to you to figure out which one _I_ am." His grin widened. "To be honest, as long as you aren't here to kill any of the men, I don't particularly have a problem with you snooping around. Kawahito-taii and Utara-taii are the next-in-charge, when Hataku is otherwise engaged, so it wouldn't bother me very much if you made them look like idiots. My little gang and I grow _so_ tired of having to do it on our own all the time."

Koji cocked an eyebrow at the other man. "What're you tryin' t'pull?"

"Mm, nothing, I suppose, not with _you_ at least. The camp's been a little boring recently, so we could use some excitement." He waited for a moment, but when Koji just stared at him, he sighed, rubbing at the back of his head. "Ooooh, I get it, you think I'm going to sound the alarm as soon as we part ways. Would it help if I had you tie me up like the others, then?" In one swift movement he tossed his sword to the side and whipped off his belt, holding it out like an offering. "You can bind me with this, unless you carry rope with you?"

Koji never let his guard drop, but he slipped one of his daggers into his belt and moved cautiously across the small clearing, unable to stifle a chuckle. "I take back what I said earlier. _None_ of the Takkan soldiers have brains."

"It's not a matter of whether I have brains or not." He retorted, setting a hand on his hip. "That's the trouble with you Konan types – you think that just because we wear green and white it means we've got the heart, mind and soul of our dear Lady Setsuka," he smiled, adding in a cheerful sing-song voice, "_may she die a thou-sand deaths_. But the simple truth is, we're just looking out for our own. And keeping our own alive sometimes means brandishing a sword at that woman's enemies and saying 'grr' a lot. So what do you plan on doing tonight, hm?"

Koji snatched the belt out of the other man's hand, wrapping it between and around the taii's wrists. He blinked at the sudden question, then replied with an off-hand wave of his hand, "Oh, y'know, jus' yer good old-fashioned reconnaissance mission, with a li'l fun on th' side. Hope y'don't mind goin' hungry."

"_That_ old trick, is it?" He heaved a melodramatic sigh. "Tori-kun will never stop complaining. Serves him right, though, the way he carries on, calling me 'Taii-_kun_' just because we're the same age. And me, outranking him, too! Can you imagine the—ooh!" Yuki winced as Koji pulled the belt tight and shoved him back into the grass. "Maa, easy on the brace, won't you? I'm cooperating quite nicely, don't you think?"

"Cooperatin' _now_ so y'don't die an' cooperatin' in five minutes so y'can earn points with yer shogun are two pretty diff'rent things," Koji said. He jerked one of Yuki's feet up and looped it through a tiny space in the belt lasso, performing what the western world might call a 'hog-tie' on the young man. "There we go! Oughta keep ya from sneakin' off too soon, na?"

To his surprise, Yuki grinned up at him. "My, you're a fun fellow, and so smart, too! Most people would've decided I was just a simpleton at this point and given up on anything complex!"

"I never underestimate my opponents. That's Reikaku Battle Tactic Number Four."

"Ha, too true, isn't it!" He studied the knots around his wrists and feet, smiling as always. "I've never seen someone disengaged quite like this before. I'll have to tell my aniki about it, he'll be thrilled. So how long should I wait before I break out of this, do you think? I'd hate to miss the show tonight – it sounds like it'll be the most excitement we've seen in _weeks_!"

A disbelieving chuckle shot its way out of Koji's lips before he could stop himself. "Uh, Taii-sama, hate t'tell ya, but ya ain't gonna be slippin' outta _that_ any time soon." He laughed again and added, "But, supposin' ya _could_, th' fun part'll kick up in about twenty minutes."

"Mm! I'll see you there, then!" Yuki chirped. "And you know, Bandit-who-never-gave-me-his-name-sama, I think I rather like you. Let's meet again, shall we? We'll be friends for certain that time. Darou?"

Koji turned his back on the young taii, flipping a hand in a silent farewell. "Whatever you say, Taii-sama."

He left the youth at the edge of the forest, humming snippets of a song to himself, and continued his way back towards the camp and where he suspected Akai and Aoi might have gone. The bandit was still chuckling to himself about the unusual captain when he found the young warriors hidden carefully in the underbrush near a campfire, watching a group of arguing soldiers. Koji snuck up on the two, handing them each an apple. "Sorry fer th' wait, I got sidetracked by a nut-job. Heard a nice sayin' 'bout Setsuka, though: 'May she die a thousand deaths.' Catchy, ain't it? Oh yeah, an' look out fer worms in those – I found one in mine." Aoi looked up from where he'd just bitten into his own apple, face a perfect picture of disgust. Koji had to bite his tongue to keep from laughing.

Akai set a finger to her lips, nodding silently at the group of thirty-odd soldiers. "We've been jumping from campsite to campsite, but no one's given us much information," she explained in a whisper. "The ones here seem chattier, though. Keep quiet and we'll try to find out what's going on."

The trio of spies turned their attention back to the campfire, watching as the drunken soldiers flailed around with swords and sake bottles, making their points as loudly and bluntly as possible.

"I tell ya, Hataku-sama's dead 'n' gone 'n' s'all that Lady's fault, 'at's what I heard!"

"Oi, he shouldn't-a been stupid 'nough t'piss her off! An' besides, what d'we care if Setsuka-sama did'm in?"

"Ahou! Hataku-sama mighta been tough at times but he was always fair, an' he led us t'plenty-a vict'ries!"

"So? We'll jus' get another shogun who'll do th' same. One shogun's jus' like the next, na?"

"Maybe t'you, but what if she promotes some 'un like that idiot Kawahito?"

"Yew shut up, I work under that man! He's a good taii, even if he ain't the brightest!"

"Heehee, Kawahito's thicker'n swamp mud an' you know it! He'd prob'ly have us attackin' the wrong nation if he were in cha – owowow!"

"Keep yer mouth shut, Tori-kun, or I'll find a way t'shut it permanently!"

"Anyways, I'd say Furosaki-taii'd be the best bet fer th' new shogun position. He's young, but he knows what he's doin'."

"Speakin'-a doin', what're _we_ doin'? Anyone heard th' battle plan?"

"Er, somethin' 'bout scalin' the walls, leastways that's what Kawahito told me. Ah, s'pose we won't know 'till we get another shogun, right?"

"Pah! No one tells us nothin'!"

"Ya think that means we got some free days ahead-a us?"

"All we ever _got_ is free days 'round here!"

Koji stifled a yawn, already bored with the conversation. "Now they're jus' gonna complain about their job fer a couple-a hours b'fore they remember they were even talkin' about important things," he said with a sigh. "We heard pretty much all we needed t'hear, I guess."

Akai nodded. "Back to the palace, then?"

She didn't miss the secretive smirk that flashed for a second across her friend's face. "Got some other things t'do, actually. We better take care-a that now, b'fore one-a those guards we tied up manages t'get loose." He chuckled as another fierce argument broke out in camp. "Hm, but b'fore we do that..."

"Oh, Furosaki-taii talks nice, but he's too young, _I_ say, an' he ain't gotten his hands dirty! You seen the way he always hangs back in th' battles. Keeps himself an' that little fan squad-a his nice 'n' safe, don't he! Nah, Utara-taii's th' only one fer th' job, and you all know it!"

Koji cleared his throat and raised his voice to the high, whiny pitch of one of the soldiers, throwing it back into the camp. "Utara's got th' brains of an eel an' th' looks t'match!"

"Oi, Yukito, what sorta thing t'say is that?"

"Er, I didn't say it..."

Now the bandit dropped his voice to a huskier growl. "Ah shut yer mouth, Yukito, all that ever comes out is trash anyway!"

"Huh, yer one t'talk Naito!"

"Hold hard, I never said nothin' so don't go layin' the blame on me!"

Koji switched over to a city dialect. "Ah you're mother was a mountain goat!"

"Who said that? C'mon, coward, stand up and say it t'my face!"

"Haha, mountain goat! Not far from the truth I'd say, what with that face of yours – eep!"

Yukito grabbed the soldier Tori by the collar. "You the one makin' the comments, smartass?"

"Keep your hands off m'pal Tori, or I'll—"

Akai and Aoi leaned in against each other, working hard to stifle snickers as a fistfight erupted among the Takkan soldiers. Koji grinned, executing a short bow to his two companions. "My work here is done." He plucked at Akai's sleeve. "C'mon Akai, yer comin' with me. We got somethin' else t'take care of."

"What should I do, Koji-sama?" Aoi asked, watching the older man hopefully.

Koji frowned. "Well, fer one thing, enough with the 'sama' bit, all right? I ain't yer Master, Lord or nothin' else but a friend."

"Er, of course, Koji-sama. Is there anything I can do to help?"

Koji sweatdropped, but let it drop for now. "Yeah, go back t'the horses an' bring 'em 'round t'the north side of camp. We're gonna need t'make a fast getaway if we expect t'get outta this unharmed."

Aoi nodded and dashed off into the woods. Akai followed Koji, watching him with open curiosity. "Etto… Koji-san… you said this was _safe_, didn't you?"

"'Course it's safe, Akai. I'd never put you 'n' Aoi in a situation where I thought you'd be in danger," he assured her. "It's jus' a little... risky."

"Risky?" Akai repeated. She sighed. "That's always reassuring."

oOo

Mizu sat on the floor of her room, legs crossed and palms on her knees, attempting to meditate – and failing miserably. She opened her eyes after a moment and sighed, rubbing at her temples. "Oh, this is no good. There's just too much to think about… and too much to be worried about…"

She held out a hand and let her blue crystal drop into her palm, staring unseeingly into its clear surface, her mind on a memory, and her memory filled with guilt.

vVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVv

"Mizu-chan?"

"Tsuchi-kun! You're awake! Are you... are you okay?"

"Mizu-chan…" He sat up with a start, gripping her trembling hands in his own. "Listen to me, you've got to get out of here! You, and Kaze, and Senpai too... you have to get as far away from Setsuka as you can."

"Eh? Doushite (Why)...?"

"We've been wrong... horribly wrong... Setsuka... she's not, she's not what we thought she was... gods, we've all been so blinded... You have to leave here, right away, before something horrible happens! The three of you are stronger than I am, so you could do it, you could snap her connection for good! Go to Konan, or even Kutou, anywhere but here. You can't keep fighting for the wrong side—"

"Chigau yo!" Mizu cried, crystals buzzing at her sides. "You're wrong! Setsuka-sama is on the right side, she said so herself!"

"Why do you believe her? She's lied to us all... every word, right from the begi – ah…!" Tsuchi collapsed again, curling into a ball and wrapping his arms around his chest, struggling to fight off another vicious ki-pull from his Lady. "Ite…"

vVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVv

Mizu shook her head, blinking back tears and pushing away the memory. "Tsuchi-kun… he's in so much pain, and all because I let that woman get by... but, but I did it to save Houjun... I went against my allies to help my enemy... but he's _not_ my enemy, or at least, he's not supposed to be… except… except..." Mizu squeezed her eyes shut, gripping the humming crystal tightly between her two fists. "Oh Houjun, why did you have to be a Suzaku shichiseishi?"

oOo

Chichiri jerked awake in the middle of the night, blinking in confusion as the faint image of a young girl faded from his memory. "Mae…chan...?" The monk shook his head to clear his thoughts, but froze halfway through the motion. "Something doesn't feel right no da." He frowned, closed his eye again and did a quick ki-search of the palace, just to make sure everything was in its proper place. "There's Tasuki... Kiori and Ritsuka... Houki-sama and Boshin-chan..." his eyebrows scrunched together. "But where's Akai? And Koji?"

He gathered the few scraps of power he'd managed to regain over the past couple of days and sent it out in all directions, searching for the familiar life forces, but they were nowhere within the Konan walls. "Aoi's gone, too..." he realized, frown deepening. Farther he ventured, cursing his current lack of power and stretching it as thin as it would go for now, all the way out to the tips of the Takkan Camp...

Chichiri's eye snapped open. "Those idiots." He tried to stand, but fell straight back to the bed. The monk heaved an irritated sigh and set a hand to his knee. _"Tasuki?"_

_"Mmph?"_ came the half-asleep reply a few seconds later. _"'Chiri, what time's it?"_

_"Never mind that no da. You need to get the Empress, and make your way over to the north wall."_

_"North wall... Empress... eh...?"_

_"Koji, Akai and Aoi are in the Takkan Camp no da."_

The life force at the other end sprang awake with a start._ "EH? What th' hell're they doin'—?"_

_"I don't have time to explain. I'm too weak to get there – you need to wake Houki-sama right away na no da."_

_"An' do what?"_

_"Hm... I don't want to turn this into an unnecessary battle, so don't send anyone out unless I tell you to. They aren't in any danger right now, as far as I can tell, but if I sense anything and I contact you, have some soldiers ready to get out there and help them no da."_

_"Eh, gotcha... Over 'n' out."_ Tasuki stifled a yawn and stumbled out of bed, slipping on a pair of shoes. He fumbled with his sling for a moment as he struggled to fit a jacket over his shoulders, then trotted out of his room and towards the Empress' quarters.

Tasuki rapped twice on the door, yawning again. "Man, I hope Houki-sama doesn't send me t'the dungeons fer wakin' her... Koji, you idiot, you'd better make sure those kids get outta there all right..."

He cut off his trail of thought as the door opened and Houki's sleepy head poked its way around the corner. Somehow, she managed to look just as well-groomed as usual, as if her head had never touched a pillow. "Tasuki? What is the matter?"

The seishi stretched. "Slip inta somethin' an' I'll tell ya on the way t'the north gate."

"The north gate? Oh, very well... is everything all right?"

"Er, yes 'n' no," Tasuki said with a weak chuckle. "Everyone's alive 'n' all, but, ah-heh, y'won't believe this, but, ah… Koji, Akai an' Aoi are sorta in the Takkan Camp."

Houki's eyes snapped open. "They're _where_?"

oOo

Koji nodded to the row of supply tents. "There they are. Everythin' a soldier needs t'survive is in those tents. Soldiers fight on their stomachs, an' even if th' food ain't great they'll keep goin' so long's they got somethin' around ta eat."

Akai nodded. "That would be Battle Tactic Number One, correct Sensei?"

"Right y'are, Akai-chan. Now you tell me, whatta ya do t'hurt an army without shootin' a single arrow?"

"Destroy the food supply!" she chirped in reply. Akai frowned as she realized what he'd said. "And 'chan' again? You think you can get away with treating me like a kid whenever you want?"

"Maybe I do!" She scowled, but Koji just grinned and patted her head. "Anyway, that's two correct answers in a row. Now, how d'we destroy th' food supplies th' quickest an' easiest way?" She thought for a moment, then shrugged. "We burn 'em!"

"Burn them?"

"That's right!" he agreed. "Th' wooden crates'll catch fire real easily, an' th' sake'll go a long way in helpin' that, too. If we're lucky we'll destroy every last bit-a food they got."

Akai nodded her approval, but stopped, frowning thoughtfully. "Um, Koji-san... exactly where are we going to _get_ this fire?"

The bandit leader threw her a dangerous wink. "That's th' part-a th' plan that involves a speedy getaway an' th' ability t'think on yer feet. That's why I brought you along – you never once lost yer cool against those Elements, an' that's th' best kinda person t'have around, hands-down."

Akai flushed with pride. "Arigatou, Koji-san! But what exactly _is_ this plan?"

"Er... you leave that part t'me, okay? All you gotta do is watch my back and stick an arrow through anyone who tries t'take me out. Can y'handle that?" She nodded. "Knew ya could. Now follow me t'that nearby campfire, and stay quiet. With luck this'll go perfectly."

Akai frowned. _'I wonder what happens _without_ luck?' _she wanted to say, but decided to keep her mouth shut and trust the older man. She crept through the forest behind her bandit friend, making sure not to step on any leaves or twigs that might give away their location. Koji held out a hand, motioning for her to stay put, then he picked up a fallen tree branch and strolled calmly into the camp. Akai's breath caught in her throat. "That idiot... what does he think he's doing?"

The soldiers around this particular campfire were all in high bad tempers, arguing amongst themselves about three missing bottles of sake. They were so far gone in their conversation that they didn't notice Koji until he'd stuck the branch into the fire, nodding cordially to the surrounding soldiers. "Lovely night fer a bottle-a sake an' campfire stories, ain't it boys?"

One of the men cocked an eyebrow at the bandit, blinking up at him. "O-oi, you ain't a soldier..."

Koji winked at the man. "Right th' first time. Yer a smart 'un, they shoulda made you taii a long time ago."

"Eh, well, then, who th' hell are ya?" the same man queried. He peered hard at the newcomer, trying to get a better look at him through the dancing shadows of the campfire. "I think I seen ya somewhere b'fore..." He stood halfway, a flicker of recognition in his drunken gaze. "Ain't you one-a them, er… Konan folks?"

"Might wanna try Konan Warrior – y'know, that group-a seven that's been kickin' yer asses lately?" Koji suggested in an off-hand manner. He turned on his heel and strolled out of the camp, keeping a tight grip on the burning branch in one hand while waving a cheerful hand at the group of puzzled soldiers with the other. "Jaa na, ahou-tachi."

As soon as the bandit leader cleared the camp he grabbed Akai's hand and broke into a dead sprint, dashing back through the forest and towards the supply tents. A startled shout broke out from the nearby campfire, and the soldiers gave chase, causing such a ruckus that several other groups broke free of scuffles and arguments to see about the new bit of excitement.

"Koji-san... that was suicidal... stupid... reckless... with absolutely no thought or procedure..." Akai panted at his side. "But..." her eyes shone with new respect for her friend, "_amazing_!"

The bandit grinned. "Battle Tactic Number Two: When in doubt, improvise. You c'n gush about it later – right now we got work t'do."

By now they had reached the supply tents, and found themselves greeted by a small group of half-awake guards, all brandishing swords and attempting to look menacing, though they seemed more confused than anything else. Akai sent arrows through two men's necks before they had a chance to react, and while the rest of the stunned men stared at their fallen comrades Koji moved among them like lightning, dagger flashing in one hand and burning branch in the other. Half fell with surprised screams, and the others turned and bolted into the forest, cries of "Attack!" echoing from their terrified lips.

Akai watched as Koji slipped into the first tent, her bow at the ready and eyes darting from side to side. "Koji-san, please hurry. They're coming after us, and _fast_."

The bandit leader offered her a brief nod before disappearing into the next one, and the one after that, and on down the line, never pausing for more than a moment to set fire to a few supplies and move on to another target. Akai breathed a sigh of relief when she spotted the final two supply tents, and as Koji ducked into one of the two remaining structures she felt her shoulders relax just a bit…

_Clang_! – the sound of steel striking steel, followed by Koji's muffled curse. Akai gasped and drew an arrow back to her cheek, aiming for a spot at the flap of the tent. She watched in tense alarm as the bandit, branch forgotten and both daggers in hand, fought for his life against a man in Takkan green and white. She bit her lip, bow wavering as she tried to find an opening that _wouldn't_ endanger her friend in the process, but her hand went slack against the weapon at Koji's sharp cry of "Hold yer fire, Akai-chan!"

He shoved away from the soldier, taking a few steps back and grinning up at his enemy with what could almost be admiration. "Huh, so y'made it in time fer th' show, I see."

The young soldier – Akai's eyes widened when she spotted the mark of a taii on his sleeve – cocked his sword at his side, smiling right back at his opponent. "Well, I did _promise, _didn't I? Quite a nice job you did, I have to admit. However, I'd suggest you let it end, here. While a little excitement is always welcomed, I'm not particularly interested in starving to death, or seeing the other men do the same. So perhaps it's best if you leave the final tents to us, hm?"

Koji chuckled. "An' what'll ya do if I refuse, Taii-sama?"

"Hm…" the youth seemed to consider this for a moment, then crouched, mirroring Koji's fighting stance. "I suppose I'd have to make a dramatic stand, fighting to my last breath to protect my fellow comrades, wouldn't I?" He shrugged, dropping the stance almost immediately. "However, I don't think that'll be necessary. While we _could_ fight, and you _could_ disembowel me – quite easily, I've no doubt – you'd also be wasting precious time, time that you and your friend _don't _have." He cocked an ear towards the forest. "I'd say the others are right on your tail, wouldn't you? My, they do sound _angry_. I doubt they'll be taking any prisoners." Koji hissed through his clenched teeth, but the taii just kept grinning. "So, what shall it be, Bandit-sama? A dramatic fight to the finish? Or the life of your comrade?"

Akai didn't miss the concerned look Koji shot in her direction. He hesitated for a moment, then cursed loudly and slammed his daggers back into his belt, turning on his heel and motioning for Akai to follow. "I take back what I said earlier, kid. Yer only _half_-dumb. Nice move. Bet it'll look make ya look real good in front-a yer bosses, too."

The taii shrugged. "Oh, I do what I can. Enjoy your dash back to the palace." Akai shot a puzzled look at the young man, then turned and followed Koji, disappearing back into the forest just as he called after them: "Oh, and Bandit-sama, I meant what I said earlier! We'll meet again, all right? And by then, I'll have a ballad composed about this meeting! I'll even make you the hero! Doesn't that sound marvelous?"

Koji cursed under his breath, but Akai didn't miss the chuckle that followed. "A friend of yours, Koji-sama?"

"Somethin' like that," he agreed with a roll of his eyes. He glanced over his shoulder, scowling at the growing roar of the Takkan army, and increased his jog to an all-out run. "Ch! They're right on our tails, now. Let's sprint this last bit. Aoi shouldn't be too far off, now. This is a race fer our lives, though, so ya better keep up."

"You wouldn't really leave me behind, would you?"

Koji slowed his pace a bit so he could stay level with the shorter-limbed Champion. "C'mon, you know me better'n that, doncha? I'd never—"

"Heads up Koji-san!" The bandit leader instinctively dropped to the ground. Akai pulled back her bow and fired at a soldier who had broken through the trees ahead of them, killing him instantly. The duo skidded to a halt, watching in wide-eyed surprise as a crowd of green and white uniforms emerged from the forest. "Koji-san, they've cut us off!"

The bandit sprang to his feet, eyes darting from side to side and mouth shooting a slew of obscenities. The soldiers in front of them advanced, several unsheathing swords, while the crunch of boots from behind increased by the second. "Kuso, if we go back th' way we came then we're sure t'be caught, but goin' forward is suicide, too."

Akai kept her own gaze on the soldiers, taking a couple of steps back so she stood side-by-side with the bandit leader. "Nee, Koji-san..." she said, voice calm and unafraid, "is this what happens _without_ luck?"

The bandit grinned, attempting to radiate a confidence he didn't quite feel. "Daijoubu, Akai-chan. I told ya I'd get you 'n' Aoi out alive, an' I still plan on doin' that." He whipped out his daggers, stepping protectively in front of the Palace Champion and facing the oncoming score of soldiers. "Make a run fer the camp, duck 'n' weave yer way through the forest an' rendezvous with Aoi. I'll hold 'em off until yer safe."

Akai stared up at her friend, mouth wide in disbelief. "Koji-san... you'd never..."

"We don't have time t'argue about this!" he snapped. "I'm older'n you are, y'know, which means you gotta listen t'what I say! So get outta here already. I'll be fine."

"A…Age has nothing to do with it!" Akai shrieked, wondering when those tiny tears had formed in the corners of her eyes. "You're my fellow warrior, and I can't just—"

"Age has _everythin'_ t'do with it!" Koji shouted right back. He glanced over his shoulder at her, and the protective light in his eyes was so powerful that it made Akai's breath catch in her throat. "Is a guy gonna let his kid sister get carried off by outlaws? Well?" The girl's eyes widened, and the bandit took that moment to reach out and shove her backwards another step. "Don't you get it, Akai-chan? It's my _job _t'look out fer you, whether you like it 'r not! That's what big brothers _do_! Now _go_, dammit!"

"Koji-san…" she whispered, but before she had a chance to say anything else a familiar voice cut through their argument, snapping the pair sharply back to reality.

"Koji-sama! Akai!"

Their heads whipped around just in time to see Aoi burst from the trees, seated comfortably atop one of their horses with the other's reigns gripped tightly in his hands. He grabbed Akai's wrist, hoisting her up onto his mount and smiling back at the flustered girl. "Came just in time, I guess?"

Akai opened her mouth to reply, but again never finished her sentence, because out of the corner of her eye she saw one of the Takkan soldiers with an arrow knocked to his bow - and that arrow pointed straight at her young friend. "Aoi, watch out!"

Something whizzed through the air and buried itself deep in the man's throat; he fell with a strangled cry, dead before he hit the dirt.

"Kuso," Koji swore for what seemed like the tenth time that night, swinging himself into his saddle and riding up alongside his companions. "That was one-a my fav'rite throwin' knives too. Hareya got a pair of 'em fer me fer New Year's – had a nice little design-a Suzaku on th' side an' everythin'."

Aoi laughed. "Koji-sama, I'll buy you a hundred of those things if it'll even _begin_ to repay you for saving my life."

Koji flashed a thumbs-up. "Hey, jus' returnin' the favor! You couldn't-a come at a better time, though I wouldn't-a minded a little less drama. Musta knocked about five years off-a my life back there!" He glanced over his shoulder, smirking at the small group of Takkan soldiers who had decided to pursue them outside of the forest. "Hm... oi, Akai, this horse I'm ridin', she's pretty trustworthy, ain't she?"

Akai nodded. "That's why I picked her. Eiki's one of the best we've got."

"Good," Koji said. He slung his bow off his back and leaned down next to the horse, whispering in her ear, "Follow yer friend an' keep this pace up. I'll make sure y'get fed the best of everythin' when we get back if y'keep me alive on th' way there."

"Koji-sama, what're you doing?" Aoi asked.

The bandit rotated in his saddle, turning until he had completed a full one-eighty and sat facing the pursuing soldiers. "Little trick they teach ya up on Reikaku." He fitted arrow to bow, took aim, and fired a smooth shot straight into the pack. "Ha! Got one-a th' little bastards!"

Akai allowed Aoi to steer their horse back to Konan, watching Koji with gooey, awe-filled eyes. "Koji-san is... so cool!"

"...Four... five... six! Ha! Genrou's gonna be buyin' me that sake yet! What, retreatin' already? I'm jus' startin' t'get th' hang of this!"

oOo

Tasuki stared down the guard on the northern wall top, foot beating out an impatient rhythm on the ramparts. "So you mean t'tell me that they promised you five gold pieces, an' _you_ jus' let 'em ride right off inta th' Takkan Camp?"

The guard rubbed the back of his head and stared hard at the ground. "Er, they were Konan Warriors and all. I assumed your Highness had ordered them to go out there... wasn't sure why, but it wasn't my place to ask, y'see..."

Houki rubbed at her temples. "Understood. When did they leave, Mori-san? Do you know the exact time?"

"Er, I dunno, it was right near th' middle a-my watch, an' we're almost near th' end of it now, so..."

"A couple hours?" Tasuki frowned. "They've been gone fer way too long... maybe Chichiri just can't sense 'em _in_ danger, what with him still bein' so weak 'n' all... Houki-sama, d'you think I could—?"

"Absolutely not," she said firmly. "You are still injured and in no condition for battle... And come to think of it, neither was Koji!" She turned her eyes towards the Takkan camp, biting at her lip. "I honestly cannot understand what would possess them to do something so irresponsible. Akai and Aoi have _never_ acted like this before..."

Tasuki sighed, but halfway through it turned into a chuckle. "I'd bet my tessen that this was Koji's idea, Houki-sama, and I'm sure those two jumped at th' chance t'help. 'A real protector of Konan never turns down a chance t'hurt his enemies,' they prob'ly thought, an' went off with their swords wavin'."

"Yes, but even so…!"

"Majesty!" The guard pointed towards the plain, his finger following the dim forms of two horses cantering across the open fields. "That's them, I'm sure of it."

Houki breathed a sigh, but her companion did not seem to share in her relief. Tasuki gritted his teeth, uninjured fist clenching at his side. "Oi, Houki-sama? Would y'mind horribly if I teach Koji a lesson fer doin' somethin' crazy like this... and leavin' _me_ behind?"

oOo

Ten minutes after their return to the palace found the tired troublemakers lined up in Chichiri's room, seated across from monk, bandit and Empress and receiving a trio of alternating lectures coupled with the steady _thump thump thump_ pacing of both Tasuki and Houki, who seemed considerably more flustered than _any_ of the midnight marauders.

"I can't _believe_ you'd just run out there without telling anyone no da."

"An' you didn't invite ME!"

"Akai, Aoi, I really cannot believe you would do something like this! And you, Koji, you are supposed to be a good example to the younger ones!"

"Th' least you coulda done was invited ME, I'm yer best friend after all!"

"Not only was the idea completely reckless, but what if you'd gotten into trouble no da? No one would've even known you were gone until..."

"If you'd invited ME along no one woulda had t'worry one bit!"

"I hope you understand how disappointed we all are in you – yes, you too, Koji. Koji! Are you even listening to me?"

Akai and Aoi hung their heads in shame, but the bandit leader hardly paid attention to the fierce reprimand. Rather, he sat scratching out invisible marks with his finger as if tallying a number, forehead crinkled in deep concentration. After a moment of tense, expectant silence he looked up, grinning with pleasure. "Hah! I got nine t'day! Add that t'my nine before and that's eighteen – I'm beatin' Genrou by eight points!"

Tasuki's mouth dropped and he sprung forward, pointing an accusing finger at his friend. "Hey, now wait a second! I took out an Element th' other day, y'know – that should count fer _at least_ ten points!"

"Eh!" Koji opened his mouth to argue, but his eyes caught sight of Tasuki's shattered shoulder and burn-streaked chest. He threw up his hands in resignation. "Oh, fine, dammit, then I'm still down by two! But I'm gonna win this thing, jus' see if I don't."

Chichiri sweatdropped. "Koji doesn't seem to realize how serious this is no da."

A small anger-vein popped out on Houki's forehead. "Koji, please, at least _pretend_ you are listening to me! What happened this evening is not something to be taken lightly."

The bandit leader turned towards the Empress, spreading his hands and offering her his very best "oh well" smile. "I'm listenin' to ya, Houki-sama, but there ain't much I can do about it. What happened, happened, so what's th' point-a gettin' all worked up about it? We killed about twenty-a their men all t'gether, found out what they're plannin', _an'_ destroyed a good part-a their supplies. Maybe it was a little dangerous, but it was a job well done."

"That's still no—" Chichiri paused, staring at the bandit. "You did all that no da?" Koji nodded. The monk turned towards the Empress, shrugging his chibi shoulders and offering her _his_ very best "daijoubu" smile. "Well, Houki-sama, they _did_ do a nice job, and no harm done no da. I'd say we can let them off with a warning this time."

The Empress frowned. "Chichiri, do not tell me you are taking their side in this matter?"

Akai glanced up through her bangs, venturing to speak for the first time since they'd returned. "Houki-sama, please, don't be so hard on Koji-san. It _was_ his idea to go to the camp, but it's not like he forced us to go with him. Aoi and I _wanted_ to help out. And besides, when things got tough... Koji-san was going to sacrifice himself to save us."

Houki had a retort on her tongue, but on the last words she stopped short. "Oh, my." She looked to Koji. "You were?"

He rubbed the back of his head and shrugged. "Well, it ain't like I was _plannin' _t'get killed 'r nothin', so it ain't so dramatic as all that..."

The faintest flicker of a smile at last appeared on the Empress' face. "Hm. Well, perhaps I am being a bit harsh. After all, everyone did return without so much as a scratch, and it definitely counts as a Konan victory. Excellent work, I suppose."

Aoi breathed a sigh of relief. "Arigatou gozaimasu, Houki-sama."

"Be that as it may," the Empress continued, every bit the Imperial ruler once again, "what you did was very dangerous, and I will not see any of my fellow warriors unnecessarily risking their lives. Therefore, as of now, any and all outside attacks are strictly forbidden. We shall continue to play their waiting game, for the time being."

Chichiri nodded. "That seems like the best idea no da."

"That goes for _everyone_," Houki added, whirling on the two seishi. "Even when the two of you have healed, I do not want you wandering about outside the gates when Takkan attacks anymore. Perhaps you can take care of yourselves, but there are a good many more Takkan soldiers than there are seishi. One well-aimed arrow is all it would take. I want everyone to be as safe as possible, and that means _no_ reckless attacks."

Koji nodded, grinning at his seishi friends. "That seems like the best idea no da."

Tasuki scowled. "Well, fine, I c'n handle that kinda command. But I think we've been skippin' the most important question about this little mission."

"What's that, Tasuki-sama?" Akai asked.

"WHY didn't you invite ME along?"

oOo

Setsuka stepped back into the dungeon, stifling a yawn behind one slender hand. "Isn't he dead _yet_?" she asked the guard who stood nearby, rapping out an impatient pattern with the butt of his staff. "I thought the shock of that last hit might have finished him."

"Still breathin', m'Lady," the man grunted. "But I doubt he'll feel much of anythin', now that he's passed out. Y'want me t'just snap his neck an' finish the job?"

"Oh, I suppose that would be all right," she agreed with an indifferent wave of her hand.

The guard leaned his staff against the wall, reaching up to unfasten Hataku's chained hands. Once the binds came away, the limp, broken body slid to the floor, eyes closed, chest still heaving in thin, raspy breaths. The guard leaned down, grabbing the shogun's head between his hands, and moving for the final, decisive twist—

"_NO_!"

He stopped just short of the killing snap, eyes whipping upwards, unable to believe that that high, quavering cry had just ripped out of _Setsuka's _mouth. "M'Lady… y-you…"

Setsuka blinked, took a puzzled step back, shook her head to clear the water from her eyes. Her hands tensed, clutching at the front of her robe, clenching and unclenching. "…No," she said again, quieter this time, more like herself. "There's no need to, to kill him, not like that." She swallowed hard and straightened, gaining power with each word. "Just send a servant to dump his body in front of the RAFT bar, along with those trackers who failed to capture the seishi. Let those slimy rebels deal with my dead." She nodded again, smiling, but her hands still hadn't relaxed. "Yes. That's appropriate for him. Let him die slowly. Painfully. Out there. Not… not here. Understood?"

"Hai, m'Lady," he answered, puzzled but not daring to question her orders.

"Excellent. Good night, then."

She turned on her heel and darted out the door, slamming it hard behind her. Setsuka leaned back against the wall, clutching at her arms as if to ward off a creeping chill. One of her hands snaked up to her necklace, drawing strength from the gems. She gulped air, wiping at her eyes and cursing her former shogun with every shuddering, sobbing breath. "Damn you, Hataku. _This_ is why I had to turn us against each other – _this _is why I had to destroy you. Don't you see? These kinds of things… I don't need them, not anymore. They're worthless. They're weakness. So I _had_ to, don't you understand? It's your own fault, damn you. You brought it on yourself."

oOo

"'_The Lady of Takkan stood with her head towards the ground, trembling for another long, painful moment. But when she looked up again her eyes no longer held any threat of tears, and as she walked up the staircase back to her chamber the servants could hear the faint sounds of soft, triumphant laughter echoing off the cold stone walls.'_" Yui shot Tetsuya a thoughtful look before handing the book over to his waiting hands. "End Chapter Nineteen."

-  
Ritsuka: All _right_, now that we've gotten all that action out of the way, time for the _real_ star of this show to take center stage and set Operation Romance into motion! Kiori's completely hopeless without _me_ to help her along, you know. Hah, I've got so many great plans, I can't even think where to begin! First I'll have to help Kiori do something special for Chichiri, and then I'll need to track down Tasuki-chan and see what all I can find out about that whole annoying "monk" thing we've gotta deal with, and _then_ if I get some time I'll have to grill the monk himself on how _he_ feels about my darling best friend, and… eh? What's that, Tasuki-chan? You've got something you want to talk to me about?

The Next Episode of _Fushigi Yuugi: The Next Chapter:_ "Playing with Matches! Elemental Whispers of Rebellion?"

Taaaaaasukiiiiiii-chaaaaaaaan…  
-

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**_Ye Olde Author's Free Chat: February 11th, 2007; 8:22 PM_**

Ni-hao, minna-san!  
I'm forcing excitement into my words because I'm tired, tired, tired! No offense to people with birthdays in this month, but I really hate February. Everything is all dark and cold, and it makes me want to become a bear and hibernate 'till spring. Plus, I always get sick. _(wheezes from what might be bronchitis)_ Anyway, regardless of sleepy-ness and possible illnesses, I wanted to post this chapter before I barreled headfirst into a very long week of exams and papers. So, maybe your reviews will help me survive. ;-)

This episode's a bit schizophrenic, what with the dark (and downright _painful_) scenes with Hataku at the beginning and end, and then all that fun with Koji and Akai squashed into the middle. But what can I say, I like mixing up the moods. The next episode will do a bit of the same (though with more fuzzy love-love, as promised). The Hataku/Setsuka scenes were all new to the Edit, and I wound up adding a _lot_ to the bits with Koji as well. And speaking of Koji… man, I love that guy! Wasn't hegreat in this chapter, minna? And he thinks of himself as Akai's big brother… _(mooshes into the floor) _I really hope you all listened to "He's a Pirate" (or, as I like to call it these days, "He's a Bandit") during those scenes! It really sets the fast-paced, fun mood of the episode! Plus we all know that Koji is the Jack Sparrow of Ancient China. _(Laughs) _

**Character Profile – Mizu**  
Real Name: Ukizaki Mae**  
**Age: 13  
Height: 4'10"  
Weight: 88 lbs  
Birthplace: Kyokujitsu Village  
Birthday: July 3rd (Cancer)  
Blood Type: A  
Hair: Light blue (like Chichiri's, but a touch lighter), with eyebrow-length bangs parted in the middle; falls to the middle of her back, but she almost always wears it up in two buns (Miaka-style)  
Eyes: Gold  
Likes: Meditating, star-gazing, being with people (she's shy, though, so she usually sits back and watches)  
Dislikes: Arguments, making tough decisions  
Favorite Food: Fresh fish of all kinds  
Least Favorite Food: Pork-fried rice

Considering she's one of the major players in FY:NC, Mizu's role has been surprisingly passive in this story so far, don't you think? But that's how I'd envisioned her when I started writing her – a girl with a good heart who's trapped between too many difficult decisions, and so she often doesn't make any choice at all. She's very attached to Chichiri, obviously, but her bond with Setsuka is surprisingly strong, too. What will Mizu do if she's forced to choose between the two of them? That's the question that runs endlessly through her mind from the moment she realizes that her "Houjun" is still alive, and an enemy. The situation with Tsuchi only complicates things more, so now it looks like Mizu might _have_ to make a decision, and risk losing everything in the process. The poor girl is really too young for all of these hardships, don't you think?

Thanks to Expi00962, caspercat22, pheonix-firebird, anytem13, DPFYLUVR, miraclebutterfly, Amaya-san, Mirai R. Tailtops, Seira Ayuda, Kristall, and Samantha B for reviewing! You guys really make these cold winter months seem that much warmer, y'know? Keep cheering everyone on, and I hope to see you in the review pages this episode, too!

Jaa ne! – Dee ;)


	20. Episode Twenty: Playing with Matches!

**_Disclaimer_:** I still don't own Konan, Suzaku and all characters and seishi pertaining to them. Kiori and Ritsuka are and shall forever be mine, and that holds for all the other "originals" (you'll know 'em when they appear, trust me). Obviously the story is mine as well.

_**Rating:**_ PG-13, for moderate language and violence.

**_Musical Selection: _**Because I'm addicted to good BGMs. XD The first is "School Lyric," for the first scene (Ritsuka-Kiori); the second is "It's Only the Fairy Tale" for the Kaze-Sora scene later on in the chapter. Actually, I had another one I wanted to post, but I decided not to overdo it _(nervous giggle)_. Both are posted on my **Blog **(find it under my Homepage link on my main author's page), in the "listen" section, and will be there for quite some time, as they'll both probably pop up a few more times in the fanfic.

**Translation Notes:  
**Kirei wa ne? – Beautiful, isn't it?  
Baka na otoko – foolish man

_Cool news! Meg (penname: Amaya-san) drew a full-color picture of all of the Elements, so everyone can see what they look like! It's posted on the **Blog**, under "artwork," in the "FY:NC Fanart" section. So you should absolutely go check it out!_

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**--Episode Twenty: Playing with Matches!--  
Elemental Whispers of Rebellion?**

"Nee, Tetsuya?" Yui said, frowning into her hands. "Do you sort of get the feeling that… with the way that last chapter ended… like maybe, with that shogun's death, Setsuka just lost whatever humanity she had left?"

"What makes you say that?"

"I dunno, exactly. It was just, I felt cold right to the bones when I read those lines…"

"Considering what she did to that poor Element kid, I don't think you need to worry much about her humanity, _if_ she ever had any to begin with." He cocked a disbelieving eyebrow at her. "Why? Are you feeling _sorry_ for her, Yui-chan?"

"Not 'sorry' for her, exactly," Yui murmured. She stared at her wrists, frown deepening. "I guess I just know what it's like… being so consumed by a goal that you forget what's really important."

Tetsuya's arm slipped around her shoulders. Yui looked up, blinking, surprised at the gentle embrace. "Do you want to take a break for a while?" he asked, offering her a small, reassuring smile. "We could run out for a bite to eat, or watch some TV, or…?"

Yui shook her head, returning the smile before snuggling into her boyfriend's shoulder. "No. That's all right. It's… it's all in the past now, right? Besides, I want to see what Ikido-san has planned for poor Sakamoto-san and Chichiri."

He hesitated for a moment, and then settled back onto the couch. "Okay, then. If that's what you want… _'The redheaded woman, unaware of the events from the night before, awoke feeling refreshed and ready to greet the new day…'_"

oOo

Ritsuka sat up in bed, stretching her arms wide above her head and grinning down at the white cat curled up between her legs. "Ohayou, Tama-chan," she greeted. "Sorry if you're comfortable there, but today's an Important Day, and I can't be sitting around enjoying the morning sunshine with you." He offered her an annoyed meow, but she just giggled and picked him up between her hands, scratching him on the head as she stood and surveyed the room – and the unconscious brunette on the floor. "Maa, Kiori's still passed out. That girl is just not a morning person. Nee, Tama-chan? Wake Kiori up for me while I get dressed, would you?"

She patted the cat once more before setting him on Kiori's stomach and turning, facing the nearby wardrobe. She stared at the clothing inside for a moment, one finger bouncing between a Konan-style robe and her attire from home before she snatched up the robe. She tossed off her pajamas and slipped on first breeches and then shirt, completing the outfit with a cheerful forest-green sash. "Yoshi (Okay), time to begin the day! Tama-chan, have you…"

Ritsuka turned, trailing off and sweatdropping as she stared at the cat, curled up on Kiori's chest and dozing once again. "Tama-chan! You're no help at all. Didn't I tell you today is an Important Day?" She leaned down, picking the cat up under his forearms and holding him right in front of Kiori's face. "Kiori? Kiori? Wake up, Kiori-chan!"

"Mph..."

"C'mon Kiori-chan, someone's here to say 'good morning' to you."

The brunette's lashes fluttered open, staring up into a blurry pair of slanted eyes. "'Chiri…" she grumbled, still half-asleep. "What're you doing here…?" The blurry thing in front of her licked her nose, and Kiori's eyes snapped open with a start. "Na-nani…!"

"Chichiri-kisses!" Ritsuka teased, and Tama obligingly licked the young woman's nose again. "Finally awake now, are we?"

She released the cat, which promptly hopped onto the nearby bed and curled up once again. Kiori looked like she might be about to do the same thing. "Ritsu, what's going on? It must be the crack of dawn."

"Brilliant deduction!" Ritsuka said in her sweetest of voices. She dragged her friend out of bed, practically stripped her of her nightshirt, and threw a blue Konan-style robe over her head. Before Kiori could blink Ritsuka tugged her out the door and down the hallway, around a corner, and finally into the main Konan kitchens.

Kiori blinked several times, trying to figure out how in the world she'd gotten from one side of the palace to the other so quickly. "What're we doing here, and so early?"

"Well, we _have_ to get here early if you want to cook Chichiri a masterpiece breakfast."

"Oh, that's true…" Kiori did a double take and her jaw almost hit the floor. "Ch-chotto matte (Wait a second)! When did I ever say I wanted to do _that_?"

"Mm... I guess you didn't," Ritsuka muttered, throwing an apron around her friend's shoulders and tying it tight in the back. "It was sort of my idea. I thought it up last night, after _you _had already passed out. But it's an amazing plan, you know! After all, the quickest way to get to a man's heart is through his stomach."

"It is?" she asked, yawning wide and watching as Ritsuka started a fire in the nearby hearth. "Who ever said that?"

"_Everyone_ knows it's true. In the War of Love, it's Battle Tactic Number Five... or is it Four...?" The redhead whirled around and pinched her friend's cheeks, forcing her to wake up completely. "Well, no matter! C'mon, don't stand there like a sleepwalker. I'm going to help you make a first-class breakfast! I'm thinking we'll keep it simple, some kind of congee, but we'll spice it up with all kinds of goodies! Find the pantry for me, will you? I wanna see what kind of fruits and spices we have to work with." (1)

Kiori glanced around the huge kitchen helplessly. "Uh, Ritsuka... have I mentioned that I don't cook? Or rather, it might be better to say I _can't_ cook. It always turns out awful, so I don't even bother anymore."

"Oh, don't be silly, anyone can cook," Ritsuka told her with a wave of a hand, still rummaging around the kitchen in search of ingredients. "And besides, you've got me, Ritsuka the Super Chef to give you a hand."

"Ritsuka, you don't understand. I…" she stared down at the floor, flushed, then sighed and blurted out, "I burned instant ramen the first time I tried to make it!"

The redhead whipped around, staring at her friend with wide, disbelieving eyes. Silence descended upon the room for what felt like a millennium, and Kiori looked like she wanted to disappear right through the floor. But at last Ritsuka tilted her head to the side and said, "Kiori?"

"Hai?"

"Stop trying to talk your way out of this and find me some rice. You're going to cook Chichiri the best damn meal in the world, even if it takes us the whole day to do it, and you're gonna enjoy every last second of it."

"Don't _I_ have say in this?"

Ritsuka rubbed her chin as if in deep thought. "Hm..." she grinned devilishly. "Nope, I don't think so! Grab a bowl and some spices, I'm gonna give you a crash course in congee-making."

oOo

Mizu had not slept well all night. Her conscience screamed at her for being the cause of Tsuchi's pain, and her heart had begun to wonder just how her beloved Lady could be so cruel to her own Elements. As the sun at last peeked through her window, the young girl heaved a long, shuddering sigh.

"I can't do this anymore," she said to the first rays of dawn. "I have to tell Setsuka-sama everything... about me... about Houjun... about how Tsuchi wouldn't even _be_ like this if I'd just stopped that woman... and..." Mizu shivered. _'And I just won't think… about what Setsuka-sama will do to me… wh-when she finds out…'_

oOo

Chichiri stretched his good arm lazily, blinking against the trickle of sunlight that filtered through the windows in his room. He couldn't help but sigh a little. _'It's a perfect day to be outside, but I'll probably be bedridden again no da.'_

His ears perked up at the sound of something scratching at the nearby window, and he glanced over just in time to see Tama mush his head against the colored pane. The cat's mouth opened in a pleading meow, and he started scratching again, staring at Chichiri meaningfully. The monk chuckled. "I'd love to let you in, Tama-chan, except…" he slipped his feet over the edge of the bed and pressed them down lightly against the floor, testing to see how he held his own weight. His eye slid from the window to his bed, judging the distance. It wasn't that far at all, really. Maybe…

'_Well, what Kiori doesn't know won't hurt her,' _he decided cheerfully, and heaved himself into a shaky standing position, using first the bed and then the wall as support, his weak legs fighting him every step of the way. Finally he made it to the window and flipped back the latch, pushing it half-open and allowing the persistent cat entrance to his room. Tama scrabbled up the monk's offered arm and onto his shoulder, rubbing his head into his master's cheek and purring happily.

"I'm glad to see you again too no da," he said with a smile, and turned back to his bed—

—Just as the door swung open and two beaming young women marched through its frame.

"O Injured Hero, we come bearing—" Ritsuka began with a dramatic flourish, but stopped at the sight of the monk standing across from them, face frozen in a look that seemed to say, _"I'm in _big _trouble, aren't I?"_

The breakfast tray cracked in Kiori's hands. "And WHAT are you doing OUT OF BED?"

"Da…"

"Don't give me 'Da'! You _know_ you're not supposed to be moving around until I or Yukeda-san tells you it's all right, but here you are, pushing yourself again! What if you collapsed and hurt yourself even worse? Did you ever think about _that_?"

"Da…"

Kiori shoved the tray of food into Ritsuka's arms and jerked her hand outward, finger pointing in a dictatorial beeline for the bed. "Back! In! There! _Now_!"

As a very contrite monk hobbled his way into bed, Kiori's guiding hand on his arm, Ritsuka couldn't help but sweatdrop. "There goes the romantic morning atmosphere," she grumbled to no one in particular, watching as her friend helped Chichiri get settled, Tama mewing helpfully all the while. She coughed once, trying to draw the attention back to the _original_ subject, and held out the tray with a grin. "Well, ah, as I was saying, we come bearing the Breakfast of Konan Champions!"

Blinking, Kiori glanced at her friend, and for a second it looked like she'd completely forgotten that Ritsuka was even in the room. "Ah… oh! That's right! That's why we're here so early. We wanted to make you something special."

"'We,' nothing!" Ritsuka interjected. "This meal was crafted entirely by the caring, gentle hands of our resident healer: Sakamoto Kiori!"

The brunette rubbed the back of her head and giggled. "It took me nearly five tries, but I finally managed to make something that Ritsuka considered presentable."

Ritsuka lowered the tray, leaning in next to Chichiri and whispering slyly, "You know, if someone who hates cooking as much as Kiori does gets up at the crack of dawn to make a meal for someone, I'd say they must like that certain someone an awful lot. Don't _you_ think so too, Chichiri?"

He raised an eyebrow at Ritsuka. Not sure how to respond to that, he muttered the only thing he'd managed to say to the girls all morning. "Da...?"

Kiori grabbed her friend by the shirt collar and dragged her away from the monk. "Ignore her, she's an idiot." As Chichiri took a bite of his breakfast, Kiori hissed into Ritsuka's ear, "I thought I told you to let me handle this."

"I _am,_" she insisted just as quietly. "You _handle_ it, and I'll give it a gentle push in the right direction."

"Mm, this is really good no da!" Chichiri exclaimed, interrupting the whispered conversation. "I've never had anything like it – you'll have to give the cooks the recipe. Great job, Kiori."

The college girl flushed, ducking her head. "Arigatou. Ritsuka said anyone could cook, so I guess she was right."

Chichiri was about to take a sip of tea, but had to stop as his mouth opened in a wide yawn. "Mm, gomen. I had a late night yesterday no da."

"Hm? Late night? Did you have trouble sleeping?" Kiori asked, a hint of concern in her voice.

Ritsuka made little "aw" noises in Kiori's ear, but Chichiri didn't seem to notice. "Oh, right, you weren't there no da. Koji, Akai and Aoi went on a little spy mission last night, nearly got themselves killed in the process, but they managed to make it back all right."

Now it was Ritsuka's turn to glare death-daggers at the monk. "And why weren't _we_ informed?"

Chichiri held up his uninjured hand defensively. "Tasuki and I decided that it wasn't anything the two of you needed to lose sleep over. After all, you've both been through a lot these past couple weeks – we thought you could use the rest no da."

Ritsuka humphed. "Thanks for the concern, but I'd rather have been there to yell at Koji for not taking me along."

Kiori and Chichiri both chuckled. Ritsuka glanced at the two and grinned, sliding towards the exit and waving cheerfully at the pair. "Well, I'd better leave you two alone, I'm sure you've got plenty to talk about. I'm gonna go find some bandits to harass. Jaa ne, **lovebirds**," she said the last word in English, so Chichiri wouldn't understand. Ritsuka winked at her friend, ducking quickly out of the room before Kiori had a chance to retaliate.

The monk turned to a very flustered Kiori. "What does '**lovebirds**' mean na no da?"

The brunette turned a slightly darker shade of red. "Hm? Oh, it's, well, it's, ah, hard to explain, exactly..." she coughed. "So, you really like the food?"

"Hai no da. I'm sorry you had to go through all that trouble just for me, though. I know how much you hate cooking no da."

Kiori shrugged. "Oh, it was nothing. In fact, working with Ritsuka like that made it kind of fun. If you want, I can try my hand at dinner tomorrow – of course, I'll need a _lot_ of help again, so I don't burn down the kitchens or anything..."

Chichiri's face clouded over at the mention of "tomorrow." He remembered what he and Tasuki had discussed the evening before, and he wasn't enjoying the thought of _that_ conversation at all. But he knew it was the right thing to do. And he _had_ promised Tasuki. "Kiori... there's something I wanted to talk to you about."

Kiori frowned at the serious note in his voice. "Hm? What's up?"

oOo

"Setsuka-sama?"

The Lady of Takkan looked up from a legal document, feather pen still cocked in one hand. In the doorway to her chamber stood Mizu, head down and hands gripped tightly around her cloak. The girl's bangs created a shadow over her eyes, and what bits of her face Setsuka could see were contorted with fear and pain. The Lady didn't need the faint glowing of her light blue gem to tell her that something was very wrong with her Element. "Mizu-chan, whatever is the matter?"

"Please forgive me... I can't keep this up anymore..."

Setsuka stood, striding across the room to the Element and crouching down next to her. She set a hand gently on the girl's shoulder. "Mizu-chan, please, tell me what is wrong. _What_ can't you keep up anymore?"

"It's my fault... Tsuchi... and Houjun..." Mizu brought her tear-filled golden eyes up so she could look Setsuka in the face. "I just can't be a part of this war any longer!"

oOo

"And… this Taiitsukun person…"

"Should know a way to send you and Ritsuka home, yes," Chichiri said, fumbling to find the right words to explain the situation. "And it's just, what with these Elements and all, Tasuki and I thought—"

"You're getting rid of us," Kiori finished flatly, looking as though she'd just been slapped in the face.

Chichiriwaved his good arm wildly. "No, it's nothing like that no da!" He paused, rubbing at the back of his head. "How to explain this...? This war is dangerous no da. The two of you could probably hold your own, but we – Tasuki and I, I mean – don't want to risk seeing you hurt. I just think it would be for the best no da."

"For the best..." Kiori repeated. She heaved a sigh, chin drooping into her palms. "You're probably right. If the riddles are true, and I have to take on an Element, chances are I won't do too well. Huh, I can barely _handle_ a sword, much less kill someone with one. So I'd probably just be in the way, if I stuck around."

Chichiri frowned. "It isn't that you haven't been any help no da. I know that from day one you thought you'd be useless, but you've done just as much as anyone else, if not more. I wouldn't even _be_ here, if it weren't for you no da. But…" He slipped off his mask, meeting her with his honest gaze. "This has nothing to do with you being able to handle yourself or not. If I had the chance, I'd figure out a way to get Houki-sama, Akai and Koji out of this war, too. The thing is, we don't have that choice with them – they were born here, they'll live here, and they'll die here too no da. Same with Tasuki and me. But we have the option of keeping you and Ritsuka safe from all of this bloodshed, and we'd like to do what we can no da."

Her head bobbed in a miserable nod. "…Mm. It makes a lot of sense that way, doesn't it? And I'm touched that you'd be that worried for me – for the both of us, I mean." She chuckled, but there was no humor in the action. "But to be honest, as hard and tough as things have been, I don't want to leave. I love it here. I love..." she hesitated, then finished with, "everyone, really." Kiori took a breath, drawing up her eyes so she could look him in the face once more. "But it'd be selfish of me to make you worry just because _I'm_ enjoying myself. So… so I'll go home. If that's what you really want, I'll do it."

The seishi blinked. "You… you aren't going to say 'absolutely not,' no da?"

"Well, I _want_ to say 'absolutely not,' but… you and Tasuki have done everything you could to protect the rest of us from Takkan and the Elements so far. So it's like I said. If it's what you want, then it wouldn't be fair for me to get in a fistfight about it."

"Yeah, but…" Chichiri cocked his head, frowning softly. "But _is_ that what I want no da?"

"Eh?"

She stared at him, waiting for more, and after a minute he continued, speaking more to himself than the young woman across from him. "It's funny, but when Tasuki mentioned all this yesterday, I said 'okay' almost immediately. The truth is, I didn't think you'd ever agree to it – maybe that's why I didn't think too much about it no da. Only now, when you _don't_ say 'absolutely not,' I have to think about it… and now that I _do_ think about it, I don't like the idea at all. I… I want you to stay here, you and Ritsuka both no da." The room remained silent for a moment, and then Chichiri chuckled, glancing up again. "I guess that was a pointless conversation, wasn't it?"

Kiori smiled. "Maybe so, but I'm glad it ended the way it did. I would've missed you—" she looked away, quickly correcting herself, "—and the others way too much."

Chichiri slipped his mask back across his scarred features. "I'm glad that's settled no da. I wonder if Tasuki's having the same sort of talk with Ritsuka?"

Kiori stifled a giggle. "I get the feeling theirs will involve a bit more cursing and hitting, but he'll probably wind up with the same sort of answer." She grabbed Chichiri's empty tray. "Well, I'll just take this in, then go search out Akai and get her to tell me the details from last night. Maybe I'll come in around noon, to keep you company?"

"That sounds good no da." Chichiri watched the young woman stand, waiting until she had opened the door before speaking again. "Oh, and Kiori?"

"Mm?"

"I..." he rubbed at his nose, a bit embarrassed, although he wasn't quite sure why. "I would've missed you too no da."

Kiori didn't even bother trying to hide the elated smile that burst across her features. "Ah... thanks, er, good to hear, er... bye."

oOo

Mizu told Setsuka everything, from her travels with Houjun, to her meetings with him at the same farmhouse where the Lady had found her, and finally to her confrontation with Kiori, just one short week ago.

Setsuka listened to Mizu's story without a word, only nodding every once in a while to show that she was listening. Her face remained the perfect picture of calm serenity, but she could not quite keep the tightness out of her body, nor the way she clenched her clasped hands so tightly together that her nails nearly drew blood. And, if her outward appearance seemed a bit more nervous than usual, her inner thoughts were a frantic jumble, desperate to grab a solution to this sudden, complex situation.

The girl hung her head miserably. "…And that's what happened. Forgive me, Setsuka-sama. You may as well just kill me, or send me to the same fate as Tsuchi. I've thought about it and thought about it, but the fact is I just can't bring myself to fight Houjun... and if I can't fight, then I'm of no use to you."

Setsuka's voice echoed around the chamber, smooth as honey with a touch of sorrow around the edges. "Oh, Mizu-chan. Why didn't you tell me about your friend, _before_ all of this happened?"

Mizu sniffled, tears welling up in her eyes. "Because I thought... I guess I thought maybe I could just pretend that I wasn't really part of the war, that I hadn't really become enemies with him at all. But I can't deny it any longer. I can't keep acting like I want us to win. You say we're doing what's right, and I believe that, but Houjun... Houjun could _never_ be cruel or wicked! I know him too well!"

"Of course not," Setsuka agreed, crouching beside Mizu again and bringing up the hem of her dress to brush away the girl's tears. "It's obvious that those other Konan Warriors must have tricked your friend, manipulated him into thinking _we_ are his enemies." She frowned, setting a finger to her lips. "Oh, dear, but this _is_ most unfortunate."

Mizu's head shot up. "What is?"

"When we captured Chichiri – er, Houjun, as you call him – I admit that we did keep him as a hostage. That is the way of war, after all. But I assure you that I was going to give him the finest medical care Takkan could offer, as well as one of the best palace rooms. He was only down in that dungeon for a short time, you see, while I had the servants prepare another place for him."

"Hontou desu ka (Really)?"

Setsuka nodded, sighing as she did. "I am sorry – part of this is my fault, I suppose. If I'd only told you that we were keeping him down there, you never would have let that Kiori woman escape. We could have nursed him back to health, and saved him from those Konan Warriors."

Mizu's eyes filled with tears again. "Oh, Setsuka-sama..."

The Lady of Takkan patted the girl's head fondly. "Now, don't you worry, my dear. We'll find a way to save your friend, I am sure of it." Her eyes hardened for a moment, becoming those twin beacons of ice that Mizu had grown to recognize and fear over the past months. "But the only way to do that is to continue fighting Konan, and defeat them. I will need your help in that task. You know that."

The girl nodded. "And you promise that Houjun won't get hurt?"

Setsuka set her forehead against her Element's, meeting her gaze for gaze and offering her a reassuring smile. "Your friend will not be harmed – at least, not as long as I have any say in the matter. We will defeat Konan, and you will be reunited with your Houjun. How does that sound?"

Mizu managed a small smile. Caught in those silver eyes, she couldn't help but trust her Lady's every word. "It sounds wonderful, Setsuka-sama."

"I am very happy to hear that. Please, do not worry, Mizu-chan. We will work everything out as best as we can," Setsuka assured her, standing and sweeping back towards her desk and the forgotten documents. She glanced at Mizu over her shoulder, offering her one last concerned gaze. "You look tired. Why don't you go get some rest? I'm allowing you and the others a bit of time away from war – after everything that has happened, I feel it will do you all a great deal of good."

Setsuka took a seat behind her desk, watching as the young Element bowed low and darted out of the room, happier than she'd looked in a long while. Once she was well out of earshot, Setsuka dropped her smile, tapping her feather pen thoughtfully against the desk. "A bit cruel, wasn't it, lying to her like that?" she murmured to the empty room. "Of course that monk cannot survive this war – if anything, he's the one I need to kill _the soonest_, if I hope to succeed. But I couldn't possibly tell _her _that. I need Mizu, more than anyone else in this nation, I _need_ that girl to defeat Konan." She bit her lip, frown deepening. "Still… I can't help but feel a bit guilty. She's a good girl, after all, and I've become rather fond of her, these past few years…"

She straightened with a start, shaking her head and offering the room a short, startled laugh. "Goodness, listen to me, talking about 'guilt' and 'fondness'! What am I saying? I gave all that up long ago." She stroked the jewels on her necklace, tigress-eyes glinting once again in the afternoon light. "That's right. Defeating Konan is the only priority, now. Breaking a few hearts along the way is the least of my worries." Setsuka turned her eyes back to the paperwork on her desk and returned to work, chuckling all the while. "I must commend myself, though. I handled _that_ sticky situation with hardly a moment's hesitation. Hm, children really _are_ so very easily manipulated."

oOo

As the sun began to reach its zenith, Tasuki made his way down to the pond, a place that had become one of his favorite spots on the palace grounds during these past few weeks. He dropped to the soft grass along the pond's edge, sighing heavily and stretching his uninjured arm into the air. The seishi had just closed his eyes against the bit of sunlight that managed to seep through the tree branches, thinking a nap might be in order, when...

"Taaaaaasuki-chan!"

A heavy something dropped like a stone onto the seishi's stomach, knocking the air right out of him. Tasuki's eyes snapped open, staring into a pair of cheerful blue ones. "Red!" he gasped, still fighting to get his breath back.

She grinned, flashing a victory sign. "The one and only! I've been looking for you for almost an hour now." Her eyes narrowed and she pointed an accusing finger at his nose. "You haven't been avoiding me, have you?"

"Even if I'd wanted to, it'd be an impossible job," he muttered once he could breathe again. "Whew! I think I liked it better when you jumped me from th' back instead-a th' front."

Ritsuka snickered. "Kinky."

Tasuki shoved her off with his good arm. "I didn't mean it like _that_! Freakin' pervert..." he pushed himself into a comfortable sitting position, straightening his shoulder-sling and turning to face the other redhead. "Well, I'm glad ya showed up. I had somethin' I wanted t'talk t'you about."

Ritsuka flopped out on her stomach and dipped a hand lazily into the water, watching as her fingers created miniature ripples in the clear blue surface. "If it's about my going back home," she said without preamble, "then don't bother because my answer will always be 'no.'"

Tasuki's eyes nearly fell out of his head. "Wh… what th' _hell_, Red! Can you read minds 'r somethin'? How'd ya know that's what I was gonna ask you?"

She chuckled, turning her eyes skyward. "Chichiri and Kiori had a little chat earlier this morning. Doors are such funny things, you know: sometimes if you put your ear up to them you can hear every little thing from the other side."

The seishi rolled his eyes, but couldn't help but smile a little. "I take it she didn't go fer it either?" She nodded. "Well, in that case I won't waste yer time talkin' about it."

"Good," Ritsuka said. "You're stuck with me, and until this war's over you're just gonna have to deal with it." She jumped up, throwing her arms around his neck in a near-bone crushing embrace. "And besides, I know you'd miss me terribly, Tasuki-chan!"

"Huh. Maybe I would..." his face turned an odd shade of blue as Ritsuka's hold on his neck tightened. "Red, leggo! I can't miss ya if ya kill me first!" He managed to wriggle out of the hold, rubbing at his injured shoulder. "Damn, I'm already enough of an invalid without you squeezin' the life outta me."

Ritsuka giggled. "Oops. Sorry."

"Why were you lookin' fer me, anyway?"

The young woman lay back in the grass next to her seishi companion, tracing a pattern in the sky with her finger. "Oh, I was just curious about a couple of things." She waited a few seconds before asking her question as carefully and casually as she could. "So… Chichiri's a monk, right?"

"Yeah, and if it took y'that long t'figure that out then yer even thicker'n I thought."

Ritsuka stuck her tongue out at him, but didn't try to start another fight. "Your wit, as always, ceases to amaze me. So how does the monk thing work around here? I mean, is it illegal for him to settle down with someone, or, you know, 'get some,' or anything like that?"

"How the hell should I know? Chichiri ain't exactly the type-a guy who goes around tryin' t'hook up with every pretty girl he sees. He's s'posed t'renounce all worldly desires 'r whatever, so it's gotta at least be _frowned_ on, but whether it's flat-out ferbidden 'r not..." he trailed off, shrugging.

Ritsuka prodded him between the shoulder blades, pressing her point. "Okay, but let's just assume, for the sake of argument, that they _are_ sworn to celibacy. Now let's just _say_, hypothetically, that a monk falls in love with someone. They could stop being a monk, couldn't they? Turn in their prayer beads and all that?"

"Red, yer askin' th' wrong person. Now, if y'wanted t'know things about a bandit's life, then I could help ya." He shot her a sideways glance. "Why're you so interested in him?"

She grinned slyly, moving into a sitting position. "Is it that hard to figure out, Tasuki-chan?"

The seishi stared at her, thinking hard for a couple seconds, until something inside of his mind seemed to click on and he jumped backwards, eyes widening and one finger pointing wildly at the young woman. "Ah, you don't mean t'tell me _yer_ in love with Chichiri too, do ya?"

Ritsuka face-vaulted. "Ahou."

Tasuki didn't seem to hear her. "Oh, this is just great! Another one-a them damned Tamahome things, girls kickin' an screamin' t'get their hands on some guy, an' b'fore y'know it someone's drinkin' kodoku an' there's a fight and people're cryin' an' _I'm_ gettin' my ass kicked..."

Ritsuka, not sure what else _to_ do, popped her friend hard across the back of his head. "Tasuki-chan, _calm down_! I'm not in love with Chichiri – nothing against him, but he's not my type. I'm asking for Kiori, because _she_ happens to have some pretty strong feelings for our resident monk."

"I know that," Tasuki growled, rubbing at his head and looking considerably irritated.

His companion grinned, slapping him hard across the back and almost knocking him into the pond. "Aw, don't worry about _me_, Tasuki-chan! I don't have time for all that romance stuff, you know that! I'd rather just torture you instead!"

Tasuki waved his arm frantically to get his balance, panting in relief as he managed to stay on dry land. "Glad t'hear it... I guess."

"But…" she began, laying back into the grass again with a frustrated sigh, "that _does_ make this a lot harder. I want to help Kiori hook up with Chichiri, but other than checking to see if he's available and interested, I really don't know what to do. I mean, Kiori's right: I've never _really _liked a guy before, not the way she likes Chichiri." She frowned, peering into the drooping tree branches as if the answer might be hidden there, somewhere. "Not to say I've never dated or anything. I've had a lot of different boyfriends over the years. I've even had sex a few times…"

Tasuki sweatdropped. "Well, thank you fer _that_ tidbit-a information."

The young woman giggled and waved a dismissive hand at her friend. "Oh, come on, we're both adults here! And you can't tell me _you're_ still a virgin." The bandit scowled and looked away, and Ritsuka's mouth widened into a disbelieving grin. "Oh my God, no way! You _are_? You've _never_ had sex before?"

"Well it's not like it was on _purpose_!" he snapped, whirling to face her with a defensive fire in his eyes and a bright flush across his face. "I jus' never had _time_! I didn't start really likin' girls 'till I got t'Reikaku, an' then there were those damn Kaou bandits an' Hakurou gettin' sick an' Eiken takin' over an' th' Suzaku journeys an' facin' off against Raimon an' that whole mess with Tenkou—"

"But you've had a year off!" Ritsuka interrupted. "And it's not like you aren't a good-looking guy! There had to have been _someone_ while you were traveling around with Chichiri!"

Tasuki pointed a dramatic finger at her chest. "_You_ try gettin' laid while wanderin' around with a monk! Girls jus' _assume_ yer some kinda wayward apprentice 'r somethin'!" He heaved an annoyed sigh, scowl deepening, and Ritsuka tried very hard to stifle her giggles. "An' now with this damn war goin' on…"

"Well, you should try sneaking into the city some night," Ritsuka suggested. "Two bottles of sake later and the innkeeper's daughter is all yours."

"Yer an idiot," he grumbled into his palms.

"When it comes to stuff like this… yeah," she agreed, mirroring his discouraged expression and slumping her chin into her palms. "But I never really understood it – 'love,' I mean. Any time a guy tried to get that close, I'd always get defensive, and we'd get into a couple of fights about it and break up. I just could never stand the idea of depending on someone else _that_ much…"

"Maybe you jus' haven't found someone _worth _trustin' 'that much,'" Tasuki suggested.

"Maybe. But, you know…" and here she offered him a tiny, grudging smile, "sometimes I think I'm starting to. You, and Koji, and Chichiri, too, are probably the first guys I've ever met who I thought, even if I didn't _want_ to think it, 'Yeah, I wouldn't mind relying on him, once in a while.'" She chuckled. "But then again, I dated a lot of _idiots_ back home, so that might not be saying much."

The bandit shot her a crooked smile, unsure if he should take that as a compliment or not. "But if yer so stupid with this stuff, then why're ya stickin' yer nose in with Kiori an' Chichiri?"

"Because I want to help Kiori be happy again, of course!" Ritsuka exclaimed, fists clenched at her sides. She opened her mouth to say something else, but her eyes lit up suddenly and she grabbed Tasuki by the arm, tugging at it frantically. "Ne, ne, Tasuki-chan, I just got an idea! Let's go find Koji, okay?"

"Eh? Why d'you wanna find Koji?"

"Because I need to do research, and _he's_ in love with Hareya. So I'll find out how they got together, and then I can work from there!"

"Ah, c'mon Red, he won't wanna talk about all that."

"Well I don't see any other way to figure this out! Unless of course _you've _been in love before?" She laughed, waving another dismissive hand and hopping to her feet. "I know, I know, stupid thing to say, right? So that means we've got… to…"

She trailed off, plans forgotten at the sight of her bandit companion, whose entire face seemed to have darkened at her words. He kept his eyes turned away from her, on a spot somewhere between the ground and the horizon, as if staring hard at something the young woman couldn't quite see. Her eyes drifted from his face to his hand, the fingers clenched around his kneecap, and then on to the rest of his body, tense, and perhaps a bit discouraged.

"Tasuki-chan…" she whispered, blinking uncomprehendingly – and then she remembered what she'd said, and her eyebrows shot to the top of her head, because she understood. "S-sonna… you… you've been in _love_ before?"

He scowled and looked away. "You don't gotta make it sound so hard t'believe. I'm a man, after all, ain't I?"

"W-well, yeah, but…" Ritsuka's hands darted from side to side, pointing first at the bandit, then out to the land around them, as if trying to connect this new fact with the reality she'd come to trust. "But you never said anything about it before, so I thought… and you always… but you never… and I… ah…"

He barked out a short, humorless laugh. "Well, it ain't th' kinda thing I like talkin' about. An' anyway, I don't _know_ if that's what it was."

"How can you not know?"

"It ain't some kinda lightnin'-bolt-outta-th'-sky thing, Red. It's sorta… y'think 'no,' and then y'think 'maybe,' and then y'think 'yeah, I guess so'..." he heaved a long, frustrated sigh and dropped his head back so he was looking up at the sky. "An' then things get so crazy you don't know _what_ t'think anymore, and by th' time y'get a chance t'sit down an' work it all out, she's gone, an' it don't matter anymore anyway." He set his lips in a grim line, nodding resolutely. "But… yeah. I think… I think I mighta been in love… after all…"

And he sounded so small and lonely when he said it that Ritsuka felt she might be looking at a different person, for a moment. "Tasuki-chan…"

"Well!" he announced with a one-armed shrug, shoving himself to his feet. "That's all ancient history, now. She's gone, she's happy, an' I'm here an' tryin' t'do th' same."

"So – so you don't love her anymore?"

He shrugged again. "Yeah, I mean, I guess I still do, a little. I don't think it's somethin' ya ever really lose. But I ain't gonna sit around mopin' about it. Th' poets do enough-a that fer th' rest of us. Life goes on, right?" He flashed the other redhead a thumbs-up and a grin, though it didn't seem quite as natural as usual. "So when that cute innkeeper's daughter comes along, don't think _this_ bandit is gonna sit back an' let her pass him by! Now didn't ya wanna go harass Koji 'r somethin'?"

Ritsuka stared at him for another second, head tilted to the side, peering hard into his eyes. But after a moment she grinned and nodded, grabbing him by the arm and carting him off across the fields. "Mm! But hey, you're right, let's leave him alone about all this love-love stuff! Instead, I wanna introduce you guys to some more music on my MP3 player. We'll have an Orange Range sing-a-long, okay?"

"Kick ass, more other-world music!" he cheered. "Lead on, Red!"

She grinned and did as he asked, but couldn't help but give his arm a small, reassuring squeeze. "Nee, Tasuki-chan?"

"Yeah?"

"Cheer up, okay? That girl was dumb for letting a great guy like you get away." The seishi flushed, but before he could say anything Ritsuka released his arm and bounced ahead a few steps, grinning impishly at her fellow redhead. "And just wait, you'll find another girl, I'm sure of it! One who _doesn't_ mind your scary face!"

Tasuki shoved her into the pond.

oOo

Kaze slipped through the curtain separating his room from the darkened back room, stepping into the shadows and frowning at the curled up body in Taiyou's old bed. He flicked a pellet towards the nearby candle, murmuring under his breath. The pellet exploded and the candle burst into flame, casting a pale light across the trembling traitor-Element.

"Oi, Tsuchi," Kaze grumbled, taking a seat on the edge of the bed. "You awake?"

A moment later Tsuchi tilted his head out of his pillow, squinting up at the older boy. "I never really sleep, Kaze. Setsuka won't let me. What's wrong?"

"Nothin'," he grumbled, glancing towards the nearby curtain. "Sora… hasn't been in here, has she?" Tsuchi shook his head. "Huh. I ain't seen her since yesterday…" Kaze scowled, turning his attention back to the other Element. "Ah, never mind. That ain't why I'm here. Look." He slapped a couple of rust-colored pellets on the table next to Tsuchi's bed. "I made these fer ya. I don't normally do medicine stuff, since that's yer field, so I dunno if they'll work real well, but if ya take one it oughta at least knock ya out. So… fer th' times when it gets real bad, you could…"

Tsuchi blinked, eyebrows curling into a puzzled frown. "You shouldn't do this. What if Setsuka finds out you're helping me? I heard about what happened to Hataku-sama. What if—?"

"Jus' use 'em, will ya?" Kaze snapped back. "I'm sick-a hearin' you whimperin' in here."

The two boys stared at each other for a moment, then Tsuchi closed his eyes and smiled. "Arigatou, Kaze. You really are a nice guy, huh?" His fingers clenched against his pillow and he peered hard into his companion's face. "You should get out of here, while you still have the chance… before Setsuka throws your life away, too…"

"Don't be stupid!" Kaze snarled. "No one does anythin' with my life 'cept me, y'got that? An' anyway, no way I'd leave Sora b'hind."

"Then what if the two of you—?"

But Tsuchi never finished his sentence, because he had to double over again, arms wrapped around his midriff and a low moan seeping from his throat. The older Element stared helplessly at his friend, then hissed a "Tsk!" between his teeth and looked away, snatching one of the pills from the table and shoving it in front of Tsuchi's face. "Jus' take th' damn pill, Tsuchi."

The boy reached out a quavering hand and took the offered medicine, managing to swallow it before he had to curl up once more, groaning from another wave of pain. He glanced at Kaze and smiled. "It's… a really strong spell. Arigatou," he whispered again, before his eyes flickered shut and his body went slack against the covers, released temporarily from his Lady's tortures.

As soon as Tsuchi had fallen asleep, Kaze stood and whirled on his heel, marching towards the dividing curtain with his fists clenched at his sides and a thousand different curses on his lips. He flung back the curtain, opening his mouth to release each and every one of those swear words, but stopped short, jaw hanging slack at the sight of the female Element in the main doorway, head turned downwards.

"Sora!" Kaze cried, rushing across the room. "Where th' hell've you been? Ya didn't come back last night, an' I didn't know—"

The Sky Element looked up, and whatever else Kaze had intended to say died on his lips. Sora's face was pale and sweaty from crying, and even now he thought he could still see the faint traces of tears lining her cheeks. She made no effort to mask her fatigue _or_ her anguish, and it showed in every inch of her body, from her weakly tilting head, to the way she leaned in the doorway, as if that alone was allowing her to keep her feet, to her red-rimmed, half-open eyes. Kaze thought those eyes must be the saddest ones in the world.

"S-Sora… chan?"

She offered him only one word, but it was more than enough. "Hataku-sama…"

Neither was sure exactly how it happened, but suddenly they were in the middle of the room, Kaze's arms wrapped around Sora and Sora's tear-streaked face buried in his chest. Silence filled the room for a long moment, then her fingers tightened on his shirt, and it was all Kaze could do to keep her from sliding to the ground as the harsh, bitter sobs burst out of her throat.

"It was _horrible_!" she wailed, clutching at his shoulders. "Setsuka-sama m-made me watch... I had to _listen_ to it… t-to the sound of that staff p-pounding into him, b-breaking r-right through him, k-k-_killing_ him… Oh, gods, Kaze, and he was only w-worried about me! R-right from the start, even wh-when she was t-tearing him apart, it was the only thing he asked f-from her!" He held her tighter, but it only seemed to increase the heaving in her chest, like she was going to cry until she just tore herself right apart. "He w-was the most w-wonderful man I kn-knew! He t-t-taught me everything, about battles… ab-bout l-life… I think he w-wanted to love m-me, t-too, but he was t-too afraid of Setsuka-sama t-to s-say anything. And s-so was I. But now… but _now_…"

"That bitch," Kaze snarled as Sora's speech disintegrated into weeping. "That two-faced stab-in-th'-back _bitch_. He was her _shogun_, fer Suzaku's sake, an' a damn good one at that too, an' she—"

"N-no!" Sora cried, pushing away from his hold, golden eyes meeting his own. "It's not Setsuka-sama's fault, Kaze! She did what she felt was right… and she's our Lady. Twisted as she sometimes seems, she would never toss away an ally's life. S-so Hataku-sama m-must have deserved it. He must have."

"Bullshit!" Kaze roared. "What'd Hataku _do_ then, huh? Or Tsuchi-kun! What th' hell did _Tsuchi-kun _do, Sora?"

"They betrayed her," she whispered. "And traitors can never be forgiven. I know that. I _know_ that, but… oh, Kaze, it's just t-too cruel! I d-don't think I'll ever g-get that sound out of m-my ears, or the way his knee j-just snapped… or…" And she broke down again, crumpling into her friend's arms, throwing every emotion into her tears and draining them out until Kaze was sure nothing would remain.

After what seemed a miserable eternity, Sora drew away from her friend, pushing herself out of his arms and moving to a nearby mirror. She rubbed the tear stains from her cheeks and smoothed back her rumpled hair and clothes, then, as calmly and coolly as ever, she turned and nodded at Kaze. "I'm due up at the training rings, then to my lessons. Will I see you at dinner?"

Kaze stared at her. "Y-yeah, but…"

"Good. I'll talk to you then."

"But Sora-chan, just now—"

"Please don't call me that anymore. I never liked it, but it's inexcusable now. 'Chan' is for children. I'm Setsuka-sama's eldest Element and her future Champion. Childhood is no longer an option." She bowed to her friend, the sort of stiff and formal bow two courtiers might give to one another. A diplomatic bow. A cold bow. "Thank you for your kindness, and I apologize for my behavior. It won't happen again. Good-bye."

Then she disappeared up the staircase, and Kaze was left staring at what he thought must be the phantom remains of a friend who had been pushed too far towards perfection and obedience, and had at last snapped under the weight.

Tsuchi moaned softly from the nearby room.

Kaze's fist went straight through the mirror. "Gods damn you, Setsuka…" he snarled into the horrible, empty silence.

oOo

"You know, I'm starting to wonder if there even _is_ a pattern to these riddles..." Kiori murmured, turning the scroll she was holding upside-down and wrinkling her forehead unhappily. The brunette glanced up at her monk friend, who had his own face buried in another scroll. "Chichiri? Chichiri, are you listening to me?"

He sat up with a start. "Hm? Oh, right, scroll, Elements, no da..."

Kiori chuckled. "You really _didn't_ get much sleep last night, did you? Your injuries weren't bothering you too much, I hope?"

Chichiri rubbed the back of his head. "A little bit, off and on, plus that whole thing with Koji and Akai kept me awake for a while no da. I just can't seem to concentrate today."

"You should get some rest," Kiori advised. "Just relax. I'll read over a couple of things and tell you a theory or two, all right?"

He nodded and lay back onto a couple of pillows, closing his eyes and listening to the gentle murmur of Kiori's voice. "Okay, well the Element's names seem to be in the order we have to face them – Tsuki, Taiyou Kaze, and so on – and if you look at the hints the first two match perfectly... but then this thing about freezing a river doesn't sound like it has anything to do with the wind... Anyway, I'm thinking that Kaze is the next Element that'll be coming, though I wish we had a clue as to when or how... well, I guess he couldn't come _into_ the palace, otherwise you'd sense it, and..." Kiori trailed off as she realized that the monk's face had relaxed into a look of peaceful sleep. She smiled a little. "And I'll bring this up again later."

Kiori set the scroll down in the pile that occupied a good part of Chichiri's dresser, then quietly stood and left the room. She put her hands behind her head, breathing in the warm spring air. _'I'll have to let Chichiri try his hand at walking around tomorrow,'_ she decided to herself. _'It's much too beautiful of a season to be stuck inside...'_

The brunette turned a corner of the walkway and ran right into Tasuki, smacking her forehead into the tall man's chin.

"Ow!" both cried, jumping back and rubbing at sore body parts.

The seishi scowled, massaging his mouth tenderly. "Damn, first Red tries t'suffocate me, now yer tryin' to break my jaw? What is it, National Tasuki Beat-Down Day?"

Kiori smothered a giggle. "Sure, didn't you know? And I'm pretty sure tomorrow is National Temperance Day, which means no alcohol for anybody..." Tasuki mouth dropped in a look of absolute horror, which only made her laugh even harder. "Just kidding, of course. What's up? I take it you talked to Ritsuka already?"

"Sure did." He leaned against the palace rail, flexing his bandaged hand experimentally. "She's stayin' 'till the end, jus' like you 'n' everyone else. Girls're so stubborn..."

"Don't lie, you'd miss us as much as Chichiri would," Kiori said.

Tasuki rubbed the back of his head and coughed a couple of times. "Yeah, well, I, er... How's that monk doin' anyway? I was jus' on my way t'see him."

"Out like a light," she said with a small chuckle. "He's looking a lot better too, even if it has just been a few days. Those seishi powers of yours are really something."

"Sleepin' the day away, eh? Sounds like th' others – last time I saw 'em Red an' Akai were usin' Koji like a pillow, all three of 'em passed out under that big willow tree." Tasuki smirked. "Wanna go wake 'em up? Say, by tossin' 'em inta the pond?"

Kiori chuckled. "As entertaining of an idea as that sounds, chances are they'd take us in with them." Tasuki shuddered at the thought. "Hey Tasuki, are you very good at solving riddles?"

He rubbed the back of his head. "Uh, not really, but I could always give it a try if y'wanted me to..."

"Oh, it's all right, you don't have to; I just thought I'd ask. Chichiri and I need a lot of help with all these scrolls..." Kiori slapped a fist into her open palm. "Oops, I left my scroll in Chichiri's room! I better go get it now, before I forget."

Tasuki followed her back the way she had come. "I'll come with ya. I got nothin' better t'do right now."

oOo

_Chichiri stood at the edge of a river with Tasuki at his side. He had his eye on the water, watching as the seishi bandit tugged hard on his fishing pole, fighting to keep his grip on the fish at the other end._

_"C'mon Tasuki, pull it in carefully no da."_

_"I'm doin' the best I can! If you think it's so easy then you do it!"_

_"Here, let me give you a hand no da..."_

_"Haha, I think we almost got the slippery little bastard! This'll make a damn good meal fer Koji's Wedding Feast, doncha think?"_

"_Hai, no—" Chichiri stopped short, head snapping up at the faint sound of rushing water, growing steadily louder by the instant. "Do you hear that no da?"_

_"Hear what?"_

_Chichiri blinked; when he opened his eye again, the scene had changed. The land became flatter, the trees around the bank thicker, the river blacker, fiercer, filled to overflowing with fast-moving, white-capped rapids. Chichiri's eye widened, a surge of buried emotion rising up in his chest. "Tasuki… this place… it's…" But as he looked to the side, seeking comfort from his friend, he realized that the seishi had disappeared. The riverbank stretched endlessly from side to side, filled with shadows, but no life. He was alone._

_A log thumped along the river bank, and Chichiri took a step back, unintentionally cringing at the memory… and felt himself bump into something soft._

_Someone's hand, slender and feminine, wrapped around his waist, and he felt the soft tickle of hair on the unscarred side of his face as she moved her head up next to his to watch the waters. "Kirei wa ne?" she murmured, a faint hint of laughter in her voice, the voice that he had dreamed about and mourned for so many years._

"_Kouran…" he managed to breathe, though he didn't dare turn to face her._

"_It really is beautiful. Powerful, and dangerous… and beautiful, ne?" The hand on his waist drew away until it rested against the small of his back. "But you have to be careful," she murmured, voice darkening. "One false step and you might fall in… and then the only thing that can possibly await you is pain. But you already knew that, didn't you? You learned that long ago, about these waters… and about other things. Didn't you, Houjun?"_

_He shook his head weakly and tried to take another step back, but the hand on his back was strong, and kept him trapped, both at the water's edge and with his fiancée's memory, dangerously close to the precipice. And still he could find no words, and still he couldn't turn to look at her. _

"_Say, Houjun," she whispered, a fearful quaver in her voice. "You've forgotten me, haven't you?"_

_His single eye widened. "What? No! I—"_

"_Yes," she said quietly, "I think you have. I think you've found someone else, after all. And here I thought you'd promised to always love me." They were such small words, yet it felt like she'd driven a dagger into his chest. He tried to turn to face her, tried to open his mouth to explain, but she held him tight yet again, and his voice didn't want to work right. _

_Her light laughter, choked with tears, rang in his ear. "Baka na otoko. After all that heartbreak, you still haven't learned a thing, have you? You're going to forget all about me. You're going to fall in love with _her_. And you're just…" the hand against his back pushed outward, ever so softly, _

"…_going to drown…"_

_Further, until he felt himself lose his balance, too distraught to fight back, to keep himself from tumbling into that killing current, _

"…_again."_

_He spun as the ground gave way beneath him, reaching out towards the woman at his back, a pleading name halfway out of his mouth… but the name died on his lips when he found himself facing not Kouran, but another young woman, her eyes wide, surprised, her voice calling out to him, shoving him back even further, even deeper into the deadly waves. _

"_Chichiri! Chichiri…!"_

"…Chichiri! Are you all right, Chichiri?"

The monk awoke with a start, single eye snapping open and staring up into a concerned female gaze. Kiori's gaze. He shoved himself into a sitting position, practically knocking her off the bed in the process, and sat gasping heavily, as if he really _had_ been choking on river water just seconds ago. But it had been so _real_... so… so…

He stared hard at the covers, masked eyebrows scrunched tightly together in distress, though that was just a shadow of the confusion and shock that raced across his true face and heart. _'Kouran… I never stopped loving you. Not _once_. But…'_

"Chichiri?" Kiori called again, quieter this time. "Is… is everything okay? You're white as a ghost…"

He forced himself back to reality, meeting the young woman's gaze and shaking his head slowly from side to side, though he couldn't seem to stop his hand from trembling against his knee. "It's nothing... I'm fine no da. I just... I had a strange dream, and when I woke up I jostled my injuries a little. It's nothing. I'm fine."

Kiori frowned. "You don't _look_ fine." She set a hand against his shoulder, eyes widening at the shiver that raced across his back. "Oh, God, you're shaking like a leaf! Did you have a nightmare?" She moved her other hand forward to brush against his forehead. "Maybe you have a fever again—"

_"And here I thought you'd promised to always love me."_

Chichiri slapped back her hand, shoving her away, and his unusually harsh voice snapped across the room like a whip. "If I say I'm fine, then I'm fine, dammit!"

Kiori recoiled as if she'd been slapped, wincing under the invisible blow. "Oh... Okay. G-gomen, Chichiri. I just... gomen." She took several steps away from the bed, and the monk's heart wrenched at the pain in her eyes. She snatched up her scroll, turning back to him but never once meeting his gaze with her own. "I came for this... I'll leave you alone, now... I..." she bowed low, words choked with repentance. "I'm really very sorry."

She whirled on her heel and darted out of the room, gone before Chichiri could think of anything to say. The monk looked helplessly towards Tasuki, who had stood unnoticed by the door. The golden eyes of his friend pierced deep into his masked face, almost as if they were trying to penetrate straight into his soul.

Neither said a word for a long, tense moment, then Tasuki frowned and shook his head slowly. "I never seen you get like that b'fore. Kiori was jus' worried about ya, an' you go 'n' bite her head off." He paused for a minute, waiting, but Chichiri had no response to give. "Yer ki was goin' crazy when we got here. I couldn't get a real good read on it like _you _can, but… you were shoutin' out t'Kouran, there at th' end." His frown deepened. "That's what this is about, ain't it?"

"I..."

Tasuki closed his eyes and massaged at his temples. "On second thought, don't answer. I told myself I was gonna stay outta this." He turned to go, but stopped in the doorway. He kept his back to his friend and his voice low, but the words carried across the room as clear as if they'd been etched in stone. "You feel th' same as she does, doncha?"

Chichiri sighed. "Tasuki, I told you yesterday. I—"

"Haven't even thought about it, right?" He glanced over his shoulder, one eyebrow cocked in a silent question. "Pretty intense reaction there fer a guy t'give to a girl he's 'never even thought about.'" Chichiri said nothing and Tasuki chuckled, shaking his head in disbelief. "Huh. An' I thought _I_ was th' stupid one." He lifted his hand in a silent farewell and disappeared out the door.

The seishi monk sat for a long time, staring at the closed door to his room, where both the mystified Tasuki and the injured Kiori had vanished. As he tried to sort out his emotions, Kiori's face kept flashing across his mind: the way she'd looked at him after he'd snapped at her, her eyes almost welling up with tears. After those words had torn out, he'd expected her to defend herself, but that look… that look was worse than _anything _she ever could have said.

_'I need to find her,'_ he decided, _'and apologize. But…'_ he heaved another tired sigh, slipping off his mask, eye still on the far side of the room. "But how do I explain _that? _What was it, really? And why…?"

The nearby mirror glinted in the fading afternoon light, and Chichiri turned, catching sight of his scarred visage in the smooth surface. He stared at the injury, the one he'd had for almost ten years, now. It had smoothed out over the years, the skin darkening a bit, the jagged lines not quite as pronounced as before. It would always be there, and he knew that - and he wanted that, in the same way he wanted Hikou and Kouran to always be there, with him, but… but it had healed. It _had _gotten better. So wouldn't it be all right to consider it, to look at Kiori and think, just for a moment, _'Maybe I do'_?

Kouran's tear-choked laughter filled the room.

"_Baka na otoko. You haven't learned a thing, have you?"_

The mask crumpled in his clenched fist, and his eyes fell away from the mirror, back to his bed. _'…There's nothing _to _wonder about. She's a friend – a __close friend, but a friend no da. No different from Tasuki or Koji or Houki-sama. Even if…'_

He wouldn't let himself finish that sentence, but instead loosened his hand with an effort, watching as the enchanted material smoothed back into its usual fox-faced features. He slipped the mask across his face, feeling more certain of himself by the minute, even if it that, too, was really just a facade.

'_I'll sort everything out with her tomorrow, when she comes by in the morning no da,' _he decided, leaning back against his pillows. _'Because she _is_ a good friend, and I care about her, so I don't want to hurt her no da. And we'll be able stay good friends. But that's _all_ we'll be. It'll be a lot less painful for her that way…' _he stared up at the ceiling, the roaring rapids still standing out fresh in his mind, and added as a reluctant whisper, _'for her… and for me, na no da.'_

oOo

"'_The seishi monk sat awake for a long time after that, lost in his thoughts as the evening shadows turned to night and the faint edge of fatigue crept up on him once again. But it was many hours later before he was finally able to fall back asleep, and more hours still before he could erase his fiancée's betrayed voice from his mind… and the college woman's betrayed eyes from his heart.'_" Tetsuya whistled. "Bit of an unexpected ride there, ne, Yui-chan? End Chapter Twenty."

--  
Akai: Well, would you look at that? Chichiri-sama and Kiori-san are having their first lover's spat, and they aren't even an official couple yet! Ah! Kiori-san, gomen! I didn't mean it, I was only teasing... Phew, I'm glad Palace Champions don't have to play the role of matchmaker, too – it sounds scarier than fighting to me!  
Hey, speaking of the war, my job as unofficial captain sure has gotten a lot easier since Koji-san arrived! He really knows what he's doing! Helping us with the battles even though he's still hurt... Sugoi ne!  
The Next Episode of _Fushigi Yuugi: The Next Chapter_: "Skirmishes & Celebrations – The Failures of an Ambitious Nation!"  
Hey, if things keep going our way maybe we can have some free-time for once...  
--

* * *

**End Notes**  
(1) Congee – a sort of Chinese rice porridge, but you can spice it up with just about anything.

**_Ye Olde Author's Free Chat: March 26, 2007; 3:31 PM_**  
Ni-hao, minna-san!  
_(Winces) _Yikes, I missed my more-or-less monthly deadline by a couple of weeks this time, didn't I? Well, the good news is, for once, I actually have a somewhat acceptable reason for that. Remember those Gaiden Novels I bought? You don't? Well, I bought Shouryuu Den and the two Sanbou Den novels. Aaaand, since Tetris no Miko has no intention of ever translating the "Sanbou Den" novels… I clicked open my Electronic Dictionary and decided to translate it myself! XD The going is… very slow. I finished the first chapter, but there are some holes and some guesswork, and the next two chapters are going to be _hell_, because they take place on Reikaku. Which means… Kansai accents. Kansai accents EVERYWHERE! _(runs into a corner and sobs) _Anyway, the moral of the story is: I'm now working on two fanfics, a novel translation, a webcomic, and of course all the homework my 15 credit hours decide to throw at me, so my deadlines are slipping again. Why do I keep loading myself with new hobbies, you ask? Apparently I'm a masochist. _(Sweat)_

Oh, and another fun story! I found a place where I could buy the "Yuu Watase Perfect World" magazine (where the new episodes of Genbu Kaiden run), so I'll be snatching those up every couple of months, now. There's an extra-feature in the magazine which is basically like a Tasuki-Journal (hehe), so I'm hoping to translate those sometime soon. Watch the **Blog **for updates on all that good stuff!

Agh, I hate doing this, but… **To Expi0092: **You leave great reviews and have asked some really interesting questions, and I'd love to answer them, but you don't have an account and never leave an e-mail address, so I don't have any way of responding! If you are interested in corresponding, please drop me an e-mail, and I'll do my best to get back to you on all the things you've wondered over the past few chapters! (My address is on my main page) Okay, sorry for the shout-out, everyone, but I didn't know how else to do that. Back to your regularly-scheduled Free Chat.

No character profile this episode, everyone! I'm holding off on Setsuka and some of the side characters for a little while for plot purposes, but I'll get back to them eventually, I promise! Thanks so much to SamanthaB, antyem12, caspercat22, Seira Ayuda, Kristall, Expi0092, sakurachibi, miraclebutterfly, Roku-senpai, DPFYLUVR, inuphantom13, pyskwynn, Sakura30, and LordxxAxelxxLover for reading, and I'll see you guys (with luck) in another month or so!

Mata ne! – Dee ;)


	21. Episode Twenty One: Skirmishes and

_**Disclaimer**_ I still don't own Konan, Suzaku and all characters and seishi pertaining to them. Kiori and Ritsuka are and shall forever be mine, and that holds for all the other "originals" (you'll know 'em when they appear, trust me). Obviously the story is mine as well.

_**Rating:**_PG-13, for moderate language and violence.

**Musical Selection: **"It's Only the Fairy Tale" again for the Kaze-Sora scene, because that song just fits the Elements too darn well. And… oh, hell, let's go ahead and throw in a couple new pieces as well. First, "Sunflower" for all the early scenes with Chichiri and others, and "Home country of a water imp" for the final scene (just start it up right around the time Boshin falls in the pond. You'll see what I mean). Both are from _Someday's Dreamers_, which I have yet to see but do love the music.

_I was watching _The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya_ the other day, and I came to the stunning realization that Haruhi _IS_ Ritsuka. Which made me wonder… do Japanese writers read a lot of American fanfiction? (haha, maybe in my dreams)_

* * *

**--Episode Twenty-One: Skirmishes & Celebrations--  
The Failures of an Ambitious Nation!**

Yui glanced up from the book. "All right, Keisuke, it's your turn... oh." She couldn't help but giggle; Keisuke was splayed out on the couch, fast asleep. "You think we should wake him up?"

Tetsuya took the book from his girlfriend. "Nah, he can afford to miss a chapter or two. Besides, have you ever tried to wake Keisuke up?" Yui shook her head. "Well trust me, you do _not_ want to."

She opened her mouth to ask why, but remembered how Miaka had the tendency to clobber anyone who woke her up during class. She winced. "We'd better let him sleep."

Tetsuya chuckled and began to read. "_'As the Konan Warriors and the Takkan Elements slept fitfully, another group of young fighters made an unusual discovery beneath the waxing spring moon...'_"

oOo

The RAFT leader Kita stood in front of the Rebel Bar, her lip curled upwards into a look of absolute disgust. "Bollocks, not this again." She prodded one of the battered, arrow-filled bodies of a Takkan soldier with her shoe, wrinkling her nose disdainfully. "Murders 'er own soldiers 'n' makes us clean 'em up? Ho, an' then she's got t'gall t'wonder why we 'ates 'er so much!"

Aji wiped a fake tear from his eye, placing a hand across his heart and reciting solemnly:

"_Rest in peace, scum  
Killed by the Lady you served.  
Though t'was a grizzly fate  
I'd say t'was all you deserved._"

"Oi, none o' that, now!" Kisha reprimanded. "I 'ated 'em s'much's you, but there ain't no 'un 'oo deserves _this_."

Aji chuckled, holding up his hands in defense. "Haha, it's as you say, O Pearl of the RAFT… but still, I can't help but be glad to see dead Takkan trackers."

Otoo-san nodded in agreement. "Mm, mm, at least we know Kiori escaped safely, that we do. Four of the five are indeed trackers, you can tell by the uniforms, you see. Must have failed, hm, good for us but not quite so good for them, no not at all."

"Right y'are, 'Too-san, but 'oo's this last fellow, na?" Kita wondered, gesturing towards the final, broken body. "I c'n hardly tell 'im's is 'uman, she 'ad 'im pummeled so bad. Fuu! Almost feel sorry f'th' poor bastard, would'ja b'lieve that?"

Aji crouched beside the man, studying the bloodied mark on his sleeve. He glanced up at Kita, a twisted grin on his features. "I wonder if you won't take that pity back, now." He ripped the patch off the man's arm in one smooth movement, holding it up to the moonlight. "See there? The mark of a shogun. Looks like that deadly game Hataku and Setsuka were playing—"

"May she die a thousand deaths!"

"—Finally came to an end," Aji completed.

Otoo-san glanced at the almost indistinguishable figure. "Hm, can't say I'm sad to see him go. Still, still, terrible way to be finished off, most painful, and..." but he trailed off, eyes fixed on the body. "Oh, oh my."

"Eh? Somethin' wrong?" Kita asked.

"Ah, well, yes and no, Kita-chan," he stammered, taking a startled step backwards. "It's possible… well, perhaps my eyes are playing tricks on me, that could be it, but I thought I saw Hataku breathe, so I did."

The young man called Iyasu snickered. "Yeah, an' I'm a frog's uncle. No one c'd survive what _he _went through."

The other handful of RAFT members nodded their agreement, but Aji picked up the general's wrist and held it for a moment. "You'd better start croaking, Iyasu-kun. Otoo-san's right – Hataku isn't dead yet!"

A murmur of surprise went up from the rebels. Iyasu snorted, drawing his dagger and advancing towards the bodies. "Some people jus' don't know when t'die, do they? Well, I'll fix that..."

Kita stepped in front of him, hand on her sword hilt. "Hoi, an' 'oo put you in charge o' this li'l party, na? I'll be th' one t'say 'oo we'll be killin' an' 'oo we'll leave be." She waited until he sheathed his blade, grumbling all the while, before she continued. "Each of us'n'd be no better'n Setsuka – er, may she die a thousand deaths a-course – if'n we killed 'im in cold blood. Jus' drag 'im t'th' river wiff t'others, like. 'Im's won't live t'ru th' night, I s'pects."

"Ah, the lovely Rebel Queen has spoken," Aji said, standing with a flourish. "But I wonder if she'd mind terribly if her lowly servant might add one or two humble ideas of his own?"

Kita whirled on her comrade, hands on hips. "You calls me Queen agin an' I'll toss _you_ int' th' river wiff these trackers, got that? Now, wot's y' plan?"

Aji coughed importantly, glancing at each of the members one by one to make sure he had their full attention, then at last said, "Kita, O Flower of Takkan, while I must agree that I find this shogun as detestable as the next law-breaking citizen, I must pose the question: why must we send this repulsive enemy to his death? If we keep him alive, we'll be striking a rather nice blow, don't you think?"

Iyasu spat. "Ch! How's keepin' a mangled shogun alive gonna hurt th' Lady?"

He looked at his comrade sadly. "Alas, and he wonders why we voted Kita leader and not he? Well, my thick-headed friend, Hataku happens to know every nook, crack and cranny of the Takkan Palace. He knows the army's strengths and weaknesses, and to top it off he hates Setsuka – may she die a thousand deaths – almost as much as we do. I'd say we'd be crazy _not_ to save him."

Kita frowned, crossing her arms nervously over her chest. "Well, y've got a point there, only… er…" her eyes slid sideways towards Otoo-san, and Aji noted that almost everyone else's followed her there as well.

The young actor wilted, but before he could properly apologize Otoo-san blinked owlishly, glancing from each concerned face to the other. "Well, now, why is everyone looking at _me_, hm? Did I forget a meeting at some point, was I voted in as leader and missed it? Goodness, I'd think _Kita-chan_ would be the one to make this decision, indeed I do, nevertheless if you _insist _on my opinion then I think it's a marvelous plan, a marvelous plan Aji-kun, yes indeed. In fact, I'll go one step further, I will, and let this former shogun recuperate in my home, it being the only _real_ house any of us possesses, you see."

"Ah… 'Too-san..." Kita took a tentative step towards him, one hand raised as if she wasn't quite sure whether she wanted to hug him or steady him, though he didn't seem to need either. "Y'mean... y'mean y'll really be aw'right wit' this? After everythin' wot 'appened b'fore… wit' y' fam—"

"What, my family, you're saying? Goodness, Kita-chan, you should know by now that _you _are my family now, that you are, and anything I can do to help with your goals, why, that's the important thing. My, my, don't you think my Mariko would feel the same? I really thought you knew her better than that, that I did."

Kita smiled softly. "Huh, I guess y've got a point there." She clapped her hands hard, jerking the others' attention back to the matter at hand. "All right, 'nuff talkin', 'ere's t'new plan: Iyasu-kun, take four wit' you an' get rid o' these trackers, aw'right?"

His mouth dropped in revulsion. "But I—" Kita silenced him with an icy glare. Muttering unhappily, the rebellious member chose four of his friends and began the unpleasant task.

Kita turned to Aji and Otoo-san. "Aw right, you two comes wit' me! We'll be needin' somethin' proper t'carry t'is bloke on, wouldn't wanna be messin' 'im's up any worse'n 'e is, like. Let's find a mat o' some sort back at'cher place, na, 'Too-san?"

The older man nodded, allowing his two younger companions to lead the way. As he followed a step or two behind them, he couldn't help but muse aloud, "Hm, I wonder who our despised Lady will hire on as shogun now?"

Aji chuckled. "Hataku's the only smart one in the whole group. Finding a replacement among those moronic captains will be a job and a half, no doubt about it."

oOo

Setsuka spent a good part of that night puzzling over the very same question the RAFT members had posed: who would lead the army now that Hataku was gone? Though she found it below her to associate with the captains and common soldiers, Mizu's all-seeing crystals had helped her to learn much about the men she had to choose from, and the choices were not promising. She sat at her desk for the majority of the evening, one long-nailed finger tapping out a pattern against her desk as she mused silently to the evening air.

'_Furosaki-Taii has the most promise, that is for certain. He is clever and sharp… however, being so young it is unlikely that the other captains will take him seriously as a shogun. Utara-Taii is a hardened veteran, but he's too ambitious for my liking, and the last thing I need is another attempted coup. Yamashita-taii has the makings of a decent soldier… nevertheless, I do not approve of the way he treats the rest of the men. If he acts that way to _me_, well, I'll have to have him killed, and then I'd be out _another_ man.' _

Setsuka sighed, brushing a tuft of dust off the edge of her desk and watching as the sun began to at last peek through the blinds. _'Now, there is of course Kawahito-Taii. He is as thick as mud, yet he is a determined and talented fighter. Obedient, loyal – he never questions an order, regardless of who gives it. He will _never_ attempt to defy me. As a matter of fact, I doubt he shall say anything more than "Hai, my Lady" and "Right away, my Lady." And perhaps now, that is exactly what I need.'_

The Lady of Takkan threw on one of her more comfortable – though no less lavish – dresses and teleported to the camp of her warriors. It didn't take her long to find Kawahito's tent, and once she did she rapped officiously on the wooden pole that held up one end. "Kawahito-Taii?"

A series of shuffles and grunts sounded from within the small tent, then a messy head of black hair poked around the tent flap. "Oi, what's the racket, ah…" his eyes widened and he jerked to attention, apparently ignorant to the fact that he was half-clothed in his mistress' presence. "Ah, er, M'Lady! What can I, er, you...?"

She managed a small smile, though it couldn't quite cover her irritation. "May I come in? I wish to speak to you about something important."

"Uh..." he finally looked down at himself and flushed. "Oh, er, but I, uh…"

Setsuka pulled back the flap before he could say anything else, glancing at the unmade bed and dusty chairs. She decided to remain standing. Kawahito threw on his uniform jacket so fast that he almost became tangled inside of it, then whirled and bowed until his head touched the ground. "Er, what can I do for you, M'Lady?"

"I assume you have heard the rumors about Hataku? How he is no longer in the service of the army?"

Kawahito shrugged, still keeping his eyes fixed firmly on the ground. "I'd heard rumors, but I try not t'listen t'silly campfire gossip, y'see, er, M'Lady. They, er, they aren't true, are they?"

"Hataku is dead," Setsuka said flatly, and so suddenly that Kawahito couldn't stop his eyes from jerking up to meet hers. "He chose to rebel against me, and I had to dispose of him." The captain looked down again, frowning but remaining silent. "I don't want to keep you long, Taii-sama, so I'll make this brief. I need a new shogun to lead my army, and I have chosen you."

"M-me, M'Lady?" he stammered, so shocked he could barely force out the words. "M-my own self?"

She nodded. "If you would stand, please, we shall finish the ceremony quickly. " He did as she said; Setsuka ripped the captain's patch off his uniform and swiftly replaced it with the shining three-starred pattern of a general. "Congratulations... Shogun-sama."

The man's chest swelled with pride at the unexpected promotion. "D-doumo arigatou gozaimashita! I'll do everythin' t'the best of my ability, M'Lady! I'll lead Takkan t'victory, I'll defeat those Konan Warriors, I'll, er, uh..."

Setsuka sighed inwardly, wondering what sort of terrible mistake she had just made. "You may do all of that, when the time comes, but first I have an important assignment for you."

"Ah, yes of course, M'Lady."

The Lady of Takkan, eager to leave the cluttered quarters of her new shogun – _'at least Hataku had kept his tent _clean,' she grumbled to herself – explained her new strategy as quickly as possible. "The barrier that once surrounded Konan has disappeared, as you may know. I want you to attack today. Keep your forces concentrated on the north wall, but once the battle has begun send Yamashita-taii and his men out with grappler hooks. I want them to sneak around to the south wall, climb over and take the warriors by surprise. Get them to unlock the side gate, then you will be able to enter the city. From there, I cannot imagine Konan will last long against us, not with their seishi incapacitated and many of their warriors injured. I want this done properly, Shogun-sama. Do not fail me."

Kawahito saluted. "Hai, M'Lady! Yer word is law!"

oOo

Chichiri's sleeping hours were plagued once more by dreams, though when he awoke he could remember nothing except a vaguely unsettling feeling in the pit of his stomach and the ghostly image of Mae as _he _remembered her, so sweet and trusting and frightened all the time. He sighed, shoving himself into a sitting position and rubbing hard at his temples. _'Things just keep getting more and more difficult no da… I wonder—'_

But before he could finish his thought someone rapped hard on the door, knocking whatever might have remained of the dream entirely out of his head. He reached for his mask and forced a pleasant, sleepy smile onto his face, preparing himself for what he might tell Kiori – and hoping that it would be enough. "Come in no da."

The door slid open, and a head of red hair poked around the corner. "Rise and shine, Chichiri-chan!" Ritsuka sang, a breakfast tray balanced on the tips of her fingers.

The monk's smile slipped noticeably. "Oh. It's you. Ohayou, Ritsuka."

Ritsuka smiled through gritted teeth. "Ohayou..." She darted across the room at lightning speed, the tray still in hand as she popped him over the head. "What do you mean 'It's you'? Damn straight it's me, and you oughta be happy to see me, too!"

Chichiri rubbed his head, but had to chuckle at the redhead's attitude. "Hai, hai. Gomen. I was just... expecting somebody else, and I needed to talk to them, so – at any rate, it's good to see you no da."

"Kiori?" Ritsuka pried with a knowing grin. He nodded a little, and the woman's smile turned into a devilish smirk. "Oooooh I see! Well I can't blame you for being a little disappointed, then! Soooo… what did you need to talk to her about, hm? Dinner and a movie, maybe? Or do people here skip all that and go straight to the 'happy ending'?"

The monk sweatdropped. "I don't know what you're talking about no da. I just... said something last night that I didn't mean, and I wanted to apologize. Is she coming along soon no da?"

"Nah, but she sent me in here to give you breakfast, and to tell you that you can get out of bed now." She frowned thoughtfully. "I didn't think much of it 'cause she said she had some medical stuff to do with Yukeda-sensei, but maybe that was just an excuse. But then…!" Ritsuka whirled, glaring at the monk. "All right, what'd you do to her, huh? Cheat on her, break her heart, tell her you were gay? C'mon, 'fess up so I know how angry I'm supposed to be!"

The monk stared at her for a moment, then leaned forward and took the tray that she still held raised at her side. "Ritsuka, do you_always_ make this little sense in the mornings no da? It really isn't anything you need to worry about, and it's nothing that can't be fixed."

_'At least, I hope it isn't,'_ he added silently, unable to stop a small frown from crossing his mask. _'She looked so hurt... like I'd said something a lot worse no da...'_

Ritsuka read the troubled expression and completely misinterpreted it. She rubbed her chin and did an impression of the seishi, as if voicing his thoughts. "Oh dear, I sure hope Kiori'll forgive me, I just couldn't live without her na no da!"

Chichiri stared at her, but before he could defend himself the young woman plopped down on the end of his bed, eyes on the far window as if staring at something fascinating in the nearby tree branches. She wore such a sudden look of seriousness on her face that the monk couldn't help but lower his voice as he asked, "Is everything okay, no da?"

"Oh, yeah… it's fine, but, er… listen, all kidding aside, ah… I've been meaning to say this for a while, but, um… thanks, okay?"

"Ritsuka, you don't have to thank me. I know you would've helped me out too no da."

"Eh?" she whirled to stare at him, eyes wide and uncomprehending for what felt like a full minute, before she finally seemed to realize what _he_ meant and promptly burst out laughing. "Oh, no, not about the battle with those Elements! I mean, I'm grateful for that too, but that's why I've been cooking you breakfast for the past couple days! I'd _never_ have the guts to actually thank you for something like _that_!" Chichiri sweatdropped and she continued. "No, I was talking about whatever-it-is you managed to do for Kiori! I've been wanting to say something ever since that day Setsuka showed up with her challenge, but there was never really a good time."

"Da…" Chichiri raised a puzzled eyebrow. "I'd say 'you're welcome,' but I don't really know what you mean no da. I didn't _do_ anything—"

"Lies!" Ritsuka cried, pointing a dramatic finger at his nose, though she promptly dropped her hand back into her lap when she realized how silly it looked. "Er, what I mean is… Man, I'm so bad at this stuff! Okay, let's try this again." She took a deep breath as if to steady herself, then turned her eyes back to the nearby window and said, "Look, you've only known us for a little while, so you wouldn't notice it like I have, but… see, I met Kiori about two months ago. She walked into my cultures class looking like just about the loneliest person in the world, and right away I thought _'Ha, I bet _I _can fix that!' _I sort of figured she just felt weird transferring to a new university, y'know? So I practically forced her to become my friend, started taking her to volleyball matches and karaoke nights, and eventually she started to smile and laugh a little more. Which was good, but… it just didn't seem like enough. No matter what I did, I just couldn't seem to get those Kyoto ghosts to stop following her around. Two _months_ and I couldn't fix it. It drove me crazy, you really have no idea.

"And then, when I wound up getting her sucked into _this _place… it was like, the dumbest thing I'd ever done became the best thing I'd ever done. I dunno if it was the change of scenery or what, but, well… Kiori's been a lot happier since we got here. Even moreso since that day we met Setsuka. I don't know what happened that day, on the wall between the two of you, but whatever it was…" she looked down, and Chichiri could've sworn he saw a tiny, happy tear at the corner of one of her eyes, "thanks. You did something in weeks that I couldn't do in two months of bad jokes and impromptu cram session parties. And as much as that pisses me off, I'm about twice as grateful. So thanks. Really."

Chichiri smiled. "Ritsuka, you…"

But before he could even _begin _to tell her what a good friend she was, or how he was certain that Kiori appreciated all she'd done for her, or even that he doubted he'd really had much to do with it at all, the college student stood and whirled on him, her lip curled upwards into a threatening snarl. "So you sure 's hell bettah make sure you's apologizes ta her, an' don't go hurtin' my buddy no mores, capiche? Oddahwise I might jus' have ta send ya t'da bottom-a Tokyo Bay, kono yarou."

Chichiri didn't know what she was talking about, but she sounded so dangerous that he couldn't help but bob his head up and down in a startled nod. "H-hai, I promise na no da!"

Ritsuka glared down into the monk's frightened face and couldn't stand it anymore. She collapsed onto his bed again, thumping at the covers with one hand and laughing hysterically. "Oh, wow, did you _hear_that, Chichiri? I sounded like a real yakuza for a second there! Ahahaha, Yanki Brother Number-Two would be so proud, I finally got the accent and the tone just right! Oh, today is gonna be a _good_ day, I can already tell!"

"Da…" Chichiri chuckled nervously, because he couldn't think of anything else to do. "Well, I certainly hope you're right, but…"

He trailed off, catching the sound of feet thumping their way. Both looked towards the door of the room just in time to see one of the many servants run by, off to the soldier's quarters. "Attack!" he bellowed to anyone who cared to listen. "Every able warrior on the north wall! Attack!"

Ritsuka sighed. "And just when we thought there might be a little break in the fighting." She stood, hopping off the edge of his bed and strolling towards the doorway. "Ah, well, nothin' I can do about it. Koji, Tasuki-chan and I are still forbidden to fight. Guess I'll just go and help myself to breakfast, then. I'm absolutely starving."

"Aren't you always no da?" Chichiri asked with a chuckle. "Say Ritsuka, do you think you'll see Kiori at breakfast no da?"

"Probably not. She said she had a lot of work." Ritsuka giggled. "Though if you decide to move around the palace a little today, you'll probably run into her eventually. I think she and Tasuki-chan plan on stalking you to make sure you don't strain yourself."

"They're going to spy on me forever no da," he said with only a touch of real exasperation. "What are your plans for today?"

Ritsuka shrugged. "Oh, who knows? I might torture Tasuki-chan a little, might find Koji and teach him a couple Uverworld songs. Sky's the limit." Her eyes lit up and she turned to him with a crafty smile. "Oh, that reminds me! Can you sing?"

"S-sing, no da?" he repeated, caught off-guard by the sudden question. When she nodded, he smiled warily and shrugged. "I suppose I'm all right, but why do you ask?"

"I was thinking of starting up a boy band," she told him, that same crafty smile growing wider by the second. "All us invalid Konan Warriors have so much free time, I figured I could coach you boys into learning some pop songs and giving a few performances around the area. Tasuki and Koji are already doing it, though they don't know it yet, and I wonder if Aoi's got a decent voice…? Anyway, you'll sign up, right? You're no Hyde, of course, but you guys are still cute enough that I bet we'd sell out the shows! I know _I'd_ pay good money to see you performing 'Onegai! Senorita,' anyway." (1)

"Da…?"

Ritsuka giggled. "I get that reaction out of you a lot, huh?"

"I've discovered that it's the best thing to say when I have absolutely_ no_ idea what's going on, and you're very good at making that happen no da."

"Aw, thanks! Tasuki-chan and Ko-Ko say the same thing!" She paused, setting a finger to her chin and staring upwards thoughtfully. "Hm, speaking of Ko-Ko… I wonder if Koji listened to Yukeda's orders about staying out of the battle today? He doesn't really like that guy, and yesterday he made some remark about being ready to fight no matter when the call was made..."

Chichiri smiled and dove back into his half-finished breakfast. "I wouldn't worry too much about that. Koji's a little headstrong at times, but I'm sure he'd listen to someone like Yukeda-sensei no da."

oOo

"Koji-san, what in the world are you doing up here?" Akai demanded, setting her hands on her hips and glaring at the lounging bandit leader. "Yukeda-sensei gave strict orders that you and the others couldn't fight for _at least_ a week!"

He rubbed the back of his head and leaned against the northern wall, flashing her a lazy, unconcerned grin. "Y'know Akai, that's the funny thing about orders an' rules an' all... I only really listen to 'em when I agree with 'em."

The Palace Champion pursed her lips and pointed towards the staircase. "Off the wall, now!" Aoi and the other soldiers stared at her and she flushed, looking at her feet as she muttered, "Er, with all due respect, of course."

Koji ignored her and accepted the bow that another soldier offered him. "Hey, thanks." He chose an arrow from a quiver attached to the wall, notching it to the string and stretching it back experimentally. "Nice craftsmanship, this'll fly far, oughta kill me a lotta soldiers t'day."

Akai gritted her teeth so hard it seemed that they might crack. "Ko-ji-san..."

The bandit leader at last turned to his friend, though that easygoing smile never once left his lips. "Look, Akai, I understand yer concern an' all, but I ain't lyin' when I tell ya that I'm perfectly fine. Little sore, maybe, but nothin' that'll kill me. I mean c'mon, I got through th' other night okay, an' that was some real fightin', not like this little archery competition we're callin' a battle. I'll be _fine_. Trust me on this one."

Aoi sweatdropped. "The last time you said that, you almost got us all killed."

"But I got ya out alive, didn't I?" Koji said, winking at the younger fighter.

"Actually, I think Aoi was the one who..." Akai trailed off, realizing that Koji had turned his attention back to the advancing soldiers. "Aaaagh… Houki-sama, Chichiri-sama and Kiori-san will kill me_and_ you when they find out..."

He chuckled. "If Ritsuka an' Genrou don't get me first fer me not askin' 'em t'come along." The bandit leader turned his attention to the soldiers on the wall. "Okay boys, here they come, so ya better get yerselves ready. Everyone down – oi, you, what's-yer-name, you wanna get shot? Get down already! Okay, don't let an arrow loose 'till y'can see a couple-a details on their ugly mugs. Snipe, up 'n' down, don't let 'em get a clean shot at ya! We got the advantage of cover, so we'd better use it.

"All right, now what th' hell kinda formation is this, na? You guys jus' stand in a row and pop up whenever ya feel like it? That ain't gonna win ya many battles, I c'n tell ya that. All right, listen up, here's a simple plan fer ya: form lines two deep, everyone fit an arrow t'yer bow. When I give th' signal th' first row'll fire, then duck t'reload. While they're reloadin', the second row fires, and we keep goin' like that. Pass th' word down, I can't yell loud enough!"

An older Konan soldier stared at his comrades in disbelief as they slowly moved into the instructed positions. "Are you _serious_? You aren't really going to listen to this wet-behind-the-ears country bumpkin, are you? I bet he's never even _seen_ an actual battle before, much less—"

"For your information, Shou-_kun, _Koji-san happens to be one of the Konan Warriors!" Akai interrupted, face flushed with indignation. "He's seen more battles this year than you have your entire life, so you'd do well to listen to him and quit judging people by appearances."

The same soldier opened his mouth to argue, but was silenced by the teasing voice of another. "Aw, give it a rest Shou, you're just mad 'cause Akai-san can whip you in a swordfight with one hand tied behind her back!"

A ripple of laughter raced through the ranks. The man sat down unhappily, muttering something rude under his breath. Koji chuckled a little and turned his eyes forward again, taking in the simple Takkan formation in an instant. "Oops, here they come. Get ready... arrows up... watch for it... and... okay, first rank fire! Drop 'n' reload! Second rank, fire! Drop 'n' reload! Keep it goin', don't slow down fer even a second! Hah, we'll make 'em regret even_thinkin'_ about takin' on this city!"

Akai fired with the second group. As she glanced over, she saw Koji pop up and send an arrow flying down into the soldiers below. His eyes caught sight of something she missed, and he smiled grimly, muttering under his breath, "Nineteen."

The warrior girl watched him with awe-filled eyes. "Koji-san is... so cool!"

oOo

Chichiri had given up on trying to stump around the palace looking for Kiori – his battered body still didn't have the energy for it, and he assumed that her "doctor instincts" would force her to search for him eventually. So, instead of aggravating his injuries any worse than he already had, he opted to flop down beside the palace pond, stretching his unbroken arm leisurely and casting out a fishing line. He leaned back against a nearby tree, finding a comfortable position as he watched the little lure bob about in the calm waters.

As the minutes ticked past, Chichiri closed his eye partway and allowed his mind to wander. Not that that was particularly difficult to do, as there was more than enough to think about: the war, his friends, the future of Konan, Mae-chan... and, of course, Kiori…

Something flickered at the back of his mind and he straightened with a start. He'd been so immersed in his own thoughts that he hadn't noticed the two life forces until they were practically standing next to him. The monk smiled a little, recognizing Kiori and Tasuki's twin ki pulses right away. Just like Ritsuka had promised, the two had come to make sure he spent the day relaxing. _'They're true friends… if not a little weird no da.'_

With Chichiri's back turned to them, Kiori and Tasuki poked their chibi heads around a cluster of bushes, watching the monk carefully. "He doesn't _seem_ to be doing anything dangerous," Kiori remarked after a few quiet moments had passed.

"That's exactly what he _wants_ us t'think," Tasuki hissed back, eyes narrowed in an accusing glare. "But then ya look away fer half a second an' he's buildin' barriers and ki blastin' every enemy in sight an'—" both squeaked and dove back into their hiding place as Chichiri turned to glance their way. Tasuki wiped a line of sweat from his brow, shooting Kiori a haggard glance. "Phew, that was close."

Unbeknownst to his two not-so-stealthy friends, Chichiri turned back to the water, chuckling slightly. _'Don't they realize that I can sense them like they're standing right here na no da?'_ He glanced over his shoulder again, trying not to laugh as their chibi heads ducked back into the bushes, ruffling the leaves so hard it was noticeable from where he sat._ 'Oh well, no reason to spoil their fun. They'll come out when they're ready no da.'_

oOo

Kawahito was surprised at how organized and fierce the Konan soldiers fought – the last time they'd had a battle, the enemy had seemed on the verge of collapsing. The newly inducted general decided that this was as good a time as any to start up Setsuka's new plan. Better to do it now, before his soldiers started to get disheartened. "Er, Yamashita-Taii! Now's the time t'take your men over t'the south wall. Go through the trees, make sure you ain't seen by anybody. You got that?"

Yamashita had not taken kindly to Kawahito's new position of power, the position he was convinced _he_ should have received. The man was also not one to hide his opinions. "Yeah, I got it all,_ Shogun-sama_," he spat. "I ain't as stupid as you, y'know."

"Er, talk like that t'me again and I'll show you who's stupid, Yamashita!" he snapped, face turning a deep shade of purple and darkening even further as the surrounding men sniggered at him. "Just, er, follow your orders, or I'll report this t'Setsuka-sama."

The captain waved a dismissive hand. "Sure, sure, I'm goin', anythin' to stop yer snivelin'. Oi, c'mon men, we got us a job t'do!"

Kawahito bristled, but could only think to say, "Er, er, see that y'do the job right, er, ah-hem, soldier!"

Yamashita sauntered away, waiting until he was out of earshot of the blustering shogun to chuckle quietly to one of his few friends. "What with the battle'n all, I won't have t'worry about anyone seein' me leave. Those Konan Warriors won't know what hit 'em… an' when 'er Ladyship sees what kinda work I c'n do, huh, I wouldn't be surprised if she went 'n' killed Kawahito too an' made _me_ shogun instead!"

He snuck off quietly through the trees with a group of twenty-five soldiers – just enough to get over the wall, handle the few guards he might encounter, and sneak to the side gate. The captain had disappeared into the woods in an instant, a grappling hook looped over one shoulder, confident that none of his enemies had seen him leave.

Someone had.

Despite being practically everywhere at once – constantly moving through the ranks, offering advice and support, helping the wounded off the ledge, and sniping down at the occasional Takkan soldier – Koji's sharp hazel eyes didn't miss the small contingent marching off through the trees, headed east. "Now that don't look good…"

The bandit leader ducked a hail of arrows, making his way over to where Aoi and Akai were stationed. The Palace Champion smiled at her friend. "Koji-san, there you are! I really can't thank you enough for your help! You're much better at this than I could ever be! D'you know, I think we're actually winning, believe it or not."

"Uh, thanks," he muttered, eyes flitting in the direction of the disappearing Takkan soldiers. "Hey, did either of you notice that group headin' east?" They frowned and shook their heads. "An' if you two didn't, then chances are no one else did, either. Hm... Aoi-kun, you come with me. I think we're about t'witness that plan they were talkin' about th' other night in action. Akai, you better stay here an' keep these guys in order – someone's gotta do it, an' yer the best one fer the job."

The girl beamed with pride. "Arigatou, Koji-san! I won't let you down!"

He smiled fondly. "When have you ever? Okay Aoi-kun, let's see if we can't make life a little harder fer those sneaky bastards."

oOo

Kiori sighed. "Tasuki, maybe we should just go out and visit." She gestured to the half-dozing monk. "He looks like he could use the company."

The chibi bandit glared at Chichiri. "No way. I'm gonna catch him in th' act of... er... somethin'."

Kiori giggled – and surprisingly, so did someone else. The two whirled around, stifling yelps of surprise. "Red?" Tasuki hissed, staring into the woman's grinning face.

Ritsuka flashed a chibi victory sign. "Wow, he knows my name! Smart boy Tasuki-ch – mph!" the seishi clamped a hand over her mouth, silencing the noisy redhead. "Mrn, nr rrt er nnd mph mmphr ah mrrt mu..."

"Whazzat?" Tasuki asked.

"Mrn... er..." Ritsuka snapped her teeth down hard on his hand, causing the seishi to pull back with muttered curses of pain. She smiled sweetly. "I said, 'Gomen, now get your hand off before I bite you.' Shoulda done what I asked."

Kiori smothered a chuckle at Tasuki's string of grumbled threats. "Ritsuka, what're you doing out here?"

The redhead pointed accusingly at her friend. "I think _I_ should be the one asking that question, Little Spy! Here I am, heading to the pond for a quick nap, and who do I come across snooping on our resident monk?"

"Not snooping," Kiori mumbled, looking down and poking her index fingers together. "Just... checking in."

"Uh-huh," Ritsuka drawled. She winked devilishly at her friend. "Why don't you just go out there and ask him how he's feeling? And, if something hurts, you can give it a little kiss to make it feel better..."

Tasuki's eyes grew to the size of dinner plates. "You guys're already that far along in th' relationship?"

"No we are not, because there _is_ no relationship!" Kiori hissed angrily, flushing bright red. She sighed, glancing back towards the nearby pond. "C'mon Tasuki, you were there last night. If there was anything between us, do you think he would have..."

_"If I say I'm fine, then I'm fine, dammit!"_

"...Anyway, Ritsuka's just being Ritsuka, so don't start thinking there's something going on."

Tasuki frowned but couldn't think of anything to say. Ritsuka mirrored his expression for all of two seconds, then in her usual outgoing way decided there was only one _real _solution to the problem. "Well, whatever happened last night must have been big, which is why you need to go out there and work it out!"

"Ritsuka, I—"

The redhead shoved her friend out of the bushes and into the clearing, whispering, "Off ya go!"

Kiori stumbled out of the underbrush, caught off-balance by Ritsuka's unexpected shove. She sprawled head-first with a surprised shout, landing rather uncomfortably right across the lap of a very surprised, injured monk. "And Kiori makes another elegant entrance," she muttered, flicking her eyes upwards to look at her friend. "Kon'nichi wa."

The monk waved, sweatdropping slightly. "Na no da."

Kiori sighed and scrambled out of the compromising position, dusting off her Konan-style robes and sitting next to her friend. "Er, that was sorta, I guess I lost my balance..."

Chichiri smiled. "That's easy to do when a certain redhead shoves you no da." Kiori stared at him and his smile widened. "I can sense life forces, remember?"

She blushed. "Oh! Guess so. So you knew Tasuki and I...?"

"Mm. But I didn't mind – it's good to have friends that are concerned no da," he assured her. The monk closed his eye and took a deep breath, then turned to his female companion again, an embarrassed, concerned frown on his masked face. "Anou... Actually, Kiori, I'm glad you did come out of hiding no da. I wanted to talk to you about yesterday."

"Oh, that," Kiori forced a smile. "Eheheh, yeah… I wanted to apologize for that."

Chichiri's fishing pole slipped out of his hand. "A… apologize?"

She nodded. "We haven't even known each other that long, and there I was, prying into your personal business like we'd been friends since grade school or something. It was _really_ forward of me, I think Ritsuka must be rubbing off on me or something… er… so…" she trailed off, staring at the ground and twisting a strand of hair between her fingers.

"You don't need to say all that," Chichiri finally said, breaking the nervous silence. "It's natural for a person to be worried about a friend no da. I had no right to snap at you for that. It's just... there's a lot going on right now no da. Maybe I'm feeling a little overwhelmed by it all – but even so, that isn't any excuse for the way I treated you yesterday. _I_ should be the one apologizing no da."

Kiori couldn't help but smile. "Chichiri, a person is allowed to be grumpy when they're broken and beat up in a million places. I'm partially to blame, I guess is what I'm trying to say."

"Anyway, I'm sorry," both said simultaneously.

The pair looked at each other and chuckled, sharing a brief moment of comfort once again. But then Chichiri seemed to remember something and turned his eye back to the water, and Kiori didn't miss the little sigh that escaped his lips or the way his eyebrows curled upwards into the tiniest look of discontentment. She frowned and looked away, chewing thoughtfully on her lip. _Chichiri, what's bothering you _now_? Is it that dream again, or me, or what? I wish I knew, then maybe there'd be some way I could fix it, but...'_ she stared down at the hands in her lap, clenched together so timidly, just like they always were. _'Sometimes I wish I were as straight-forward as Ritsuka, than I'd just _ask_ and it wouldn't even be a problem.'_

oOo

From her hiding place, Ritsuka leaned out as far over the water as she could without toppling in, trying to figure out what was going on. Tasuki crouched beside her, prodding at her shoulder with one impatient finger. "Er, what's happenin'? They looked okay a minute ago but now both look kinda depressed."

Ritsuka glanced at her friend, a dry smile on her lips. "I thought you said you were gonna stay out of all this."

Tasuki scowled. "Well, I was, it's jus'... well, y'know, 'Chiri _is_ my pal an' all..."

"Lucky for us curiosity only killed the cat, ne?" Ritsuka said with a wink. "Okay, Tasuki-chan, slide up here next to me and tell me if _you_ can figure out what the heck is going on with those two."

oOo

Koji and Aoi followed the movement of the Takkan soldiers through the trees and all the way around the east wall, making sure to stay out of sight. They rounded the south wall just in time to see one of the wall guards go down with an arrow through his throat. Aoi opened his mouth to cry out, but Koji slapped a hand over it and threw them both to the ground, safely behind the ramparts.

The bandit leader's face was grim as he took in the bloody scene before them: the guards along the wall had been dispatched one by one, so smoothly and silently that they'd had no chance to send down a warning. "Nothin' t'do fer these guys, not now. Stay down, Aoi-kun, I need t'see what's goin' on." The boy nodded once and Koji released his hold on his mouth, peeking upwards until he was able to chance a glance over the side of the battlements. Their opponents dead, the Takkan soldiers were now in plain sight and moving towards the wall, though Koji noticed a few archers hanging back, no doubt to snipe anyone who might happen to round the corner. He ducked back down, cursing to himself. "Damn, I figgered as much."

"What is it, Koji-sama?"

"That rope looped over their shoulders c'n only mean one thing, Aoi-kun: They're gonna scale th' wall while th' barrier's down." Koji's popped back up to do a quick count on the enemies' numbers. "Twenty-five soldiers and about ten grappling hooks between 'em," he reported aloud. "Too many fer th' two of us t'deal with, an' we're too damn far away from everyone else t'get help in time…" He plopped down again with a muffled "shimatta" – but then his eyes trailed past Aoi towards the Konan Palace, and a brief smile lit up his face. "Aoi," he hissed quickly. "Yer a fast runner, right?"

"Uh, yes. Why?"

"I want you t'sprint as fast as y'can down t'the Palace. Get Genrou an' th' others. Instinct tells me they'll be out by th' pond, they usually are. Bring 'em back here an' don't stop fer nothin'. We're gonna have t'work fast if we wanna hold these guys off. Ike!"

Aoi nodded and dashed down the steps without a second thought, taking off towards the palace.

Koji counted up his throwing knives – he'd thought to bring four with him. Counting his twin daggers there would easily be enough weapons to pass around. The bandit leader chose one of his knives with an ornate carving of Suzaku on it – the match to the one he'd lost the other night – and set to sharpening it against the ramparts, still sneaking glances at the advancing enemy every so often. "This thing's brought me plenty-a luck in the past – let's hope fer Konan's sake it'll do th' same t'day."

oOo

Chichiri wanted to ask Kiori what was wrong, why she looked so worried all of a sudden, but decided against it. _'It wouldn't really be fair of me to ask something like that no da. Not after last night anyway.'_ He glanced across the water at the sound of rustling bushes, and was thankful to at last have found a good conversation-starter. "Do Ritsuka and Tasuki really think they're fooling anyone no da?"

Kiori glanced up and couldn't help but giggle. "Even without ki-sensing abilities I can tell they're there."

Chichiri sweatdropped as Ritsuka's chibi head popped out for a moment in full view, then ducked immediately back down into the foliage. She didn't even seem to realize she'd been spotted. "What are they expecting to see no da?"

"Who knows? But…" Kiori shot him a sideways grin. "Want to give them something worth spying on?"

"Mm?" Chichiri's eyebrows shot to the top of his head. "What do you have in mind no da?"

"I think I've got something planned to give them some heart attacks and teach them not to spy on other people," Kiori said with a small chuckle. She leaned in next to Chichiri and whispered into his ear. He flushed at the suggestion, but couldn't help but smile.

"That_would _scare them no da..." he agreed somewhat nervously, and hoped that Kiori couldn't hear the way his heart had just started pounding around in his chest. _'Stop that,'_ he scolded it mentally, and added aloud, "What do I need to do?"

"Just follow my lead," she told him, leaning forward, her face dangerously close to his own. "This will be _amazing_."

oOo

Tasuki glared at Ritsuka. "What the hell is Kiori doin', gettin' so close t' Chichiri? Tryin' t'seduce him 'r somethin'? Th' little temptress..."

Ritsuka glared right back. "Well Chichiri certainly doesn't seem to be resisting it, does he? Now shut up, I wanna find out what they're saying..."

The pair watched as Kiori swung her arms around Chichiri's neck, grinning sweetly. Tasuki gritted his teeth and clenched a fist. "Lookit that! An' here I thought she was th' shy one!" His mouth dropped even further when Chichiri smiled back, albeit a little less passionately, and seemed to lean in towards the woman as well. "Holy shit, Red, maybe we oughta leave b'fore they start rippin' each other's clothes off."

"Oh, this is amazing!" Ritsuka practically squealed. "I just _gotta_ find out what they're saying..." Ritsuka stretched herself out over the water… and leaned a bit too far. "Yabbai!" she yelped, losing her balance on the shoreline. She threw her arms backwards and grabbed on to the nearest thing she could find in a desperate attempt to keep her footing, but realized too late that she'd grabbed a Tasuki instead of a tree, and with one last curse the two flew into the water, landing with a glorious splash right into the shallows.

Kiori and Chichiri broke apart, watching as college girl and seishi alike flailed their way out of the pond, coughing up water and panting heavily. Tasuki grabbed for a tree branch above his head, dragging himself to shore and glaring daggers at Ritsuka the whole way. "Curiosity only killed the cat, huh Red? Well I sure as hell feel like a drowned one right about now!"

Chichiri scowled at the duo in mock irritation. "What are you two doing here no da?"

Ritsuka glanced up, looking like a little kid who'd just gotten caught stealing cookies. "Us? Um, we..." she giggled innocently. "I was just teachin' Tasuki-chan how to, um, swim. Yeah, that's right."

Kiori nodded at the seishi, who now sat ringing himself off on the shoreline and picking morosely at his soggy shoulder-cast. "Lovely job you're doing, too," she muttered dryly. "Just admit it, Ritsuka! You two were spying on us!"

"An' with good reason! You tried t'get Chichiri in bed, don't deny it!" Tasuki cried, jumping up and pointing an accusing finger at Kiori. "We saw th' whole thing, you were all up on him, tryin' t'make him violate his code-a monkness 'n' stuff! You oughta be ashamed..."

"Woah, Tasuki, calm down. We knew you were there the entire time," Kiori said with a grin. "I decided to teach you and Ritsuka a lesson for spying on us, though." She laughed. "Actually, you falling into the pond wasn't part of the plan, but it was a nice touch. Made the joke even better, don't you think?"

Tasuki spluttered, trying to find just the right swear words to use on Kiori. Ritsuka chuckled as she hauled herself out of the pond, wringing her hair out right over the already-soaked seishi bandit. "Okay, okay, you got us." She smirked at her friend. "Well done on both sides, I must say. I would've thought you were actually_enjoying_ that. Good acting, I guess?"

Kiori forced a laugh and hoped to heaven that Chichiri didn't notice the color that crept into her cheeks. "Y-yeah, guess so."

Tasuki collapsed back to the ground, sighing as he glanced from Kiori, the schemer, to Ritsuka, who had pulled him into this in the first place. "I hate girls."

Ritsuka clapped him on the back and sent him flying straight back into the pond. "Oh, you just _say_ that! We all know you could never live without me!"

A chibi Tasuki jumped out of the water, waving his tessen angrily. "DAMMIT RED! REKKA SHIN'EN!"

"Ow! Tasuki-chan, that wasn't very nice, especially since I let you borrow my MP3 player!"

Kiori chuckled at the scuffling duo. "The sky may fall, and the sun may burn out, but Ritsuka and Tasuki will always be fighting about something. Don't you think so, Chichiri?"

He never got to answer, because at that moment Aoi burst through the bushes, practically collapsing to the ground at the sight of the four Konan Warriors. "Minna-sama..." he took a couple gulps of air, then managed to gasp out the rest. "South wall... Takkan scaling... Koji… need your help... Now!"

The broken message was all the group needed. Tasuki nodded and stood, dragging Ritsuka into a standing position in the process since she currently had her teeth clamped onto his wrist. "Thanks, Aoi. I'll head over there first t'make sure Koji doesn't get himself killed. I'll see you guys there." Before anyone could blink, the seishi had shaken Ritsuka off his arm and disappeared, sprinting towards the southern wall.

Ritsuka smiled at the exhausted boy. "Nice job. You better rest here with Chichiri for a while – Kiori and I can handle things."

Aoi shook his head hard. "Koji... need as much help... can get. Just... give me second... catch breath..." he kneeled next to the pond and splashed his face a bit, then turned and smiled at the two girls, looking almost as rested as they were. "Okay. Ready?"

The redhead shook her head in disbelief. "Sprints from the wall and asks if _I'm_ ready. C'mon Kiori, let's go before Tasuki and Koji take all the glory for themselves."

"Right behind you, though I don't know what you expect _me_ to do." She turned to Chichiri with an apologetic smile. "I probably won't see you until dinner. Don't do anything tiring, or I'll kill what's left of you after Tasuki gets finished, okay?" Chichiri chuckled absent-mindedly and nodded. Kiori frowned, but didn't have time to worry about him just now. "See you later, then."

"Mm," he murmured, waiting until she was out of sight before he picked up his fishing pole again and sighed, tapping the stick of wood against his chest. _'Phew! I thought my heart had stopped for a minute there, she was getting so close… if Ritsuka and Tasuki hadn't come out at that point, we might have…' _He shook his head hard and cast the fishing line back into the pond, keeping his eyes focused on the task at hand. _'No, I'd have stopped before the joke went that far no da. I'm sure I would have. After all, I don't_really_ think of her like that.' _He sweatdropped, thumping his head back against the tree and staring up at the rippling leaves above him. _'Mattaku. I'll have to leave this part out of next month's letter to the monastery. Joke or not, the Master would _kill_ me if he found out about this no da…'_

oOo

Kiori ran to the wall at a slow jog, partly because she knew she wouldn't be needed until later (if at all) and partly because she had made the mistake of wearing an informal, Konan-style dress that afternoon, complete with a pair of sandals that seemed absolutely impossible to run in. She cursed her bad luck all the way up the stairs, rounding the corner with a cry of, "Okay, what do you need me to…" only to trail off when she saw the others leaning back against the wall, looking more like four friends enjoying an afternoon of sunbathing than soldiers in battle. "Did they give up?"

Koji toyed with a grappling hook, its rope broken off just inches from the metal, and grinned. "In a manner-a speakin', yeah," he agreed, nodding towards the other side of the wall.

Against her better judgment Kiori peeked over the edge. She had to pull back quickly, one hand clamped over her mouth. "What did you _do_ to them?"

"Nothing, really," Ritsuka assured her. "We just decided to let them get a little exercise before we cut the ropes, that's all."

"So you let them climb to the top, and then you—?" The four nodded, seeming quite unconcerned with the whole ordeal. Kiori rubbed at her temples and plopped down beside her redheaded friends. "On second thought, I'm _glad_ I decided to wear a dress today. There's no way I could have helped you with _that_ plan, even if they were the ones who tried to kill us first." She frowned, thinking back to the grizzly scene, and added thoughtfully, "Wait… you said that you just cut the ropes, but I could've sworn I saw some charred bodies down there."

Tasuki waved his tessen cheerfully at her. "Give ya three guesses where those came from."

"Lucky bastard always hangs onta this damn thing," Koji grumbled, though he didn't sound particularly irritated. "Managed t'beat me in th' body count by five 'cause of it." Kiori shot him a mortified look and he smiled back at her, waving a dismissive hand. "Oh, calm down Miss Doctor, we didn't kill _all_ of 'em. Genrou 'n' I were slashing ropes as soon as we saw 'em, it's jus' that they weren't cuttin' _or_ burnin' real fast, an' by the time we got t'the last five 'r so – well, we're jus' lucky Ritsuka 'n' Aoi-kun showed up when they did, otherwise we mighta been sword-fightin' across the ramparts, an' Genrou with a busted shoulder, too!"

At Koji's description, Kiori suddenly had the most amusing mental image of Tasuki and Koji in full swashbuckler garb, battling enemy naval officers as they swung onboard their ship. She smothered a giggle and picked up one of the grappling hooks, pressing the charred rope between her fingers. "It's all right Koji, I'm not mad at you. In fact, I'm glad you were here. This could have been a whole lot worse if nobody had noticed them."

She expected him to soak up the praise, but the bandit leader just brushed it off and stood, sheathing his daggers and looking away. "Ah, any-a you woulda done th' same thing. Now if you'll excuse me, I gotta be gettin' back t'the _real_ battle. Wouldn't wanna make Akai do everythin' herself, y'know."

As he started off towards the northern wall, Kiori happened to glance up and caught a glimpse of his back. His cream shirt was stained with a dark crimson from shoulder-to-shoulder, and it only seemed to be getting thicker by the instant. "Koji, wait! What happened to you?" she cried, standing and hurrying towards the bandit.

"Eh?" Koji glanced over his shoulder, touching a hand to the sticky cloth. "Aw, crap. The little knick I got from that battle with th' Elements musta opened up – I was kinda thinkin' it might, after all th' runnin' around I been doin'. Can't sit still long enough fer it t'heal right, though, so whatcha gonna do?"

The young doctor glared at him. "You're going to go see Yukeda-sensei and get that fixed up right away. The worst thing you can do is ignore an injury!" She sweatdropped. "Geez, I sound like one of those silly apprentices in the infirmary. Anyway, just go get that checked out, all right?"

Koji kicked a rock unhappily, heading down the steps at Kiori's bidding. "Okay, fine, but only t'make _you_ feel better. An' fer the record, I can't stand that pompous doctor. Hope he doesn't try pourin' alcohol on it again, or else I'll pour the stuff on _his_ scratches 'n' see how he likes it..."

Aoi chuckled, glancing over his shoulder towards the north wall. "Well, like Koji-sama said, I'd better get back to the big battle – not much to do over here, watching some defeated soldiers turn tail and run. Sayonara, minna-sama."

Tasuki shook his head at the boy. "That's dedication, right there."

Ritsuka stretched her arms over her head. "Hai, I'll let him be dedicated to the battle, and I'll keep myself busy being dedicated to fine cuisine." She grabbed Kiori and Tasuki by the arms. "I haven't eaten lunch yet, and I'm starved! Come on, you two, let's raid the pantry and see what we can find!"

oOo

Chichiri hadn't been very hungry, so he'd decided to skip lunch and head straight to the afternoon nap. The monk sat with his eye half-closed, trying to clear his head and finding it nearly impossible. He wanted to stop thinking about everything, just for half a second, but his mind wouldn't let him. He sighed slightly, voicing his thoughts to the afternoon air, "Things were a lot easier when it was just Tasuki and me traveling around Konan no da."

"Oh, I hope you do not really mean that."

Chichiri opened his eye at the sound of the familiar, gentle voice. He moved into a sitting position, watching as Houki took a delicate seat on the grass with Boshin in tow. "Ah, Houki-sama. I didn't know you were there. Sorry, I was just thinking out loud no da."

She smiled serenely. "That is quite all right. Sometimes it is the only way to sort out your feelings about certain events... and certain people," she added knowingly.

Chichiri wondered how everyone in the palace seemed to understand his feelings for Kiori except for himself. "What do I owe the pleasure of this visit no da?" he asked, changing the subject.

She shrugged. "I had heard you were feeling well enough to be moving about, and I thought I would see that for myself. You seem to be in excellent condition, considering the circumstances."

The monk nodded in agreement, wincing as Boshin plopped down into his lap. "It's not so bad, as long as I don't move around too much no da."

She looked at him hopefully. "Then, is it safe to say that I will see you and all the other Konan Warriors at dinner tonight?" He nodded and Houki clapped her hands happily. "Oh, that is excellent news! I will need to begin the preparations right away."

"Preparations for what no da?"

The Empress stood, smiling secretively at the monk. "For now, let us simply say that it is a surprise. I really must be going. Boshin-chan, come with..." she trailed off and had to stifle another giggle, for the child had made himself quite comfortable in the folds of the monk's kesa, and looked about ready for a nap.

"Mama... I'm tired... lemme stay here, kay?" he muttered through a yawn.

Chichiri chuckled, patting the boy's head fondly. "I'll look after him na no da."

Houki flashed a grateful smile. "In that case, I will be off. I shall see you tonight at dinner – oh, and Chichiri? Please inform the others that we will be eating in the main dining hall this evening."

"Oh… Okay, Houki-sama. But why there no da?"

She wagged a finger, winking at her friend. "Sore wa himitsu deshou (That is a secret)!" Before Chichiri could ask another question, Houki had bustled off with a swish of skirts, leaving him once more alone. Well, almost alone…

Boshin tugged on Chichiri's robe and straightened up in the monk's lap, eyes wide and alert once more. "Uncle Chichiri, tell me story, one with you 'n' Papa 'n' Uncle Scaryface, okay please?"

The monk laughed, momentarily forgetting his own problems as he tickled Boshin, causing him to tumble backwards in a fit of giggles. "You fraud, pretending to be tired so you could get out of helping your mother no da! I'll give you a story, the one where your dad threw a little boy into the pond for telling fibs to his parents no da!"

oOo

"Eh!" Kawahito cried, nearly falling off his horse. "Yamashita-taii's dead? An' the rest of the men, too?"

The five battered soldiers before him nodded solemnly, several nursing broken limbs or burnt hands. "Hai, Shogun-sama," the oldest and least-injured of the group answered, eyes on the ground. "I dunno where they came from, but it was that Konan Warrior, the one who attacked our camp, and the seishi, too."

"What should we do, Shogun-sama?" another asked, eyes wide and imploring.

"Er… ah, er…" Kawahito stared at the group, then looked back out at the field, where the rest of the men seemed to be growing more tired and disheartened by the minute. "Er…"

"Perhaps a tactful retreat might be wise, Kawahito-shogun?" Furosaki Yuki murmured quietly from the shogun's right.

"Er, er, just what I was about to say! A tactful retreat, that's what we'll do! Send out the message, er, Furosaki-taii! And be quick about it!"

"Hai, Shogun-sama. You've made an excellent decision." Yuki bowed low from his saddle and rode off, sending the word down the lines for the men to put away their bows and head back to camp.

oOo

Seeing the slow retreat, the Konan soldiers upon the wall let out a cheer of victory, then left their stations to check on injured allies and enjoy a much-needed meal. Akai and Aoi welcomed the break as much as anyone, and decided to head off to get some food in their stomachs. As they walked back to the palace, Aoi related the grappling hook incident to Akai with fervent, exaggerated detail.

"...So then Ritsuka-sama and I arrive on the wall, just as fifteen grappling hooks come flying up—"

"Hm, I thought you said earlier it was only ten."

"Oh, yeah, something like that. I won't lie to you, I was a little nervous, but Koji-sama and Tasuki-sama treated the whole thing in such a casual way that I knew I didn't have anything to worry about! So we waited until they'd gotten to the top of the wall – there were scores of soldiers, on those twenty ropes, it was a tough fight, I tell you—"

"Twenty, now?"

"Ah-heh, I lose track, y'see. Tasuki-sama was everywhere, flaming those Takkan soldiers with his tessen, and Koji-sama was hacking at every rope and enemy in sight –Ritsuka-sama held her own, too, of course. There were so many of 'em on those twenty-five ropes that it was hard not to get some action..."

Akai stifled a giggle. "Mm-hm, and how'd you do Aoi?"

"Me? Ha, Takkan soldiers don't scare me, you know that. Wham! Pow!" he sliced at the air for effect. "I took a couple of 'em out with some quick sword swipes, a few more with a little slash, cut a few ropes down, saved Koji-sama's life once or twice, I think..."

The Palace Champion worked hard to stifle her laughter, though it was becoming a more and more difficult task. "Sugoi, Aoi-kun! I'd say you definitely deserve some good palace food right about now."

"Arigatou, Akai. You do too, I'm sure you had your hands full with the soldiers, too—"

They were just passing the infirmaries when a loud, familiar screech echoed from the doorway. The duo stopped in mid-conversation and shot each other looks, saying simultaneously, "Koji-sama/san?"

To confirm their guess, the bandit leader, currently shirtless, bolted out of the building, pausing for just a moment to shout back through the entryway, "Yah, get away from me ya quack!" He glanced up and saw his two friends at the end of the walkway, looking more than a little surprised. "Oi, Akai, Aoi, you know any good hidin' places?"

Akai blinked blankly at the older warrior. "Not… really. Why d'you...?"

He gulped in air, glancing back over his shoulder as if a tiger might burst from the infirmary at any moment. "That... that... _doctor!_ Kiori sends me in t'get this scratch on my back looked at, an' as soon as I take off the bandage Yukeda comes at me with a friggin' spear!"

"A spear?" Aoi repeated, scratching his head. "Why in the world would he do that?"

"How the hell should I know!?" Koji snapped. "He's a crazy, arrogant son of a—"

At that moment Yukeda himself came out of the infirmary, glaring irritably at the bandit. "Would you stop that screeching and come here for one second? I tell you, I'm only trying to help."

"By tryin' t'kill me?" Koji demanded, attempting to hide behind his friends – quite a feat, since they were both at least a foot shorter than him.

Yukeda sighed. "If you had done as I requested and remained out of these battles, the wound would have healed on its own. Unfortunately, you're too stubborn for your own good. The only way we'll ever fix it up properly now is to stitch the thing up." He held up a needle with a long black strand dangling from it as if to make his point.

Akai narrowed her eyes and stared over her shoulder at her friend. "A_spear_, Koji-san?"

"...A little spear," he grumbled under his breath.

Aoi pointed at him, a crooked smile lighting his face. "Don't tell me you're afraid of needles."

Koji bristled. "I ain't afraid of nothin'! An' don't you know it ain't polite to point?" Yukeda advanced on the unlucky bandit; Koji immediately went against his own words as he jumped backwards and pointed chibily at the doctor. "You stay the hell away from me, dammit!"

Yukeda looked to the younger soldiers. "Akai-san, Aoi-kun, do you think you could...?"

They sweatdropped and nodded, grabbing Koji's arms just as he tried to make a break for it. The bandit leader fought to scramble out of their hold, but Yukeda joined them, taking a grip on Koji's bangs and tugging him back towards the door, ignoring the string of curses that burst from the bandit's mouth – many of them completely new to Akai, Aoi, _and_ the older doctor. "Aaaagh, what th' hell're you doin'? I thought you were my friends, dammit!"

"Gomen nasai, Koji-san, but this is for your own good."

"You'll thank us later, Koji-sama."

"The_hell_ I will! Put me down, dammit! Sonofabitch, this _sucks_! Murderers, traitors! LET ME GO!"

oOo

Kaze stumped into the large, lonely room that had once belonged to so many Elements, flopping down into a chair and kicking angrily at the nearby wall. He glared pointedly at Sora, who sat on her own bed just a few feet away from him, waiting for her to say something. She ignored him, however, and remained focused on her own tasks. Kaze kicked at the wall harder, waited another couple of seconds, then finally gave up and said, "What'cha doin'? Is that a wood block that yer carvin' up 'r somethin'?" When she only nodded, Kaze slammed his boot into the wall again and sneered, "What's it for? Setsuka decide t'make ya take up a hobby 'r somethin'?"

She paused for a moment to shoot him an irritated glare, then turned back to carving the smooth, simple symbols into the wood. "It is a tablet. For Hataku-sama." (2)

"Ain't'cha gonna get in trouble for that?"

"Setsuka-sama allowed it. She agrees that all souls should have a chance at redemption and happiness in the afterlife." She brushed off the wood chips, holding the mahogany tablet up to the light and nodding at her craftsmanship. "It isn't much, and it's a bit unconventional, but it's the best I could manage. I think he would be pleased with it, though."

"Yeah, last thing ya want's an angry spirit bouncin' around this place," Kaze agreed, though he said it with visible contempt. "There's enough shitty karma in here as it is."

"If you're going to treat the dead with such disrespect, then you may leave," Sora snapped.

Kaze scowled and pouted quietly in his chair, watching as Sora strung a piece of silk through the small hole at the top of the tablet. She unbuttoned her shirt a few notches and looped the string around her neck, tying it off in the back. Kaze heard the clatter of other small tablets as she tied her shirt back into place and he frowned even harder, remembering the names on the other two panels and the tears that had come with _those_, too. "Hey," he murmured, staring hard at the wall. "When Setsuka finally kills me off, you gonna do th' same fer me that'cha did fer Hataku and yer parents?"

She stiffened, and he thought that this time he might have at last hit a nerve, but she still didn't turn to face him, and in the end only said, "Please don't say such inauspicious things. But yes, if you were to die on the battlefield, I would do the same for you, perhaps more." She stood and moved to the bookshelf, barely sparing him a glance as she stepped over his outstretched legs. "And I'd ask you not to doubt Setsuka-sama so much. She would never intentionally have you killed, Kaze. She respects your life just as she does the rest of us."

Tsuchi moaned from the back room and Kaze snorted. "Huh, wonder why I've got such a hard time believin' that? Oh, that's right – it's 'cause she's a heartless, frigid _bitch_, Sora!"

"Kaze, that is no way to speak of the Lady who we are bound by fate to serve," Sora reprimanded quietly, choosing a thick history from the shelf and moving back towards her bed.

"I'll say whatever I want about her, you got that Sora?" he snapped, hopping out of his chair and spitting contemptuously. "It's her fault Tsuchi's like this, that Mizu-chan's become so quiet 'n' depressed, an' you..." he trailed off, staring at his friend's cold, emotionless back and fighting off a wave of rage.

Sora leaned back against the wall against her bed and opened the book, keeping her eyes on the pages as she murmured, "You're angry at the wrong person. You'd do well to direct that frustration at the Konan Warriors – if it weren't for them, none of this would have happened."

"Yeah, yeah, an' if Setsuka hadn't declared war on Konan there never woulda been no Konan Warriors!" Kaze shot back angrily. "I tell ya, Sora, th' more I think about it, th' more I can't stand sittin' around bein' used like a puppet by that woman!"

At last Sora glanced up from her book, a flicker of worry dancing across her subdued golden eyes. "And what would you do about it, Kaze?"

The boy glared at the curtain that covered the door to Tsuchi's new room, biting at his lip so hard that he drew blood. "I dunno yet, but… I'll think of somethin'."

oOo

"So," Tasuki muttered as he, Chichiri and Koji trooped to the doors of the main dining hall, "does _anyone _know what this is all about?" He looked down, fingering the yellow-and-blue cloak that he'd thrown on over his bandaged upper body, a surprisingly classy departure from his usual attire. "An' why'd we have t'get all dolled up, too?"

"You call _that_ dolled up?" Koji grumbled. "You could've at least put on an undershirt 'r somethin', Genrou. Houki-sama's gonna kick you out at this rate."

"Well pardon me fer havin' a busted shoulder! An' you ain't exactly Mister Imperial Minister either, y'know!" he retorted, gesturing to Koji's "nice clothes," which amounted to a matching dark blue overcoat and pants that he'd borrowed from a local official. "Chichiri's th' only one outta all-a us who's respectable fer this thing, an' he _still_ looks like he's goin' t' a religious service instead of a party."

The monk glanced down at his own brown shirt, emblazoned with a blue crane emblem across the front and trimmed in gold, with a red kesa draped over the top, and couldn't help but sweatdrop. "Er… it_is_ meant for religious ceremonies no da." The two stared at him and he sighed. "It was the only thing I really _had_ no da… Houki-sama announced this out of nowhere, and I'm not really supposed to own clothing outside of the basic necessities anyway."

The three sighed. "We'll be thrown out for certain."

"Oi, minna-sama!"

The trio looked up in time to see Aoi, also dressed to impress in a long robe of dark green, waving at them from in front of the dining hall doors. Tasuki and Chichiri waved back, but Koji scowled and looked away, making a big show of limping towards the door as if he could barely handle the pain racing across his back. Aoi giggled nervously at the act and nodded towards the two seishi. "Konban wa, Chichiri-sama, Tasuki-sama… Koji-sama." The bandit at last acknowledged the boy, though he looked like it hurt him to do it. "Sorry, Her Majesty said everything isn't quite ready yet, so we aren't allowed to go in."

"Oh, you were invited too no da?"

The young soldier looked down and rubbed nervously at his nose. "H-hai, though I'm not sure why. Anyway, do you know what this is about? Her Majesty wouldn't tell me or Akai anything."

"Yer guess is as good as ours," Tasuki said him with a shrug. "Hey, speakin' of Akai, where'd th' girls run off to?"

"Oh, ah…" Aoi chuckled. "The two of us were coming back from the battle when we ran into Ritsuka-sama and Kiori-sama. Ritsuka-sama said something about finding 'the appropriate articles' for the dinner tonight and then dragged Akai off. I'm not really sure what's going on, but if it's Ritsuka-sama's idea, then I think I'm a little scared."

"Minna-san! We're here!" A familiar female voice drew the four's attention away from the dining hall doors and towards the corner of the building, though the person that came darting around the corner was anything but familiar. Akai hurried forward, three layers of alternating red and white skirts in her hands, pulling to a halt just in front of the others and bowing low to the group. "Konban wa! Sorry we're late."

She looked up again, and Tasuki had to catch Aoi as he stumbled backwards into the bandit. Akai was positively radiant, with the faintest dash of makeup accenting her violet eyes and her short hair pulled up into a small but elegant loop, pinned back with a golden ornament meant to look like a cluster of peach blossom buds. Her overdress shone a blood-red crimson, and across her gold sash flew a hand-stitched pattern of sparrows. She smiled up at the four, noticing their looks and blushing a little bit.

"Aa… Akai-chan, kawaii (na no da)!" Tasuki and Chichiri both complimented.

"H-hai!" Aoi agreed, blushing so dark that Akai had to fight back a laugh.

She looked expectantly at Koji, who sniffed and turned his nose up. "Yeah, it's fine, fer a traitor." Her smile disappeared, and the bandit leader sighed, rubbing at his head and turning to grin at the girl. "Aw, you know I'm jus' kiddin', Akai-chan! It looks great, really."

"Ah, arigatou!" She bowed again, then reached forward and grabbed at both Koji and Aoi, leading them towards the corner of the building. "Well, come on! You too Tasuki-sama, Chichiri-sama! The others should be right behind me, and they worked even harder than I did, so it wouldn't be nice if we didn't give them a good stare, too."

"S-stare?" Aoi repeated, flushing even brighter. "W-we weren't—"

"Tada!" another voice called from around the corner, though this one was followed much more quickly by the appearance of a stunning young woman draped in an emerald robe, the outer garment's sleeves cut off at the shoulders to reveal a flowing, silky undershirt of pearl-white. A matching white sash, decorated with embroidered tigers, completed the ensemble. Perhaps most extravagant of all, though, was the young woman's long hair, which had been pulled backwards into an intricate series of loops, all held together by a winking, lily-shaped hair pin. All-in-all, she looked like a proper Konan woman, which only made her identity all the more surprising.

Ritsuka grinned at the wide-eyed men, pulling a fan from her sash and snapping it out in front of her lightly made up face. She fluttered her eyelashes teasingly. "Struck speechless, perhaps?"

Tasuki took a stuttering step forward, looking the young woman up and down. She smiled and he pointed at her, a crooked grin across his face. "Huh, so ya really are a girl after all, huh Red?"

An anger vein burst out across her forehead, and the others all winced in anticipation of the Tasuki wall-angel that would soon follow. But after a long, tense moment all Ritsuka did was throw the fan up in front of her mouth and laugh coyly, waving her free hand at him as if he'd just made an amusing joke. "Ohohohoho, Tasuki-chan, you _are_ the eloquent one, aren't you? However I shall forgive you this time, as I can understand that you are simply struck _dumb_ by my beauty! Fear not, it happens to the best of men, I assure you!"

Akai and Aoi face-vaulted. Koji marched up to her, peering hard into the surprisingly pretty face. "All right, who are ya, an' what've ya done with Ritsuka?"

She snapped the fan shut and giggled, tapping Koji teasingly on the nose with it. "Don't worry Ko-Ko, it's still me. But I'm dressed like a lady tonight, you see, so I've got to act like one. Think of it like a cosplay…" he raised an eyebrow and she laughed, "though actually that wouldn't help you Konan boys understand at all, would it? Well, don't worry about it! Just enjoy the evening, and wait for the after-party, when I can change out of these things and smash Tasuki's face in properly."

"Well, ya look great. I think Genrou was tryin' t'say th' same thing." The others nodded in agreement.

"Aw, you're all so sweet! However, the final act of this little play hasn't even started yet. Hm, I thought she was right behind me, but…" Ritsuka peeked her head around the corner of the building, apparently staring down the walkway at someone on the other side. "Kiori, are you going to stand there looking at the floor all night, or come out and woo these gentlemen?"

"Ritsuka, this is so _silly_…"

"Oh, come on…" Ritsuka ducked back around the wall, returning a moment later with a reluctant, embarrassed – and thoroughly beautiful Kiori.

The young woman sighed and glanced at her male friends, the deep blue outer robes shimmering almost like jewels as she turned. Her fingers, draped in sky-blue sleeves, fiddled with the creamy white sash around her waist for a moment, as if attempting to adjust the embroidered flowers, then she seemed to give up and clutched them modestly behind her back. She glanced up at them through a wave of bangs, though most of her hair had been swept up into a small bun atop her head held together by a chrysanthemum hairpin, looking rather self-conscious about this new attire. She still managed to look lovely, however, her usual, 'cute' looks magnified a hundredfold by the dash of makeup across her eyes and lips and the flowing, silken Konan robes. "D…dou (Well)?" she finally murmured. "It doesn't look _too_ weird on me, does it?"

Koji and Tasuki realized that their mouths had dropped. They quickly shut them and shook their heads hard, flashing the young woman a pair of thumbs-ups. "Nah, ya look great, Kiori!"

"Mm! You look really pretty, Kiori-sama!" Aoi agreed.

A small, expectant hush fell across the group, as everyone waited for the last member of the male party to chime in his compliments. Chichiri didn't seem to realize they were looking to him, though, or indeed even seemed to realize that the others had spoken at all. He was looking straight at Kiori, an honest expression of surprise and joy apparent across his masked face, and even as he tried to get his mouth to work he couldn't think of anything to say. Nothing really seemed to do it justice. Only…

Fire raced up his side as someone's elbow jabbed hard into his broken ribs. He winced and glanced out of the corner of his eye to see a glaring Ritsuka, who seemed to be saying _'You say something nice or I'll tear your throat out_.That was what _he_ imagined, anyway, and the threat was finally enough to throw him out of his speechlessness. He took a limping step forward, smiling at the flushing college student. "Mm. They're right, Kiori. You look really beautiful." Her wide eyes flicked upwards to stare at him, but he'd already turned towards Ritsuka and Akai. "All of you do no da."

"Ain't that the truth," Koji agreed, since he seemed to be the only one in the group who was still somewhat coherent. "Hell, we gotta be about the luckiest guys in Konan right now, gettin' t'walk inta a party with girls like you."

"You're darn right you are!" Ritsuka agreed, apparently forgetting her earlier decision to behave like a lady. "And you know what that means, don't you?" She darted forward and shoved Akai practically into Aoi's arms, then attacked Kiori and did the same thing with her to Chichiri. Finally, she ran across the little walkway, ducking between Koji and Tasuki and looping her arms into theirs, grinning up at the two bandits. "All right, we are officially ready for this dinner to begin! After all, _every_ proper lady needs an escort, and you boys are just right for the job!"

"Well, I guess that makes sense, but," Aoi glanced down at the lovely girl beside him and blushed again, "how did you decide on _these_ arrangements, Ritsuka-sama?"

Akai and Kiori looked away, terrified at their friend's answer, but Ritsuka didn't miss a beat. "Why, it's just simple _logic_, Aoi-kun! See, you and Akai have known each other the longest, so it's natural that you'd go in together. And Kiori saved Chichiri's life, so she deserves to have him as her escort. And, since Hareya-chan announced me as Honorary Reikaku Bandit, it only stands to reason that I accompany our two boys here." She squeezed Tasuki and Koji's arms for effect, then nodded towards the dining hall doors and marched the group forward. "Now, lead us to the food!"

Aoi looked at Akai, whose smile made him turn ten shades of red. He looked down and offered his arm stiffly to the girl, who giggled and accepted it, practically dragging him down the walkway after Ritsuka and her two-person entourage. Kiori glanced up at Chichiri, who offered her a timid smile, gesturing towards his injured arm and then to the one holding his staff – which at this point he was leaning on heavily for support. "I'm a little too beat up to be much of an escort, but…" he offered her the arm that held the staff and she took it, adjusting the weight a bit so he could lean on her a bit, and the two trailed behind their comrades, laughing quietly at the picture their little group made.

"So do you know what this is about?" Kiori asked when she finally found her voice again.

Chichiri shrugged. "We were talking about that right before you got here, but none of us has any idea no da."

"I saw a bunch of people heading this way earlier, so it could be a party, or…" a thought seemed to slam into Ritsuka, and her eyes grew large and gooey. "Oh, d'you think she's planning a huge feast, just for us?"

Kiori joined her friend in drooling. "Mm, piles of the finest Chinese delicacies..."

"I want it now!" they both cried, streams of tears falling from their eyes.

Tasuki sweatdropped. "Geez, calm down, it's just food y'know."

Ritsuka whirled on him, about to give him a stern lecture on the folly of a statement like 'just food,' but Aoi interrupted her with his own quiet musings. "A feast or a party would make some sense, but why in the world did she ask me to come along? I'm not a Konan Warrior, or much of anything, come to think of it..."

Akai squeezed lightly at his arm. "Don't lie, Aoi, you've helped out plenty and you know it. How many Takkan did you kill today, hm? One hundred, one-twenty?" The boy blushed and stammered incoherently.

Koji rubbed at his back, glaring at the two youths. "I kinda hope it's a public punishment fer you two fer makin' me endure that torture this afternoon. Dammit, my back _still_ stings."

Tasuki looked at his friend curiously and Akai giggled, supplying the seishi with an answer to the unspoken question. "Don't worry about him, Tasuki-sama. Koji-san's just afraid of needles."

"I AM NO—!" Koji stopped halfway through his rant, watching with the others as the doors to the dining hall opened slowly.

Houki stood in the doorway, dressed in a long, elegant gown of violet trimmed in pale pink. Boshin stood next to her, clutching at her skirt with one hand and waving cheerfully to the group with the other. "Kon-wa! Welcome to the celestialation!"

Houki chuckled fondly. "He means celebration, of course. Please, come in, everything is ready and waiting for you." She took a step back and opened the doors wide, allowing the group of seven to look into the large dining hall – and at the myriad figures that sat before them. Nearly three full tables were lined with food and guests, all of them dressed in their very finest and chatting amiably, though more than a few paused to glance up at the new arrivals. Houki smiled, taking a step backwards and sweeping out one long-sleeved arm, Boshin imitating her with a flashy wave of his own. "May I welcome you to our banquet, my friends."

Everyone but Kiori and Ritsuka paled at the sight before them. "Holy crap…" Tasuki muttered under the general buzz of the crowd. "Is it too late fer me t'fake sick 'r somethin'?"

"Hm?" Kiori glanced over at the seishi. "Is something the matter?"

"Er, you c'd say that…" Koji agreed with a nervous chuckle. He waved weakly at one young man, who seemed to be gazing at him with utter adoration, and explained, "You see b'fore you, ladies, prob'ly th' biggest gatherin' of Konan officials, ministers, and magistrates that you ever will see – an' I'm jus' _guessin'_ at that, seein' as how I only recognize about five faces out there anyway."

"Oo, we're hob-knobbing with the rich and famous, huh?" Ritsuka said with a grin, peering at the crowd with renewed interest. "So who's on the guest list? Somebody fill me in."

Akai swallowed hard, nodding towards a pair of older men near the end of one table. "Well, there's the Minister of the Right, and the Minister of the Left. I think those are their families with them, but I've never met them personally… Oh, and there's Ran-shogun." (3)

"What? The army has an actual shogun?" Ritsuka of all people exclaimed. "I'd seen the guy around but I figured he was just another soldier with the way he took orders from you guys so smoothly. And he's so _young_, he can't be much older than you, Chichiri."

"He's only a year or two older than me, that's true, and he's not very experienced no da. During the war with Kutou a few years ago, most of our soldiers were killed, including the former shogun. Ran-sama is an intelligent person, but…"

"Akai's prob'ly got more experience than he does," Koji finished out of the corner of his mouth. "Most-a th' army's like that, t'tell ya th' truth – that's why Houki-sama was so worried when Takkan started gettin' hostile."

Ritsuka nodded slowly, taking this new tidbit of information in, then turned and glared at her companions. "And how come I'm the only Konan Warrior who was never told about this? Here I was, yelling orders at some guy I'm supposed to be _bowing_ to, and no one says a word to me?"

"Hey, he took th' orders, didn't he?" Tasuki said with a shrug. "Ran ain't worried about lookin' bad, Red – he's worried about keepin' the nation safe. He'll be a good shogun in a while, but right now he knows he ain't th' man t'be leadin' this army. I guess I even stoppedthinkin' of him as 'shogun,' t'tell ya th' truth. That's why I never bothered bringin' it up." The others nodded their agreement.

Houki glanced over at the wary group, who still hadn't made their way to the table, and beckoned them forward, smiling first at them and then at the long line of guests. "Minna-san, do not be intimidated. All of this is for _you_, after all. Please, sit down and help yourselves." She gestured towards the platters of food lined up along the main table, as well as the seven empty chairs on either side of the table nearest to her own seat. "I made certain that my chefs prepared only everyone's favorite meals, after all…"

At the allure of food, the Konan Warriors at last forgot their modesty and remembered their stomachs. Kiori and Ritsuka – perhaps because they had never met any of these so-called "prestigious figures" before – led the way, plopping down and tearing into the food with a will; the others joined them soon after, if not quite as passionately. Although the two bandits managed to at least keep up a pretense of forgetting about the other guests, Akai and Aoi kept flushing whenever one of the ministers or magistrates would look their way, and Chichiri seemed positively terrified to be sitting amongst the greatest of Konan's leaders. Houki, noting her companions' nervous expressions, sat herself at the head of the table and struck up a conversation as if they were eating a perfectly normal meal.

"I hear you had a bit of a surprise from Takkan this afternoon."

"We did, Houki-sama, but Koji-san took care of it all! He's really amazing out there, you should've seen him!"

"Oh, Koji fought today? Strange, I thought Yukeda-sensei had ordered him to stay away."

"Ha, you thought right, but my pal never was one t'turn down a good fight. Woulda been there myself if I'd been able to fire an arrow, but this damned shoulder—er, sorry..."

"That is quite all right, Tasuki. You have done so much for Konan that a little language is easily overlooked."

"A little language? You shoulda heard the things he was callin' me this morning, Houki-sama! He said—"

"Can it, Red!"

"Don't look so shocked, Houki-sama, they act like that all the time na no da."

"The language of love is an odd one, isn't it?"

"Language of _what_, Kiori?"

"You deserve it after all the teasing you've been giving me. Mm, this is good!"

"Teasing? About what no da?"

"Because Kiori loves—"

"FRIED CHICKEN!"

"Da..."

"Ah-hem!" someone at one of the other tables coughed officiously and the group looked over, staring into the stern face of the Minister of the Left. Remembering exactly _where_ they were eating, the Konan Warriors and Aoi glanced around, realizing that most eyes had turned to watch them and their unusual dinner conversation. They quickly fell into silence, waiting for the minister to continue. Once silence had fallen on the room, he coughed again and nodded towards Houki. "Your Majesty, while I realize our esteemed guests wish to continue their conversation, perhaps it would be best to move along with the ceremonies now. There is, if I am not mistaken, much that is scheduled on this lovely evening."

"Ah, yes," Houki agreed with a gracious smile, standing and offering that same smile to all of the guests. "Minna-sama, thank you all for coming tonight. I am aware that it was of some short notice, yet I see that not a person was forced to cancel, and for that I am most grateful. I also have a sneaking suspicion that this was due neither to my request nor to the excellent cuisine, but due to your respect for these exceptional people sitting before me, and for that I can only offer more of my whole-hearted agreement. Is there a more worthy reason to celebrate, I wonder, or more worthy people _worth_ celebrating?" She turned her eyes towards the seven before her, who sat blinking up at her with wide, surprised eyes, then quickly looked back up at the nodding heads of her other attendees and continued:

"Legend had it for centuries that the seven stars of Suzaku would one day be gathered, and the people of Konan would be granted years of peace. As you know, this legend was fulfilled three years ago – with the help of two of the very people who sit here, I might add." Houki paused for rumbled murmurs of agreement and scattered applause, and had to fight back her laughter as Tasuki grinned at the crowd and Chichiri attempted to hide behind his teacup out of sheer embarrassment. "That legend has ended, and yet our people have once more been gripped by the hand of war. In times of need, perhaps what a nation calls for is not the aid of its god, but the aid of its most courageous people." She paused to smile again at her companions, her face brighter and younger than it had looked in many months. "The people who sit before me today were brought together by a strange twist of fate, and a riddle that had been widely dismissed as rubbish. Though perhaps less famous than our miko's legend, I believe that these magnificent soldiers, monks, doctors – and yes, even bandits – have more than proven their valor and dedication to this land, and shall no doubt be remembered as some of the great heroes of Konan's history."

The audience nodded, voicing its agreement in a polite murmur. Ritsuka took the momentary pause to stuff more noodles into her mouth, attempting to keep up a dignified air as she slurped them over her chopsticks. Houki waited until the cheers had died down before going on. "Though this war is not over – in fact, I fear that the worst may very well be before us – amazing feats have already been accomplished by the seven people who sit before me." Aoi's eyes widened at the comment, and Akai flashed him a brief, encouraging smile. "Each of them has bravely set their life on the line to protect our nation, and indeed many of them have suffered greatly for their courageous deeds. Yet despite these risks, these injuries, these moments of desperation, they have continued forward without complaint, doing what they must to protect our nation… and one another. Ladies and gentlemen of Konan, I have gathered you here to ask that you aid me in honoring these brave people of our land, for I can think of no others who deserve it as much."

Some of the younger officials stood, erupting into unabashed applause, and before long the older members joined in as well, banging on tables, clapping hands together, and shouting out their gratitude and respect for the flushing young men and women at the head of the center table. Ritsuka and the two bandits grinned back; Kiori, Akai and Aoi flushed and stared at their plates; and Chichiri seemed almost frozen to his seat. Snatching a glance at him, Houki had to stifle another chuckle. She leaned down and whispered into his ear, "They are cheering for_ you_, my friend. The least you could do is acknowledge it."

"I… I didn't do anything worth mentioning, Houki-sama…"

"Oh? And I suppose you received those injuries _fishing_, then?"

He opened his mouth to protest again, but the others had noticed the conversation at this point and turned towards the monk. Ritsuka slapped him hand across the back and Tasuki clapped a hand to his shoulder, turning his friend towards the crowd of grateful, excited Konan politicians, aristocrats and soldiers, all gathered in one place to give thanks to those who had so selflessly protected their nation thus far. "C'mon 'Chiri, you oughta be soakin' this up!"

"Enjoy it, baka!" Ritsuka added with a cat-like grin. "If you're gonna get yourself beaten to a pulp and kidnapped by the Wicked Witch of the West, you might as well get a free banquet and some applause out of it!"

"After all," Kiori murmured quietly, "no one deserves it more than you, Chichiri. And I don't think anyone here would disagree with that."

"Hear, hear!" the Konan Warriors and Aoi all agreed with a roar of approval.

"I was… just doing what I had to do… no da…"

"Geeeeez, is this guy hopeless 'r what?" Koji cried with an exaggerated sigh. "I quit! Let's start praisin' someone else, okay? Like, hm… oh, how 'bout th' Empress givin' the speeches, huh? She's tossin' all these compliments on us an' is fergettin' that_she's_ a Konan Warrior, too!"

Houki blushed at the remark, and the rest of the group, sensing her embarrassment, immediately added in their own bits, creating an impromptu speech for the young Empress.

"A leader that can't be misjudged, that's fer sure!"

"Always doing everything for the good of Konan!"

"The best Empress that could ever lead a nation no da!"

"Thinking ahead, staying on task, handling all that boring political stuff while we get to have fun!"

"An' a great Mama too!"

The crowd seemed only too happy to throw in another wave of applause, though Houki enjoyed _this_ one much less than the others. "Ah, yes, well... doumo arigatou gozaimasu, minna-sama. I… thank you very much." She coughed nervously, hiding the action behind one of her layered sleeves, then turned to the Minister of the Left with another soft smile in place. "Well, while this is all very nice, I do believe there were some amusements scheduled for the evening, were there not?" The older man nodded and Houki breathed a sigh of relief. "Then it would be rude to ignore our esteemed entertainers. Minna-sama, if you would please retire to the inner chamber, you will see many splendid performances. I believe Kou-sama will be playing a beautiful piece on her erhu, and rumor has it that, if you encourage him a bit, Yuu-sama may regale us with some of his exquisite poetry…"

oOo

Far from the festivities of the Konan Palace, Kaze sat in the tiny back room of his small sanctuary, his eyes on the dim candle, a pellet rolling pensively back and forth between his fingers. The bedcovers at his side rose in ragged gasps as Tsuchi fought for air, conscious for the moment but still caught within Setsuka's cruel grasp. After several minutes his breathing evened out again, and Kaze knew that today's attack had at last ended. He said nothing for another long moment, though, eyes narrowing more and more as he stared into that tiny winking flame, Tsuchi's only light in this endless darkness.

'_But maybe not…' _he thought, almost timidly, almost as if he weren't quite sure if he should be thinking this – if he were even _allowed _to be thinking this. He bit hard at his lip, forcing himself not to feel frightened, forcing his uncertain thoughts to continue, to _become _certain, no matter what._'Maybe Tsuchi-kun, and Mizu-chan, and Sora, too… maybe they got another light they can start lookin' to. An' maybe that light c'n wipe out all-a these shadows fer good. An', jus' maybe… _I_ c'd be that, fer all of 'em.'_

"Nee, Tsuchi-kun?" Kaze murmured quietly, so quietly he knew the other boy couldn't hear him. "Whadda ya think would happen t' us if we jus' _killed _the bitch?"

oOo

The evening's entertainment carried far into the night, until the servants had to light the lamps in order for the performers and spectators to see properly. As the fireflies began to flutter in through the open windows, Houki at last called an end to the celebrations and encouraged her guests and friends to move out of the small rooms and into the courtyard for sake and star-gazing. Needless to say Tasuki and Koji agreed to this idea immediately, hauling their fellow warriors out into the open air and down to the sweeping gazebos and verandas that overlooked the palace pond. As the group waited for the officials to make their way down as well, Boshin tugged at his mother's skirts, waving a hand in front of his face. "Mama, Mama, is hot."

She looked down at the child and smiled. "It's not hot, Boshin-chan, it's just that you aren't used to wearing so many ceremonial layers of clothing."

"Yeah, is hot," he agreed.

"I hear that," Ritsuka agreed, waving her fan back and forth in front of her face. "I dunno how you do this every day, Houki-sama. Phew… we oughta just dive into the palace pond right now, huh Boshin-chan?"

"Yay, swimming!" Boshin cried, apparently taking Ritsuka's suggestion for a real one. He threw off the top layer of his robe and tossed himself into the shallow waters, grinning up at the rest of the warriors with a look of pure delight on his chubby face. "Is nice! Come on, Auntie Ritsuka, you can swim too!"

"Oh, dear, Boshin-chan…" Houki murmured, glancing nervously over her shoulder at the advancing magistrates. "That is no way for a young Emperor to act at all! If the Minister of the Left sees you…"

Akai jumped to her Empress' rescue, already peeling off the bright outermost layer of her garments as well. "It's all right, Houki-sama. I was thinking of going back to my room anyway, so I'll take him to Tai-san for you if you want."

"Wait, Akai! You worked so hard to look perfect for this!" Aoi protested, reaching for his friend's shirt. "I'll get him out, I shouldn't even be here, so—"

She shook her head hard, still hurrying towards the edge of the terrace. "Aoi, it's all right, you should drink sake with the boys and have a good time. I have to – to –" she tried to tug her sleeve out of his hold and threw herself off balance, teetering precariously over the edge of the pond. "Woah, woah, Aoi, let go, or – Boshin-chan, _no_!"

"Come on Akai, you play, too!" he cried cheerily, grabbing at her skirts and tugging her straight into the water, the off-balance Aoi splashing in after her.

Houki hid her face in her sleeves, but had to look up again at the sounds of mirth echoing from the edge of the pond. The two young warriors sat up to their waists in water, staring at each other and laughing uncontrollably, the smiling Boshin standing triumphantly between them.

"Hahaha, Aoi, you look like a wet cat!"

"Oh, yeah? Well, _you _look like a soggy carpet, with all those dresses you're wearing!"

"A soggy carpet, huh? Then let's see if we can't make you the matching _curtains_!" And with that she swept out a sleeve and splashed him straight across the face with a miniature wave of water. Aoi raised a hand to retaliate, but before he could fight back someone cried out "BANZAI!" and jumped into the pond, fancy robes and all, drenching the two young soldiers from head to toe.

They looked up to see Ritsuka standing in the shallows, gazing down at the two and grinning triumphantly. "HA! Now you're _both_ soggy carpets, and _I'm _the one who's got to throw you out to the garb—!" Another wave of water smacked her in the face, stopping her speech halfway. She spat out the pond water and glared down at the little prince, smiling sweetly back at her as if nothing had happened. "Oh-ho, so the Emperor thinks he can take on Ritsuka the Great, does he? Well, we'll see about that!" She snapped her fingers and glared over her shoulder. "Come, my noble retainers, and vanquish this pint-sized tyrant for me!"

Koji sweatdropped. "She talkin' t' us?"

"Think so," Tasuki agreed with a sweatdrop of his own. "Look, Red, as much as I'd _love_ t'embarrass myself in front-a th' crowd of ministers that's walkin' up that path, Yukeda-sensei'd bust a gut if I got this bandage-a his wet _again_ t'day. He already had t'redo th' entire thing after you dragged me into the pond earlier, so—"

The four in the water silenced him by splashing up a great wave over the edge of the veranda, hitting both bandits squarely in their chests and removing any hopes they might have had of avoiding Yukeda's wrath. Ritsuka smirked up at Tasuki, hands on her hips. "Your excuses have been revoked, Tasuki-chan! Now get in here and _help me vanquish!_"

"No vankish, no vankish!" Boshin cried, splashing water and Ritsuka, and the chant was soon taken up by Akai and Aoi, who imitated the boy's speech perfectly.

"Yeah… I'm gonna let you work this one out on yer own," Tasuki grumbled, taking a step back from the veranda – and finding himself blocked by an equally soaked fellow bandit.

Koji grabbed him by his uninjured shoulder, staring into his eyes with so much seriousness that Tasuki was momentarily taken off-guard. "Now, Genrou… are you _really_ gonna let one of our Honorary Bandits take a beatin' like that, an' from a bunch-a snot-nosed kids, too?" He clenched a fist and nodded, fire in his eyes. "No, sir, that ain't th' Reikaku Way! BANZAI!" And with a terrific push he shoved the unprepared Tasuki into the water, jumping in after him and immediately receiving a torrent of attacks from his two young friends.

"Snot-nosed kids, huh? Take _that_! And _that_!"

"Hah, that th' best you c'n do? C'mon, Genrou, they're gettin'_payback _from turnin' on me earlier! Let's show 'em how a real Reikaku battle is fought!"

"Hell no! I'm gettin' th' hell outta – eh? Oi, Akai, _quit that__already_! Agh, dammit, I… okay, that's it, yer gonna get it now! Reikaku Tessen Special…!" Tasuki whipped the fan off his back and used it like a ladle, shoving a veritable tsunami over the three younger members of the water war and sending them tumbling back into the water. "Hah! Enemies vanquished, Red!"

"RETALIATION STRIKE!"

"Son of a… I need back-up here, Koji! Quick! These little bastards don't know when t'quit…!"

Chichiri shook his head and chuckled at the group's behavior, but his smile dropped when he looked over and saw Houki's head buried in her sleeves. "That…" she murmured to herself, voice muffled through the thick material.

"Hou… Houki-sama…" the monk glanced from the fighters in the water to the approaching, puzzled ministers, then back to the Empress. "Da… Houki-sama, I'm sorry. If they're really embarrassing you that much, I can ask them to stop no da."

Kiori nodded in anxious agreement, moving to place a comforting hand on Houki's shoulder. "Yeah, I know you put a lot of work into making sure this party went well, so…" But Kiori never finished her sentence, because as she drew nearer to the Empress she suddenly realized that her shoulders were shaking, and it wasn't from tears. "Um… Houki-sama?"

"That… that… oh, Chichiri, Kiori, I _am_ sorry, but," Houki raised her head out of her sleeves, her face contorted with helpless giggles, "that looks like so much _fun_! It does not matter a bit to me what the officials shall think of it, my intention was only to make certain that my fellow warriors were able to enjoy themselves! Oh, and they truly _are_… I only wish I did not have my duties, otherwise I suspect I would be tempted to join them."

Chichiri and Kiori shot each other knowing looks over the Empress' head. "You know, Houki-sama…" Kiori began, leaning down to look into her friend's face. "The war against Ritsuka the Great and her wicked retainers takes place in a different nation."

"Eh? What do you mean by – oh!"

Chichiri and Kiori threw their weight into Houki's back and knocked her straight into the pond, where she fell with a startled splash right between the two warring sides and received four heavy splashes to the face before the others realized exactly _who_ they were attacking. The battle came to an abrupt end as Akai rushed to her Empress' side, helping her to her feet and apologizing the entire way. "Oh my goodness, Houki-sama, I'm so sorry! Are you hurt? I never thought you'd fall in… here, here, let me help you out, I'm really so terribly sorry, we've caused a huge scene, haven't we?"

"Akai," Houki murmured, raising her dripping head out of the pond. "I have something I must confess to you."

"What is it, Houki-sama?"

The Empress of Konan drew herself within an inch of Akai's face nose – and grinned impishly. "I'm a spy for Ritsuka the Great," she announced, and tossed a handful of water straight into her Palace Champion's face.

"Aaah, Mama's a spy, Mama's a spy!" Boshin cried, attacking her with every bit of water his tiny hands could reach. "Stop her stop her stop her!"

"Waaaagh, we've gotta save the spy!" Ritsuka cried, dashing out further into the water to come to Houki's aid.

The two soldiers and two bandits stared at each other across the water as if trying to make sense of what in heaven's name had just happened… then seemed to realize that there wasn't anything _to _understand, and with twin cries of "Stop her!" and "Save the spy!" they promptly dove back into the battle, kicking up such a mess that the ministers on the veranda had to take a step back to avoid getting their cloaks drenched.

"You know," Chichiri murmured to the woman at his side, "Boshin-chan's side is outnumbered, now."

Kiori glanced over at him, her eyes filled with a strange mixture of excitement and reluctance. "Oh… but… I mean, _you_ really can't join in, can you?"

"No," he agreed, smiling encouragingly. "But I was thinking of taking a seat on the edge of the veranda anyway, and maybe I'd shout out some advice to whatever team looks like it might be losing no da. People tell me I'm pretty good at that."

Her eyes snaked over to the water again, then back up to the monk. "You sure?" she murmured, maybe a little guiltily. There was no hesitation in his nod, though, and seeing that erased all of her doubts. "Okay, but don't blame me when Ritsuka-tachi come crying for help when _my_ attack sends them running! Here I come, Boshin-chan, help is on the way!" She released her hold on Chichiri's arm and jumped into the water, promptly getting a pounding from four enemy soldiers.

"Oh no, it's Kiori the Terrible! Quick, my loyal retainers, attack, attack! We've got to hold the pass! Konya, oretachi jigoku de taberu!" (4)

Chichiri eased himself into a sitting position at the edge of the terrace, setting his staff at his side and heaving a sigh that was perhaps a little regretful. Someone held out a cup of tea in front of him and he took it, glancing over to see the Minister of the Left standing at his side, looking particularly ashamed at the little group's behavior. "Thank you, Kakka (Your Excellency). Is everything all right no da? You don't seem to be enjoying the celebration as much as the others."

The Minister coughed and straightened his robes. "Begging your pardon, Chichiri-sama, but I have a very difficult time enjoying myself in these situations. On the one hand, I feel it is my duty as Regent to correct the young Emperor's behavior, yet when I see his own _mother_ participating as well… and might I add, Chichiri-sama, that I have never seen the Dowager Empress look as happy as she does now… I haven't the faintest idea what the proper ritual is for this situation."

"Maybe, in this situation…" Chichiri smiled and tipped his cup towards the older man. "One should just enjoy a cup of sake with his friends, and not _worry _about the proper ritual no da."

The older man's stern face crinkled into a quiet smile. "Hm. Superb advice, Chichiri-sama." The two watched in silence as the war within the pond seemed to draw to a close, the two sides meeting in the middle and convening quietly amongst themselves, throwing occasional glances at the shore. The minister took another sip of his sake and sighed. "I do fear the kind of gossip this will create… and I must ask myself – are these _truly_ the noble warriors who stand between Konan and its enemies?"

Chichiri turned his gaze towards the star-streaked night sky, smiling quietly to himself. "They are, and do you know, Kakka? I don't think there are any better for the job, not on this world or any other." He looked back at the minister, a faint flash of mischief dancing across masked features. "By the way Kakka, could you take four steps backwards, please?"

"Ah… if you wish, Chichiri-sama…" the minister did as he said, watching the monk with a raised eyebrow. "But why—?"

"SNEAK ATTACK!" seven voices cried out as one, and the chibi Chichiri was hit with a wave of water that sent him tumbling over backwards, shouting a startled "Daaaaa!" the entire way.

"We beat the land-monster, we beat the land-monster!"

"I told ya we'd do it if we teamed up, Boshin-chan! Wanna call us friends now?"

"Yeah, I's friends wiff Ritsuka the Great, now! Can we make friends wiff the land-monster, too? I bet he wanna be friends now that we vankished him!"

Chichiri shoved himself into a sitting position, staring across the water at the little Emperor. "Vanquished me?" he repeated, rubbing at his sore ribs. "Well, Boshin-chan…" he smiled cheerily at the group, raising two fingers to his lips. "I don't know if I'd say _that_ no da!"

"Aaaaah, it's a tsunami!"

"No, it's a wa—"

The next several seconds contained nothing but frantic splashing and blubbering noises from the group trapped beneath the miniature waterfall, though at last the deluge ended and they threw themselves across the side of the terrace, gasping for breath.

"Throw up the white flag, Boshin-chan! The land-monster is too strong for us!"

"Wow Mama, that was fun!"

"Fun? I _do_ worry about your sense of 'fun' sometimes, dear."

"Shit, guys, I think Genrou drowned in th' blast! C'n you find him?"

"Waaagh!" Ritsuka fell over backwards, a spluttering Tasuki emerging from underneath her. "Haha, I found him for you, Ko-Ko!"

"Sonofabitch, 'Chiri! I thought ya were too drained t'do magic!"

"Magic? That wasn't magic no da," Chichiri assured him with another grin. "Now, if you want to see_ real _magic…"

"We surrender, we surrender!"

The eight friends and comrades stared at one another, soaking wet and all smiles… and at last broke into helpless peals of laughter, their merriment carrying out past the pond, through the palace grounds, and far away into the starry night sky. The Takkan army sat at the horizon, Elements waited in the shadows, and Setsuka stood forever imposing in the distance. Yet somehow, on that murderously hot evening, surrounded by a gaggle of bewildered aristocrats and drenched from head to toe, each and every one of them – Emperors and Empresses, soldiers, doctors, monks, and yes, even bandits – couldn't help but look at one and chuckle, trading jokes and punches, and think, however wistfully, that they never, _ever_ wanted this evening to end.

oOo

Setsuka paced her bedroom chamber, casting restless glances out her open windows at the winking constellations of Suzaku. She bared her teeth at them, certain they were laughing at her, and strode towards the frame, her nails digging long marks into the wood.

"Yes, yes, I _know_ you're winning, I _know_ it!" she screamed to the night sky. "I know I've been unfortunate, and I know that you are all laughing at my misfortunes! But these are merely minor mishaps, they haven't bothered me in the least! You fools can't keep up this streak of luck for long! I'll bide my time laying out my next plan, carefully, down to the last detail! And when I put it into action, _you will die_! You hear me, Konan Warriors? I, Rei Setsuka, Daughter to the Late Commander Rei Toushi, Lady of Takkan and future Empress of Konan, swear that I will send each and every one of you to the gates of Hell before this war is over, just see if I don't!"

oOo

"_'The enraged Lady turned from the window, slamming her shutters tight and throwing herself onto the edge of her bed. Yet even as the flames of anger faded, a slow smile spread across her face, because her mind had already begun to think up her next move – a move that would, if performed properly, spell death for her enemies… Konan and Element alike.'_" Tetsuya shivered and held the book away from him like it was poisoned. "End Chapter Twenty-One."

--  
Tasuki: Things've quieted down here at Konan – well, if you count every other day attacks by some third-rate soldiers and their new half-wit general quietin' down. But I guess I can't complain too much - I'm healed up an' back out fightin' with Koji, and those Elements haven't shown their sorry faces in a while, so th' war's goin' pretty damn well when ya think about.

It looks like our break ain't gonna last much longer, though. Setsuka's taken her time cooking up her next plan, and it looks like it'll be time well-spent. Another Element's on the loose an' out fer blood, an' it don't look like this one'll be happy with jus' a simple duel.

On th' Next Episode of _Fushigi Yuugi: The Next Chapter_: "For th' Future - Th' Breakin' of the Wind an' Sky!"

Keep yer eyes open, guys! One way 'r another we're gonna whip this one, too!

* * *

**End Notes**

(1) Orange Range – a pop/rock group out of Japan, who specialize in cute ballads and ridiculously catchy dance tunes. I went ahead and posted "Onegai! Senorita" on my blog, because trust me – _you'd _pay good money to see the Konan boys singing it, too. :-) Just imagine them going at it karaoke-style when you listen. If you're not giggling before the first verse is over, then you might not be human.

(2) Tablets – In this scene, Sora is making a spirit-tablet (or more specifically, an ancestor tablet) for the "late" Hataku. These tablets are ritual objects usually seen in temples or at home altars, so Sora's method is quite unconventional – the fact that she's making one for Hataku at all is also unusual, as he is in no way related to her, but these are strange times our Elements are living in. They are created after the death of a family member and used as a way of honoring one's ancestor, as it is believed that part of the soul of the departed actually lives withinthe tablet for a time after the person's death. The tablets come from a mix of "popular" Chinese religion and Confucian ancestor worship, but Sora, who seems to be the most religious of the Takkan characters, is also using the tablet to serve another, more Buddhist purpose – for her, it functions as a spiritual medium that she can pray over in order to ask forgiveness for Hataku's crimes during life, in hopes that he can gain good karma and be reborn in a more pleasant form. (Interestingly, this enormous culture note is also proof of something equally important: your author is taking a very in-depth Eastern Civ class).

(3) Ran-shogun – Oh yeah, I made a _Saiunkoku_ reference. Look for another one later. Hint: It involves an erhu. (And for those of you who don't know what I'm talking about – what've you been doing all these months? Buy that first DVD of _The Story of Saiunkoku_ right this instant! Rob a hobo if you must for the money, just make it happen! This show is _way_ too good for you to miss!)

(4) "Konya, oretachi jigoku de taberu!" – Somewhat liberally, it means "Tonight, we dine in hell!" Yes, the pop-culture-happy Ritsuka is quoting _300_. Would you expect any less of her?

_**Ye Olde Author's Free Chat: November 26, 2007; 10:41 PM**_

Ni-hao, minna-san!

Yes, I've finally returned! And though you'll have to decide if the chapter was worth the wait, one thing _is_ certain… it was_long_! I couldn't really help it, though – I wound up revamping a ton, including a complete rewrite of the last few scenes, and one thing led to another… I think it looks longer than it really is, though, seeing as how the last part is mostly (silly) dialogue between the warriors. Hopefully it didn't take anyone too terribly long to read! I didn't want to cut it in half though because nothing terribly exciting happens, and I opted for one chapter of Cute Character Development instead of two. We get plot next time (yay, plot!)… though, with that episode preview, you might be wishing we weren't (sweat).

Now, about my long absence… excuses abound, but you don't need to worry about them. Just know that this might become the norm, and the main reason is this: I'm busy, busy, busy. I don't want to say that "FY:NC is going on hiatus" or anything like that, because that isn't really my intention, but just keep in mind that I've got a lot of other things going on right now, and fanfics are kind of on the back-burner. I'll keep trying, though, so I can give you that much at least. :)

This episode was enormous, so we'll skip on a Character Profile again. And there may not be Author's Notes for the next few of episodes due to various reasons. So… well, let's go ahead and say I'll throw together some more profiles when the "Third Season" of FY:NC kicks up on Episode Twenty-Seven (with a more serious storyline and brand new opening/ending themes!).

Thanks for sticking with me, everyone, and I'll see you in the next update, whenever that may be!

Back to work – Dee ;)


	22. Episode Twenty Two: For the Future

_**Disclaimer**_ I still don't own Konan, Suzaku and all characters and seishi pertaining to them. Kiori and Ritsuka are and shall forever be mine, and that holds for all the other "originals" (you'll know 'em when they appear, trust me). Obviously the story is mine as well.

_**Rating:**_ PG-13, for moderate language and violence.

**Musical Selection: **"Sunflower" works pretty nicely with the "guy talk" scene in the middle, but I don't have any special selections this time around. I downloaded the two_Saiunkoku Monogatari _soundtracks the other day, though, so once I get better acquainted with those I imagine a lot of them will start popping up in here. Chinese instrumentals for the win, doncha know.

_I'm obligated to plug a fanfic for my roommate/editor, because she might cut off my pinkie in my sleep if I don't. So everyone should go check out "Love Like Fire" by Ane-san (she's in my review page if that helps you find her). Oh, and don't let the description fool you – it s a comedy. Or maybe "satire" would be a better word for it. Anyway, just go read it and laugh. It's easily the most horrid, disturbing, and _hilarious_ thing I've read in a long time._

* * *

**--Episode Twenty-Two: For the Future--  
The Breaking of the Wind and Sky**

Tetsuya poked Keisuke in the cheek. "Keisuke, wake up buddy." He mumbled something rude and swatted a hand at Tetsuya's hand. His friend was persistent, though, and attempted another tactic. "Keisuke, buddy... Yui bought a fresh pack of beer..."

Yui giggled. "Let me have a try." She leaned in next to the college boy and shouted in his ear, "Oh no wake up fast Setsuka just captured all of the Konan Warriors!"

Keisuke sprang awake with a start, reaching out with a fist and unintentionally smacking Tetsuya in the forehead. "Huh! She did what? Lemme at her..." he blinked sleepily. "Oh, hi Yui, hi Tetsuya. What happened to your face? It looks like you got hit."

An anger vein popped out on Tetsuya's face. "Baka..." he whapped him over the head with the book. "Here I am, waking you 'cause I think things are about to get dangerous, and you go and beat me up for it! You're as bad as your sister sometimes, you know that?"

"You don't have to be _that_ harsh…" Keisuke muttered, then turned his attention to the book that had been shoved under his nose. "Did I miss much?"

Yui laced her hands behind her head, leaning back against the couch. "I'll give you a quick run-through on the details, but then you've gotta start reading. I got a bad feeling from reading those last lines…"

oOo

Kiori yawned wide, grabbing at a nearby hair-tie and pulling her hair back into a short ponytail. She glanced over at Ritsuka, who was struggling with her Konan-style undershirt. "I can't believe it's been over two weeks since Chichiri and I got back to the palace. Time sure does fly, doesn't it?"

"Mm-hm," Ritsuka agreed. She shot her friend an accusing glare out of the corner of her eye. "Two whole weeks, and you've made absolutely no progress with Chichiri."

"Oh Ritsuka, you aren't going to bring _that_ up again, are you?"

"I can't help it," she said, closing her eyes. "It just totally boggles my mind how a person can be head over heels in love with another person and keep it hidden for so long... or, at least, try to." She opened one eye to peek at her friend. "If you'd let me give you a helping hand..."

"Oh for heaven's sake, not this lecture again," Kiori grumbled under her breath.

"...then you'd have been tripping the light fantastic with your little honey-monk a week ago. I know how to get a guy to admit his feelings, and if you'd listened to some of my advice Chichiri would've either been jumping at the chance to say he loved you, or have told you that little fact already. And even if he isn't in love with you – which I'm pretty darn sure he is, but we won't go into that – well, there're a million ways to get a guy to fall for a girl..." Ritsuka trailed off as she realized that Kiori was reciting the lines with her, matching her facial expressions and body motions perfectly. The redhead scowled at her friend. "Dammit, I'm being serious!"

"Dammit, so am I," Kiori shot right back. "Ritsuka, your view of love and romance aren't as accurate as you think they are. Just let me do this my way, all right?"

"Well excuse me," Ritsuka sniffed. She brushed her long red hair out, preparing to weave it into a braid, but stopped suddenly, noticing something strange in the nearby mirror. "Oh, crap."

"What's wrong?"

Ritsuka pointed to her forehead, where a streak of black had begun to invade her fire-red locks. "I've been trying to hide it for the past couple weeks, but there's no hiding _that_. My stupid dye is finally kicking the bucket." She sighed, rubbing a hand over her eyes. "My blue contacts have been acting up recently, too… pretty soon I'm gonna look like a plain old Japanese girl…" she sighed, flopping back into a chair and sniffing dramatically. "First your heart, now my hair… This Konan place is just too cruel, Kiori-chan."

Her friend sweatdropped. "Are you sure you weren't an actor in a former life? It's not that big of a deal. I'm sure they have hair dyes around here, that stuff's been around forever, hasn't it? And even if they don't maybe Chichiri can help you out. He's certainly talented at changing his _own_ appearance, anyway..."

"Hey, that's not a bad idea!" she agreed, springing right back to life as if nothing had happened. "And while I'm talking to him about_that_, I could discreetly bring up a certain someone and her certain feelings, and—"

"Don't you dare!" Kiori halfway snapped, grabbing at Ritsuka's collar just as she tried to bolt out the door. "The last thing I want is to scare him off anymore than I already have."

"Well what _else_ am I supposed to do? _You_ won't even mention it to him. _Two weeks_ and you—"

"Have been busy," she finished, interrupting her overzealous friend yet again. "And he's been busy, too. Between Yukeda-sensei running me ragged and the ministers constantly asking him and Tasuki to show up at meetings, I don't see him any more than you do, except when I give him his check-up." Ritsuka sniggered and Kiori sweatdropped again. "Would you get your mind out of the gutter for five seconds? Just because his arm came out of the sling a few days ago doesn't mean he isn't still injured. That hit Taiyou gave him just won't seem to heal up correctly, it's driving Yukeda-sensei mad. I've been changing out the bandages on_ that_, is all."

Kiori sighed, plopping down on the single bed and staring out the nearby window. "Truth be told, though, even then we don't really talk about much of anything. It's weird, but… I don't feel like I'm as close to Chichiri as I was those first days when we got back to the palace. Ever since..."

_"If I say I'm fine, then I'm fine, dammit!"_

"…Oh, hell, I dunno. Ignore me, Ritsuka, the heat's just making me stupid."

Ritsuka nodded and waved a hand in front of her face. "Well I can certainly understand _that_, but—" The redhead stopped short, her ears perking up as a voice echoed faintly outside the door. She went over to the door and opened it, just in time to see a servant run by yelling the call for an attack.

Kiori frowned. "You fighting today?"

"Yeah, I might as well head up that way after I talk to Chichiri," Ritsuka muttered, grabbing her bow from the corner. She chuckled, saying with an exaggerated sigh, "All this fighting gets so monotonous after a while, you almost wish an Element _would_ attack."

oOo

Setsuka watched the two girls from one of Mizu's seeing-crystals, smiling viciously at the redhead's last words. "Be careful what you wish for, little girl. Sometimes wishes have nasty ways of coming true."

Mizu closed off the crystal's connection, glancing over her shoulder at her mistress. "Are you thinking about attacking again, my Lady?"

Setsuka waved a dismissive hand. "Perhaps, perhaps. You needn't concern yourself with it, Mizu-chan – whatever happens, it will not involve you."

"Or Houjun?"

"Or Houjun," Setsuka lied with a smile. "Why don't you go back downstairs for a while? Oh, and would you please send Sora to me? I wish to speak with her."

"Hai, my Lady."

Setsuka waited as Mizu trotted out of the room. As soon as she was out of sight, the Lady began to pace restlessly. She hadn't spent the last two weeks in vain; every moment of her time had been devoted to thinking up a perfect, flawless, deadly plan against her enemies, and at last she was ready to put it into play. _'How couldn't I have seen it before? When that seishi Chichiri is gone, Konan is helpless. That monk is the very backbone of their Warriors. If I manage to kill him, then things become much easier._

'_Even so, I cannot simply send a warrior after him, he would easily defeat Kaze, and Sora too, talented as she is. No, the only solution is to assassinate him quickly, and while he is still too injured to properly defend himself. I'll send Kaze in to do it. One of those pellets of his must surely allow him to sneak into the palace undetected. A swift sword-thrust is all it would take...'_

Setsuka frowned, pausing to tap out an irritated rhythm against the floor._'But what shall I tell Mizu-chan? She will surely learn of that monk's death, and when she discovers that he died at the hands of an Element…' _

"Of course!" she cried aloud, clapping her hands together. "When – and if – that fool Kaze returns, I'll simply tell Mizu-chan that Kaze deliberately went against my orders! That troublesome boy has been acting rather rude to me recently as it is... I'll offer to have him executed for treason! Yes, that will be perfect! Now of course Mizu-chan will never allow that to happen, so I needn't worry about losing another Element, but all the same a few nights in the prison cells will certainly cool that temper of his, I should think." She made a swiping motion with her hand, eyes flashing. "An enemy and an annoyance gone, all in one swift strike! Setsuka, my dear, you truly have thought this one through from beginning to end. Nothing can possibly go wrong now."

oOo

Oblivious to Setsuka's new plans, Tasuki and Koji had positioned themselves comfortably on the gatehouse roof for the battle against Takkan. It had recently become their favorite sniping location, as it was too high for the enemy soldiers to hit but close enough to the battle that they could cause damage in the ranks.

Tasuki stretched his shoulder, which had only just come out of its cast, and gripped his bow in his hand. He notched an arrow to the string and, scowling at his shaking right arm, fired into the Takkan ranks. "Ch, nicked him in th' shoulder! Little more t'the left an' he wouldn't-a seen sunset."

"Yer outta practice, cripple," Koji squinted down the shaft and sent a quick, smooth shot through an enemy's neck. "Ha!" He scratched a mark in the grit that covered the gatehouse tiles. "Got another one, skinny buck-toothed guy."

Tasuki swore. "I been after that one all mornin'." He glared at his friend. "An' whadda ya mean, cripple? Yeah, my arm might be a littleweak, but it ain't crippled! I could prob'ly cripple _you_ with it..."

Koji gripped his friend in a chibi headlock, rubbing a fist in his hair. "Y'think so? You jus' try it, an' we'll find out if a Genrou c'n fly – straight off this roof!"

"Gah! That hurts ya bastard! Okay, okay, I give, uncle!" Koji let go of his friend, who rubbed at his neck ruefully. The seishi turned his eyes back to the battle only to find the Takkan soldiers retreating. "Oi, looks like we won another battle, doesn't it Koji?" He yawned, stretching and popping his back. "Gets almost borin' after a while, all these pissant little fights every few days."

Koji nodded, watching them retreat. "It's funny... you'd-a thought Setsuka woulda sent another Element out by now. Two weeks is a long time, _an'_ we've all been injured – seems like it'd be th' perfect time t'strike if ya ask me. Wonder what she's plannin' in that palace-a hers?"

Tasuki clapped a hand on his friend's back, accidentally sending him toppling off the gatehouse and straight to the stone rampart below. "Couldn't tell ya, I'm not a psychic! Guess we'll jus' have t'take each fight as it comes, na, Koji?" He blinked, looking down at his friend. "Koji?"

The bandit leader's leg twitched slightly. "Itai..."

"Oops, sorry 'bout that," Tasuki sweatdropped. "Well, after you almost stranglin' me... we'll call it even."

Tasuki hopped down lightly on his feet, giving Koji a hand up. As they neared Tasuki's room – trading friendly insults and punches the entire way – the seishi had a thought. "Oh, I meant t'ask ya, how many'd you get t'day?"

Koji did a quick count in his head. "Ano... fifteen. You?"

"Only seven," he grumbled. "Damned busted arm. Anyway, that makes my total sixty-three. You?"

The bandit leader thought for a moment, turning his eyes skyward. He snapped his fingers after a moment and smiled wryly. "Y'won't b'lieve this. Sixty-three."

"We're tied?" Tasuki snickered. "I did so crappy t'day, an' we're still tied..."

"You got Element points!" Koji reminded him heatedly. "I'm ahead on th' body count by nine, but since we're gettin' technical an' goin' with points yer still winnin'. _An'_ don't ferget that I was nice enough not t'count all those Takkan soldiers I been killin' while you've been outta commission." He flashed a cocky smile. "Don't worry, though, this tie won't last fer long. I got experience on my side, an' that'll always win out in th' end."

"Experience? Yer only two years older'n me!"

"Two years is plenty-a time t'learn new tricks that certain younger friends might not know," Koji reminded him with a knowing wag of his finger.

Tasuki opened his mouth to argue, but then decided against it. He shrugged carelessly, lacing his hands behind his head. "Whatever you say, Ojii-chan (Grandpa)."

"Ojii-chan?" a chibi Koji barked. "Now wait just a damn minute..." He stopped mid-sentence, head cocked as he listened to the soft patter of feet from behind them. "Oops, get ready Genrou, yer favorite redhead's on th' attack."

Almost as soon as the words were out of his mouth Ritsuka's cheerful voice bellowed out behind them, and neither had to turn around to know that she was leaping straight for the seishi's back. "Taaaaaaaaaasuki-cha—aaaaaaaaagh!"

At the last possible second, the chibi seishi had ducked, though he managed to look up just in time to see Ritsuka go flying over his head and slam straight into one of the walkway's columns.

"Owie..." she growled, face firmly implanted in the wood.

The seishi jerked a thumb at the plastered Ritsuka, turning to look plaintively to his friend. "Aw, c'mon Koji, that's gotta count for _some_ points!"

Koji rubbed his chin and hopped around the young woman, as if studying her predicament from every angle. "Hm... the craftsmanship is excellent... an' so realistic too... a stunnin' palace ornament, Gen-chan!"

The two friends collapsed against each other in laughter.

Ritsuka pulled herself free, whirling to face the duo. "You... you..." she glared at Tasuki, fire in her blue eyes. "THAT WASN'T VERY NICE TASUKI-CHAN!"

Koji and Tasuki glanced up at the roar, and both immediately burst out laughing again. "Oh haha, Red, yer face matches yer hair! 'S one giant red mark! Haha, that'll teach ya not t'jump on my back without askin'!"

The college girl's eyebrow twitched. She held up a chibi fist, clenching it tightly. "Tasu…ki…chan..." He just laughed harder, and finally she gave up on whatever self-control she might have had and slammed the fist into his forehead.

The seishi grabbed his skull. "OW! Red!"

"You know you deserved it so don't act like you don't!"

"That so? Well, then you deserve this, too! REKKA SHIN'EN!"

Ritsuka hopped around, beating out the small flames on her pants. "Tasuki-chan, that's a cheap shot! I don't have a fancy tessen to wave around! Oo, you singed my shirt too, you little... little...!" she spluttered, trying to choose a word that fit the seishi perfectly and finding herself too angry to think of one. "That's it! Your ass is going in the pond!"

"You'll have to catch me first Red!" Tasuki said with a cackle, dashing off down the walkway.

"COME BACK HERE YOU DAMNED BANDIT!"

Koji watched the chibi duo dash off in a cloud of dust, smiling to himself. _'Those two jus' get weirder 'n' weirder. They fight like demons, but it's so obvious how much they like each other. Ah, reminds me-a me 'n' Hareya when we first met. Damn, was she ever a handful... Musta thought th' same about me, come t'think of it...' _He turned his eyes skyward, his smile turning into a light frown. "Wonder how she's doin', anyway?"

The bandit leader strolled through the palace grounds, on a roundabout way to the gardens. Unlike the other Warriors, who enjoyed their free-time by the pond, Koji found the fruit trees perfect for a nap… and an afternoon snack, of course. He chuckled softly. "Huh, deep down, Koji, yer a real homebody, that's what you are. Been gone from Reikaku fer little over a month an' y'miss it already. Still, I can't help but hope everyone's doin' all right..."

As he neared the pond, he heard a strangled cry and a splash, followed by a female voice. "Okay, we're even now, Tasuki-chan!"

"The hell we are! Get back here Red, an' I'll toss you in th' pond an' see how you like it! Dammit, now I'm all wet 'n' this jacket takes hours t'dry!"

A couple seconds later Koji heard the distinct sounds of Ritsuka's pleading screams, and then another loud, belly-flop of a splash. This time, it was Tasuki's voice that proudly declared, even as Ritsuka spat death threats at him, "NOW we're even!"

oOo

Sora knelt before her Lady's throne, keeping her gaze focused on the floor. "You called for me, Setsuka-sama?"

"Report to me please," Setsuka said, "on the other Elements."

"I don't see them very much anymore," Sora admitted, choosing her words with the utmost care. "I've been very busy. But… Mizu-chan seems to be doing much better than she was. I think that might be due to your Ladyship's attention – the two of you enjoy one another's company quite frequently, I have noticed."

"Mizu-chan is recovering from the other Elements' deaths," Setsuka agreed. "However, you needn't waste words on her. She is not my concern. The others, Sora."

Sora nodded, still keeping her eyes planted on the floorboards. "Tsuchi-kun… lives. He is quieter now than he used to be. Perhaps he has grown accustomed to your Ladyship's punishments. I couldn't say for certain, though. I do not visit him very often, but Kaze keeps him company from time to time."

"Mm," Setsuka purred. "And how _is_ Kaze, my dear? I have seen little of him these past couple of weeks, he is so busy in the training rings."

"He's improved quite a lot," Sora agreed. "He's really thrown himself into his exercises. I think it helps him…" she hesitated, then continued on a somewhat different track. "At any rate, he awaits your commands, as we all do, my Lady."

"Sora, look at me please." The Sky Element bit her lip but did as Setsuka commanded, moving her head upwards until their gazes met and locked across the short distance. "Now, tell me the full truth, and don't mince words. I'm aware of Kaze's anger – I can feel it as if it were my own." She brushed a hand against the white gem on her neck to prove her point. "Unfortunately, he does not allow me to see into his thoughts. I believe he has no such reservations with _you_."

Sora thought she felt frustrated tears sneaking into the corners of her eyes, but she hurriedly blinked them away. When she finally spoke it came out in a flurry of stunted sentences, as if she had to force each word past her lips. "You're right, my Lady. Kaze is upset. He doesn't agree with what you've done. To Tsuchi-kun. To Hataku-sama. He doesn't understand. He says things…" she swallowed hard, but forced herself forward, "things that frighten me. About how he should rebel against you." Setsuka's eyebrows shot upwards and Sora took the moment to cry out, "But I'm certain he doesn't mean any of it, my Lady! Kaze's always been like that, you see, he just says whatever comes to mind without really _meaning_ it. He's just frustrated because he's cramped in the palace, I'm certain that's what it is. If he had a chance to fight, even if it were just with the Takkan soldiers, then I'm sure—"

"That is enough, Sora," Setsuka murmured, and the girl's jaw snapped shut. "I understand the need to defend your comrade, but I will not tolerate excuses." She stroked the white gem on her neck thoughtfully, a slow smile gracing her features. Sora had to fight back a shudder at that smile. "Nevertheless, you may be right. As it happens, I was thinking of sending Kaze into the Konan Palace on an assassination mission. Since you have recommended the same thing, I now _know_ that I shall do it. Thank you for your cooperation, Sora. As always, your loyalty and dedication are greatly appreciated."

"Hai, my Lady."

She touched her head to the floor and took that as her sign to leave, but just as she stood the Lady's merciless voice stopped her. "Oh, and Sora? I _do_ hope you are correct about Kaze's whims. However, if your friend's angry words grow beyond merely words…" Their eyes met and Sora felt her blood turn to ice. "I will trust _you_ to handle the matter before it becomes _my_ problem. Do you understand me, my dear?"

The Sky Element nodded, even as she felt her stomach drop into her knees. But she couldn't turn back now. She had decided that two weeks ago. "H… hai, my Lady. Your will is my own."

oOo

Chichiri strolled through the palace grounds at a leisurely pace, enjoying the warm spring weather. He turned his masked face upwards, and stretched his arms, fully healed, towards the sun, but had to immediately jerk them back down as a lance of fire raced up his side. He sighed and rubbed at the tender injury, still covered with a thick padding of bandages. _'Taiyou isn't going to let me forget him anytime soon, is he no da?'_

Chichiri glanced towards the horizon, where the faint glimmer of his protective shield _still_ remained absent, leaving Konan painfully open to attack. _'Ki blasts are such a pain,'_ he grumbled to himself. _'I'll be lucky if this one heals up in _another_ couple weeks, and until then it'll keep sapping my energy like always. Da… I'll never get a chance to rebuild that barrier no da.'_

He frowned and turned his masked eyes back to the ground, his hand dropping limply from his injured side. _'Of course, if I asked for Kiori's help, I might be able to do it now, but…' _he sighed again, this one a little on the frustrated side. _'It really wouldn't be fair to her, after how distant I've been these past couple weeks no da. But there isn't really anything I can _do_ about that. I don't want her to get the wrong ideas, after all…'_

"Oh well," he muttered out loud, shaking his head and forcing himself to brighten up a bit. "The Takkan soldiers have made so little progress, keeping the shield down a bit longer shouldn't hurt us much no da."

The monk glanced around, suddenly realizing that he had traveled to the palace gardens. His stomach rumbled and he laughed. "Ha, while my mind was wandering my stomach was doing the walking no da." His single eye roved over the many different kinds of plant life, finally landing on a berry patch not too far away. "Mm, a goji sounds good right about now no da." (1)

Obligingly, one came zinging out of the bush and hit him in the side of the head. Chichiri rubbed his skull, looking towards the bush. He smiled, reaching out with his recovering powers and sensing the familiar ki. The monk chuckled. "No, plumper than that no da."

Another one flew through the air, but this time Chichiri was prepared. The chibi monk jumped up and skillfully caught the food in his mouth, chomping down and swallowing it in two quick bites. "Ten points na no da!" he cried, flashing a victory sign. He nodded towards the bush. "You can come out now, Koji, unless you want to keep feeding me no da."

A peach hit him in the side of the head. "Jus' 'cause yer still an invalid doesn't mean I'm playin' nurse! Feed yerself if ya want some, an' ya better hurry 'cause I'm takin' the good ones fer myself!"

Chichiri smiled and stepped gingerly through one of the berry bushes, taking in the glade where Koji had decided to spend the afternoon. It was a small clearing wedged nicely between a semi-circle of bushes and another semi-circle of fruit trees. The bandit sat underneath one of the trees, his back up against the trunk and a juicy peach in his hand. He winked and bit into the tempting fruit. "They taste a lot better b'fore they hit monk heads." Chichiri flicked a goji berry at the bandit. Koji caught it in his mouth without skipping a beat. "Taste better air-born, too."

The monk took a seat near the bandit, leaning against a tree bearing some sort of nut. He closed his eye against the bit of sunlight that managed to seep into the cool clearing. "So, is this where you always run off to when you want to be alone no da?"

Koji nodded. "S'nice place t'go when y'need t'just sit 'n' think. You 'n' the others're always out by th' pond, but you should come over here sometime. Better fer yer stomach this way."

Chichiri had to agree as he tossed up another goji and caught it in his mouth. "Thinking about anything special no da?"

"Not really," he admitted with a shrug. "Jus' Reikaku, the gang, an' Hareya too. I miss her... er, I miss all of 'em, I mean. Nothin' against the palace 'n' you all, a-course. I'm havin' a blast out here, but..."

"As the saying goes, there's no place like home," Chichiri said with a wistful smile. "Must be nice, having a place where you belong na no da."

Koji scratched at his head and chuckled. "Y'know, I jus' realized that fer all the time we've known each other I dunno hardly anythin' about you, 'Chiri. Where's _your_ home, huh?"

The monk frowned, taking a moment to consider the question before he answered. "I guess I don't really have one no da. My village and most of the people in it were destroyed by a flood. I visit Taikyoku-zan sometimes, but really the only things that belong there are the Nyan-Nyans and Taiitsukun no da. The monastery where I received tonsure and training is always open to me, but I feel so cramped if I stay there for very long. Too many rules na no da." Koji had to laugh at that. "And I _do _hang around the palace every once in a while, but what with everyone calling me 'Chichiri-sama' it's more like I'm an honored guest than a resident." He nodded, as if confirming what he'd known all along. "Mm, I'm just a wanderer no da." (2)

"Is that right?" Koji murmured with a quiet frown. There had been no real sadness in Chichiri's voice, but even so, the bandit couldn't help but feel a little sorry for him. He threw an arm around his friend's shoulder, punching him playfully with his free hand. "Well, yer welcome t'make Mount Reikaku yer home anytime ya want!"

Chichiri chuckled. "Thanks for the offer, but I think I'll have to pass no da. I like Reikaku, it's just..."

"It ain't yer cup-a sake, na?"

"You could say that no da. No offense."

"None taken. Bandit life ain't fer everyone," Koji agreed with a shrug, releasing his grip on the monk's shoulder and tossing his peach pit out onto the path.

"YOWCH!"

Chichiri and Koji looked at one another, then out to the path. The bandit leader raised an eyebrow. "Oi, that sounded jus' like Gen—"

An orange blur dove through the bushes and tackled Koji to the ground, whacking him over the head with the hilt of his tessen. "What's with the food-chuckin'? I coulda been knocked out, 'specially after th' beatin' Red 'n' I gave each other! Go on, start explainin', what gives you th' right t'try 'n' kill yer loyal friend an' fearless leader with a peach pit, huh?"

Koji held a hand up to ward off the light tessen blows, kicking out with both feet and knocking Tasuki off of his chest. He grinned, holding up his fingers as he ticked off the many reasons why he _did_, in fact, have such a right. "'Cause I'm bigger, stronger, better, smarter, older, more experienced, braver, and _much_ attractiver'n you!"

Tasuki rubbed at his stomach, glaring hard at his friend. "Well, you already proved that you ain't smarter than me. 'Attractiver' ain't a word, ahou."

The two attempted to stare each other down, but before long smiles started to twitch at the corners of their mouths. They laughed and scooted away from one another, taking seats against separate, nearby tree trunks. Tasuki picked a persimmon off one of the tree's low-hanging branches and attacked it with a will. "So, what're you two doin' over here?"

"Eatin'," Koji said, at the same time Chichiri said, "Talking no da."

"Both? Musta been tricky," Tasuki said with a snicker.

Chichiri tossed another goji belly at the bandit, smiling as it plunked off his red hair. "Talking, _then_ eating, no da. What about you?"

The seishi rubbed at the hem of his still-soggy shirt. "Escapin' the wrath-a Red, what else?" He shook his head. "She's such an annoyin', stubborn, hot-headed... tough, entertainin', brave little nutcase." Tasuki didn't miss the look that passed between monk and bandit. "Eh? What's with th' knowin' little glances?"

"Somewhere between 'annoying' and 'nutcase,' it sounded like you actually liked her no da," Chichiri remarked.

Tasuki choked on his fruit, spluttering in indignation. "WHA? Me, like Red? Whatta... whatta..." They just smiled at him, and seeing those smiles Tasuki realized that it was a lost cause. He sighed and shrugged, chomping into his persimmon again and saying around a stream of juice, "Ah, I guess she ain't all that bad once ya get t'know her." He didn't like the way Koji and Chichiri kept looking at each other like they knew something he didn't, so he opted to change the subject. "So what were you talkin' about?"

"Not much," Koji replied, lying back in the grass. "I was jus' sayin' that I kinda missed Hareya. An' the guys, of course."

Tasuki chuckled. "If the gang only knew what a softie their boss was."

"_Temporary_ boss," Koji reminded him. "Once you decide t'settle back down on Reikaku, I c'n be as much of a softie as I want, an' _you_ c'n be th' hardass – an' it'll make my life a hell of a lot easier, too." He closed his eyes, rubbing at the scar on his cheek thoughtfully. The bandit leader waited a moment, soaking in the peaceful silence of the afternoon before he gained up enough nerve to continue. "Ah, but take yer time, a-course. I'm sure you got all sorts-a other places you wanna go b'fore y'make Reikaku yer permanent home again. Speakin' a-which, what're you two plannin' on doin' once we've won this war?"

Tasuki shrugged. "I dunno. We got any plans, 'Chiri?" The monk shook his head. "Why d'you ask?"

"Well, I was kinda wonderin' if th' two of you'd like t'come back t'Reikaku fer a while."

"Sounds like a good idea to me no da," Chichiri remarked. "I missed the last 'Welcome Back Genrou' party, after all, and I'd love to meet Hareya-san. But…" he smiled, "I don't suppose there's any special _reason_ for this visit no da?"

"Er..." Koji coughed and tugged at his shirt collar, not at all sure how to begin. "Th' truth is, I was kinda plannin' on, uh, sorta, maybe, y'know, proposin' t'Hareya when I got home. An', y'see, she grew up in a good home and she's a proper lady, not like th' boys 'r me, so I wanted t'make sure we did it right, like a real ceremony an' everything, an', y'know, I was sorta hopin' the two of ya c'd be there fer th'… fer th' weddin', an' all."

Tasuki sat up, staring at his friend with a look somewhere between confusion, happiness, and maybe just a touch of jealousy. "Man, I c'd tell you two liked each other, but I didn't realize it was that serious. Yer really in love with her, ain't'cha?" Koji shrugged and Tasuki chuckled, rubbing a hand against his chin. "Yep, b'fore y'know it there'll be a couple little Mitsuragi Kojis runnin' all over Reikaku... heh, maybe more'n that if you an' her are really into it..."

Koji jumped up and tackled his friend to the ground. "A guy's gotta settle down sometime 'r another, doesn't he? At least I ain't a virgin-bachelor like you, Genrou!"

Tasuki's eyes narrowed on the word "virgin," and he looked so serious that both of his friends fell silent for a long moment, until he nodded resolutely and said, "Chichiri?"

"Hai?"

"I changed my mind. There _is_ somethin' we gotta do." He threw back his head and announced with a determined bellow, "Suzaku, I got a pledge t'make! Come hell or high water, once this war is over these two seishi brothers are gonna find some pretty girls 'n' finally _get laid_, y'hear me?"

He looked to his friend for support, but Chichiri just looked away innocently and yelped out a nervous, "Da!"

"Don't gimme that whole embarrassed act! C'mon, monk 'r not, y'still gotta get yer cherry popped one-a these days."

"Da!" he said again, and this time at least one of the bandits understood him.

"Oi, Genrou, he ain't saying 'I'm embarrassed,' he's saying 'It's a little late fer ya t'make that offer,'" Koji translated.

"All that in one 'Da'?" Tasuki grumbled, then seemed to realize exactly what that meant. Koji still had him pinned to the ground, so all he could do was jerk his head around to stare at the monk, looking like someone had just shattered everything he knew about the world. "Eeeeeeeeh? 'Chiri, y'mean, you…?"

He rubbed at the back of his head. "Well, it's not like I was _born_ a monk no da..."

"Does that really surprise you?" Koji asked, though he didn't need the other bandit to answer – one look at his horror-stricken face was enough. "Maaaaan Genrou, are you dense 'r what? Jus' 'cause _you're_ a cherry don't mean everyone around ya is. Hell, I bet 'Chiri's had jus' as much action as I have, an' maybe even more!"

"I wouldn't say _that_ no da…"

"Stop it!" Tasuki snapped, fighting to break from his friend's hold. "I don't wanna think about it! It's gross! It's like thinkin' about my Ma and Pa doin' it! It's jus' _wrong_!"

Koji sighed, shaking his head sadly at the other's behavior. "Mattaku! Jus' when I think you've started growin' up ya go an' act like this. You gotta break those kinda habits, y'know, otherwise this wedding's never gonna happen with a go-between like you in charge." (3)

Tasuki stopped struggling, turning his head so he could stare at his friend, eyes wide and disbelieving. "W-what? Did you jus' say that ya, ya want me ta…?"

Koji at last released his hold, allowing his friend to scramble into a sitting position. "I told ya I wanted t'do this right, didn't I? _I_ don't have any real family, but Reikaku's got a nice stash that I know th' boys wouldn't mind sharin', an' Hareya _does_ have her mom and some close family, so I mean, it wouldn't really feel right if we didn't do it that way, y'know? Makin' sure everythin' was okay with them an' gettin' th' right gifts an' all."

"But _me_? You seriously want_ me_ t'be th' one t'do it?"

"Well, sure. I know it's supposed t'be family that does it, but yer kinda like my brother, ain't'cha?"

"Uh, I guess so," Tasuki agreed. "It's just… I dunno... we don't really see each other that much anymore, an' like ya said I don't really have a lotta tact about some stuff. Wouldn't ya rather have someone like Yue or Akio or, y'know, someone ya see more? Someone ya c'd trust t' actually do it _right_?"

"I _do_ trust ya t'do it right, Genrou. I wouldn't ask ya if I didn't." He swung an arm around Tasuki's shoulder. "An' about that other stuff, well, I don't see what distance has t'do with anythin'. It don't matter how far away y'are, a best friend is a best friend. We'll always be buds, you know that Genrou." The bandit leader punched his friend playfully. "You'll be there fer the cappin' ritual, too, won't'cha?"

"Ch, you'd look so stupid in that floppy get-up!"

"Yeah, but I'll put up with it fer Hareya's sake. Oh, and you gotta be our kids' guardian, too, only ya ain't allowed t'screw 'em up, okay? I see you takin' 'em t'brothels b'fore they're sixteen an' I'll skin you alive." Koji laughed, but trailed off when he saw that Tasuki didn't seem quite so jovial about it. In fact, he had his head turned downwards, and though Koji couldn't see his eyes he thought he caught a faint frown on his features. "O-oi, c'mon Genrou. I know it's kinda a pain, but you'll still do it fer me, right?"

"Do it?" Tasuki looked up, and Koji's eyes widened at the shine of tears in the other bandit's eyes. "'Course I'll do it fer ya. Hell, that's… that's gotta be the greatest thing anyone's ever asked-a me. I'd be honored. I mean it."

The bandit leader coughed and looked away, surprised by the sudden show of feeling from his friend and equally surprised by the fact that _his_ throat had just closed up a little bit as well. "Er, well… I'm glad t'hear it, then!" He slapped Tasuki on the back to cover his other, softer emotions. "But hey, we still got this war t'fight, so we'll talk about all th' details later, _after_we've kicked s'more Elemental ass!" He smirked and shot Tasuki a sideways glance. "Of course, if things keep goin' th' way they are b'tween you 'n' Ritsuka, maybe I'll have t'get someone else t'do it an' we'll make it a double weddin' instea—"

Koji never finished his sentence, as he was attacked by a chibi fist and a sharp tessen, Tasuki shouting his defiance to "such a stupid idea" as loudly as possible.

Chichiri chuckled, leaning back against the tree and dropping another goji berry into his mouth. "I'm glad I get left out of this conversation no da. It sounds a little too painful for me."

The two chibi bandits immediately broke apart from their brawl, leering at Chichiri with positively devilish smirks.

"Ah, don't lie, Chichiri," Tasuki said with a snigger. "Ya already owned up t'bein' experienced, so you got no reason t'be ashamed-a th' rest of it! We all _know_ you got th' hots fer Kiori!"

Chichiri flushed a deep crimson. "N-nani na no da?"

Koji grinned at both of his friends. "Oi, maybe we c'n make it a triple weddin', whadda ya say t'that?"

"Chichiri, hold Koji down while I punish him fer that!"

"Right away no da!"

oOo

Sora watched as Kaze stormed into their room later that afternoon. He stomped over to his side of the room, pulling out the kit he used to make his magical pellets from a nearby drawer. He plopped to the floor and slammed the little box down in front of him, jerking the lid back and staring hard at the different minerals and herbs stuffed inside. Sora kept her eyes on him, waiting expectantly, and at last he announced, "I'm goin' out t'Konan t'night."

She nodded, but couldn't quite work the edge of worry out of her voice. "So you'll finally get your chance at a battle, then?"

He shook his head, standing and pacing around the room like a caged wolf. "Setsuka's screwin' me over, Sora, jus' like she does t'everyone else. I'm goin' out for an assassination mission. A stupid, cowardly, stab-in-the-back..." he pulled his sword out of its scabbard and slashed at the air. "Dammit, I finally get a mission an' it's _this_!"

"Calm down, Kaze," she murmured. "I'm sure if you prove yourself tonight, a real battle will be just around the corner. You need to learn how to be patient."

He lashed out with his weapon again, clipping the edge off a wall-hanging. "Fine, Sora, you keep bein' patient, an' _I'll_ take care of my own business, y'got that?"

The Sky Element's shoulders tensed, but she did her best to keep her face blank. "What business are you talking about?"

He sheathed his sword and sat down again, his back towards the warrior girl. The boy pulled a couple of herbs and powders from his kit, dumping them into another bowl where they swirled and melded together with his own pure-white ki, almost as if alive. "Setsuka ain't the only one who's taken the last two weeks t'prepare," he murmured darkly. He paused to utter a low spell under his breath, reaching into the bowl and pressing the concoction into a small, compact ball. Another trickle of white poured off his hands, wrapping around the pellet and hardening it into a sphere. At last he stuffed the ball into his pouch and tossed it onto his bed, nodding resolutely to himself. "I'm gonna go to Konan t'night, like she told me to, but when I get there things're gonna change from th' original plan."

Kaze stood in a hurry, reaching for his sword again and stabbing at an invisible enemy. "I'm gonna find me a Konan soldier t'battle, prob'ly a wallguard 'r somethin', an' I'm gonna kill 'im in a _real_ fight. That'll show all of ya that I ain't some kid t'be locked up in th' palace all th' time. Once I'm done with that, I'll kill that seishi like she asked me ta, it makes sense even if it is a cheap plan… and then when I get back t'the palace, an' she's all ready t'trust me an' reward me…" His golden eyes flashed in the lamplight as he whirled to face his friend, swiping at the air once more. "I'll turn this sword on her – an' I'll _kill_ Setsuka!"

Sora felt as if someone had just kicked her in the chest. "You'll… you'll do _what_?"

"I'll kill the evil woman who ruined Tsuchi's life an' screwed up ours!" the Element repeated with more resolve than Sora had ever heard from her hot-tempered friend. "Then you an' I c'n lead Takkan, better'n she ever could! We'll show those soldiers how a real warrior fights, an' we'll defeat Konan an' take it for ourselves!"

"No…" she whispered, shaking her head slowly from side to side as she found herself drooping further and further against the back wall. "You – you can't be serious..."

"I'm serious, Sora. I been thinkin' about this fer a long time, maybe ever since Setsuka hurt you, an' I just been gettin' madder and madder about it, 'till I wanted t' just scream 'r explode, it was so bad. An' I wanted t'do somethin', only it seemed fer so long that there wasn't nothin' I _could_ do, there wasn't nothin' I could be t'help you an' Tsuchi an' Mizu-chan. And then, jus' like that… it was like I figured it out."

He clenched his fist and threw out an arm towards his friend. "We agreed t'do this 'cause we wanted t'serve a noble leader fer a noble cause, remember? We wanted t'prove ourselves in real battles, fightin' fer what we believed in. We didn't do this t'become puppets an' sit around in a dusty palace, waitin' fer some half-crazy bitch t'decide when t'use us 'r throw us away! That ain't what this was_ about_, Sora-chan! You say that Tsuchi betrayed her, huh? Well, _she_ betrayed _us_ first!"

"But – but Kaze, this is _suicide_!" Sora cried, standing in one swift motion and moving across the room to her friend. She grabbed his shoulders, almost frantic to make him see reason. "You'll never be able to succeed – you'll never be able to turn on her Ladyship! Your fate is tied too closely with hers, as all of ours are! And if you fail, then think of what will happen to you! Do you want to end up like Hataku-sama, or worse – like Tsuchi-kun? Please, think this over again! If you disobey her when you reach the Konan palace then there will be no turning back, but..." She smiled softly, surprised to find a few weak tears in her eyes. "But if you just think about it now… if you just realize how futile it is now, and that Setsuka-sama will reward you just as you are, without all of this, that she truly _does_ value us when we are loyal to her, then—"

"It's too late fer that!" Kaze snapped, shaking her off. "Don't you_ get it_? It's too late fer her t'start treatin' me nice, not after I seen what happens t'people who mess up, even jus' once! Sure, I might get myself on her good side, but then what? She sends me out t'do somethin' else, an' it ain't jus' perfect, an' _then_ where am I, Sora?" He spat contemptuously. "In there with Tsuchi, 'r in th' river with Hataku, that's where! It ain't right, Sora! It just _ain't_!"

"You'll fail," she said again, harsher this time.

"Maybe, but…" he looked back at her, reaching out an inviting hand, almost begging her to accept it, "but I won't if you help me! Yer ten times th' better swordsman than I am, an' Setsuka trusts you more. T'kill her, fer you, it'd be a snap. An' then, an' then you an' me… you an' me, we could—"

Kaze stopped short, gasping as Sora's blade materialized in her palm, darting across the space between them and stopping a millimeter from his throat. His wide eyes met hers, that silent plea still present even amidst the confusion, but she just stared back at him, nothing but cold fire in those deep, merciless depths. "Ma… Maemi-chan…?" he breathed, using her real name for the first time in years.

"I told you a long time ago not to call me that again," she said evenly, her sword never once wavering from the spot along his neck. "You misunderstand me, Kaze. When I said that you would fail, I did not simply mean that you would be unable to complete your task." The blade inched forward, pressing tighter against his skin, threatening to draw blood at any instant. "I meant that I would personally see you dead before I allowed it to happen."

"No…" The whisper again shook the room, though this time it echoed from Kaze's mouth. "Ya… ya don't actually _mean_ that, Sora… I mean, y'told me b'fore that no matter what happened, you wouldn't _actually_… I mean, t' _me_, ya wouldn't…"

"Setsuka-sama asked me to watch out for you. I had hoped that her fears were unfounded, yet you have sadly proven me wrong." The Sky Element took a deep breath, allowing the blade to disappear, though it looked like it took all her energy to do it. "Our old friendship is the only thing that prevents me from killing you on the spot. If you return from Konan, and this intent still remains, then believe me, Kaze, I will shed tears as I do it, but I _will_ have you executed. My allegiance lies only with her Ladyship. I must never forget that – and you mustn't, either." Her eyes softened, ever so slightly, as she whispered across the growing distance, "Please, Kiba-kun. Don't do this."

Kaze's eyes narrowed and his lip curled upwards into an expression of mixed disgust and bewilderment. He took two shaky away from the other Element, then another hurried three, as if he couldn't stand to be anywhere near her. His head shook slowly from side to side, trying to deny something that he no longer could – and trying to grasp at something he would never hold again.

But after a long moment the confusion melted out of his features, and after an even longer moment he straightened and stared at her, and the only thing left in his young, bitter face was revulsion, pure and unadulterated revulsion for the cold soldier standing across from him. "I thought we weren't _allowed_ t'call each other by those names anymore. You traitor."

And then he turned and darted out the doorway, his satchel of pellets and sword scabbard thunking angrily at his side as he disappeared up the long, narrow staircase, leaving the Sky Element alone.

Sora's legs gave out from beneath her and she collapsed to the floor, falling with such a force that the tablets around her neck clattered together, echoing through the chamber. She unbuttoned her shirt and reached in, grasping the newest of the three wooden plates between her hands. "Oh Hataku-sama…" she whispered, watching as hot tears splashed against the polished wood. "Is _this_ what you had to suffer, during all those years of loyalty? Is _this_ what being a faithful soldier is _really_ all about?"

oOo

A crescent-moon stood watch over Konan Palace that night, bathing courtyard and city alike in pale, ghostly shadows. The guards sentenced to the long second watch nodded their heads to the tune of the chirruping crickets, the warmth of the evening lulling almost all of them into a light, carefree doze – which meant that none of them noticed when the air shimmered far out on the southern plain and the forms of a blonde woman and a white-haired boy winked into existence.

The Lady of Takkan scowled as Kaze blinked, trying to accustom himself to the sudden change in scenery, and waited until she had his full attention again before nodding to the nearby southern wall. "The Konan Palace is not far from here. Scale the wall as quickly as possible, and make sure not to be seen by any of those idiot guards." She set a hand lightly on the boy's shoulder, using her other one to tip his chin up and force his wavering eyes to meet her own. "I'm counting on you, Kaze. Do not fail me."

He shuddered at her touch but merely nodded, an automatic, "Hai, my Lady," slipping out of his mouth as he gripped tighter at the rope and grappling hook clutched in his hands.

Setsuka smiled sweetly and patted his cheek, but did not stick around to offer any more words of encouragement. She took a step away from him and disappeared as quickly as she had arrived. Kaze shook his head, running a hand through his white hair and immediately regaining his courage. He spat on the ground where she had stood just a moment before. "Yeah, I won't fail ya, but it's 'cause I don't_ want_ to, ya got that? This don't have nothin' t'do with _you_, Setsuka."

The Element nodded, pleased with his belated show of bravery, and turned his thoughts back to the task at hand. He rummaged through his pellet bag until he found a single, perfect green sphere, the one he had created just that afternoon. He held it in his hand almost affectionately, rolling the little ball between his thumb and forefinger. "All right little ki-blocker, you've never failed me b'fore – don't start disappointin' me now."

Kaze tossed the pellet high into the air, pointing at it and uttering a low spell. The pellet exploded in a cloud of white dust, then hovered in the air right above the boy, almost as if awaiting a command. He waved his hand and watched as the powder sailed across the plains and over the Konan Palace. He waited for a moment, careful to make sure that the thin sheet encompassed the entire palace, then dropped his hand, allowing the dust to fall down upon his enemies, encasing all in a thin veil of power.

'_Even Mizu-chan can't sense a life force when I use one-a them,'_ he thought confidently, striding towards the palace as if he had hardly a care in the world. _'That monk won't even know what hit him.'_

oOo

Koji had been unable to sleep. He scolded himself for it, but the fact was that he was flat-out homesick. Talking to Chichiri and Tasuki that afternoon about Hareya and the bandits had reminded him of all of the memories that he had left at Reikaku over the years. He missed it all, no matter how much he tried to pretend he didn't – he missed the raids on fat merchants, the visits into town, the impromptu parties in the main hall, the archery contests in the back ring… he missed Hareya's laughter, her cooking, the way she always knew exactly how to handle the other bandits, the way she'd toss the covers up over her head whenever he thought to say something particularly romantic, or the way she'd lean over and whisper a lewd joke in his ear to wake him up in the morning, and the two of them would practically wake up the _rest_ of the stronghold, they'd be laughing so hard…

The bandit leader sighed and shook his head. _'I really am hopeless. Th' middle of a war an' th' only thing I c'n think about is gooey romantic stuff. Well, I guess I can't really help it, with Ritsuka always flittin' around tryin' t'play matchmaker all th' time…' _He laughed to himself, tossing his Suzaku-engraved throwing knife – he never left his room without at least one knife and his two daggers – into the air, catching it again and sliding it back into his jacket. _ 'Ah, well, guess I won't let it bother me! An' besides, ain't that what all th' good songs are about? Fightin' so ya c'n see th' girl back home again? Ha, that means I'm livin' out all th' good songs! Won't Hareya get a kick outta that…?'_

By now, Koji had made it to the southern wall steps. He took the stairs two at a time, scanning the wall for a familiar face. Had he bothered to look down, he would have noticed a single white-haired figure marching his way, but as it was the Konan Warrior was too preoccupied to bother glancing around. In the faint moonlight he spotted Aoi, chin propped up in his hands, seated just a short ways down the wall. The bandit leader picked his way between dozing guards until he reached the boy, and couldn't help but chuckle. Although Aoi had at least looked _somewhat_ awake from a distance, once Koji drew closer he realized that the boy was snoring quietly to himself, oblivious to the world around him. He prodded him with his index finger, leaning down and hissing in his ear. "Attack! The Takkans're comin'!"

Aoi sat up with a start and fumbled for his sword. "Huh? Oh, sound the alarm, I'll save you Akai..." he trailed off, staring up into Koji's face and blinking owlishly.

The bandit leader grinned. "_You'll_ save Akai, will ya? That's awful chivalrous of ya, but somethin' tells me _she's_ a girl that don't need much savin'." He winked and took a seat next to the young soldier. "Not that that's a bad thing, a-course – hell, I seem t'be surrounded by girls who don't need savin'. I think that makes us lucky guys, don't you?"

Aoi blushed to his eartips, rubbing the back of his head. "Um, I guess so, though I don't really know what you mean…" he coughed and looked away, changing the subject. "So what are you doing up here?"

"Ah, I couldn't sleep. My favorite one-a those girls was tuggin' at my mind, I guess. What about you? You get stuck with second watch again, na?"

He nodded. "Since I'm the youngest soldier – er, who isn't the Palace Champion, that is – I always get this watch." He smothered a yawn. "Not much fun, y'know. Your head barely hits the pillow and then – wham! – first watch is over and you're stuck up here for three hours."

Koji couldn't help but feel sorry for the exhausted soldier. "Hey, why don't you go back down an' go t'bed? I can't sleep anyway, so I might as well take care-a this shift." He winked. "You gotta get yer rest, after all, so you can save Akai from th' Takkan army, right?"

Aoi blushed again, scrambling to his feet. "Er, of course, Koji-sama."

Koji ruffled the boy's hair fondly. "I already told ya, don't call me 'sama.' Who's on watch after you, so I know who t'wake up?"

"Ano... Rou Yuushun-san's after me," he said. Aoi turned and hurried back to his bed, but halfway down the stairs he seemed to remember his manners. He whirled, slapping his hands to his sides and bowing low to the Konan Warrior. "Arigatou gozaimasu, Koji-sama... er, I mean, Koji-san."

He flashed the boy a thumbs-up. "That's more like it. G'night, Aoi."

oOo

Kaze looked up at the tall southern wall that stood before him. The boy gripped the grappling hook in one hand, swinging it over his head a couple times and letting it fly. He grinned as the rewarding clunk told him he'd latched it properly to the top of the tall structure. Kaze tugged on the rope a few times to make sure it would hold his weight, then spit on his hands and headed up as fast as his natural quickness would allow.

"Yes, my Lady. No, my Lady. Would ya like me t'kill myself, my Lady? Right away, my Lady," he grumbled darkly to himself. "No more-a that, Setsuka. When I get back, you'll pay fer everythin' you've done. I'll whip ya, like you did t'Hataku. I'll make ya scream in pain, like yer doin' t'poor Tsuchi, an' then I'll fill you fulla arrows like you did t'those trackers... an' Sora, if you try t'stop me, I swear I'll do th' same thing t'you, too. You wanna be enemies, then _fine_, we'll be enemies… I c-c'n do that t-too, 'cause I got no p-pity fer traiters either, see…"

Kaze realized that his lower lip was trembling and he bit at it, cutting off his grizzly mutterings just as he reached the top of the wall. He vaulted lightly over the ledge, only a little winded from the long climb. The boy paused for a short moment to get his breath back, then crossed the walkway and headed for the staircase, making absolutely no attempt to remain hidden. He gripped the hilt of his sword in one hand and forced the tremors to stop running up and down his arm. No, he wasn't afraid, not of tonight or the next day or any day after it, either. He was ready to do what he needed to do. He was ready for battle.

oOo

Koji had been leaning against the south wall, keeping his gaze on the nearby plains and mentally going over everything that had happened thus far, trying to put it in proper order so he could explain everything to Hareya when he finally returned home, when he saw the figure of a boy neatly climb over the ramparts quite a ways to his left. The bandit leader remained silent and still, watching the other's shadowy movements out of the corner of his eye. The stranger glanced around, set a hand to his sword hilt as if steeling his courage, then marched off down the ramparts, in plain sight of any who cared to look his way.

"Stupid or crazy?" Koji muttered to himself. He stood with all the silence of an assassin, picked his way along the wall and slipped down the same stairs, keeping the youth in sight at all times, curious to see just where he was going and what kind of a threat he might pose.

Koji tailed the stranger from the wall, through a row of hedges, past the palace pond, and on down into one of the palace's larger courtyards. The area was a bit too spacious for Koji to risk following the newcomer openly, so he ducked behind a pole, eyes widening as he was finally able to see the intruder properly in the light of the full moon. A shock of white hair cut haphazardly and trailing to his neck; a short, dark overcoat and trousers; a sword dangling at his side; and, as he turned to glance back the way he had come, their eyes met across the darkness—

Koji saw the flash of gold, and immediately felt everything inside of him tense up.

_'Element,'_ he hissed to himself. 'That's_ why he looked so familiar – it's that brat Kaze, th' one who left that scar on Genrou's cheek.'_The bandit gripped the hilts of his daggers in his hands, taking a deep breath._'No more time fer spyin', Koji. It's either fight or flight, an' it sure as hell ain't gonna be flight.'_

Kaze turned his back on Koji again, grumbling out loud to himself. "Kuso, where to now? I didn't know this palace would be a friggin' maze..."

Koji took that as his cue and strolled calmly out of his hiding place, hands resting in his coat pockets. "Well now, that all depends on who an' what yer lookin' for." Kaze whirled, drawing his sword with lightning quick speed, but he made no move to attack the bandit so Koji just stood there, smiling coolly at his opponent. He looked for all the world like a young man out for a stroll, perhaps meeting his sweetheart at some midnight rendezvous, but he kept his muscles tight and ready to move at the slightest sign, and his hands lay within easy reach of his weapons. "Element, right? Kaze, if I remember right."

The Element nodded, lowering his sword but keeping it at the ready. "Yeah, that's me. An' yer a Konan Warrior – that bandit that I met in the woods."

"So y'remember me, too! Lucky me," Koji said with that same easy-going smile. "Now, I don't exactly know what yer doin' here on enemy territory, but seein' as how you are who you are, I'd say yer reasons can't be good."

"Huh, yer smarter'n ya look," Kaze jeered. "Seein' as how ya won't live t'tell 'em, I may's well let you in on a little secret: I'm here to assassinate one of yer seishi buddies."

"Oh? That's too bad," Koji remarked. He at last dropped his hands out of his pockets and drew his daggers, moving into a offensive stance with all the speed and skill of a practiced fighter. He never stopped smiling, but the way his eyes flashed in the moonlight made Kaze take a step back and raise his sword again. "See, that's somethin' I jus' can't let happen. Nothin' personal, of course, I jus' got this thing against people killin' my friends."

"Hey, I ain't takin' offense to it. T'tell ya th' truth, I was lookin' fer a good battle – never thought I'd find a Konan Warrior out here, but I guess that's jus' my good luck." Kaze crouched as well, returning his opponent's cocky smile with one of his own. "Not only will it be fun to kill you, it'll also be an honor."

oOo

"'_The pair glared at one another, eyes roving across their opponent from head to toe, sizing the other up in an instant as only two trained fighters truly can. Then, as if someone had banged the gong for the beginning of a practice match, they dug their toes into the thin soil, raised their weapons, and darted forward, prepared to protect their separate causes… or die in the attempt.'_" The trio of readers all let out screams of frustration, Keisuke's the loudest of all. "Dammit, Book, stop doing this to us! Agh… End Chapter Twenty-Two."

--  
Koji: All right, no time t'be screwin' around now! Another Element's come t'call, an' it looks like this one's gonna be mine t'claim! Man, would'ja look at this set-up? Assassination plots, enemy spies, battles in th' moonlight… am I livin' out all th' good stories, 'r what?

Eh? "Beware of repercussions"? C'mon, you think some stupid rhyme is gonna scare me? Nah, you don't gotta worry about it, Genrou, Chichiri! Repercussions 'n' golden eyes 'r whatever else, it don't matter, I'll make sure t'take this kid down b'fore he even gets _near_ you guys! After all, what kind of a friend would I be if I let ya wake up with a knife b'tween yer ribs, na?

The Next Episode of _Fushigi Yuugi: The Next Chapter_: "Friendship Eternal – When the Bitter Breeze Strikes!"

No matter what happens, I won't let you guys down…  
--

* * *

**End Notes**

(1) Goji – a type of berry native to China. Incidentally, every other fruit mentioned in this scene is native to China. My nit-pickiness for detail knew no limits in this episode. _(sweatdrop)_

(2) Tonsure – a Buddhist practice where the incoming disciple to a monastery takes his vows and gets his head shaved. Chichiri's monastery apparently has some strange rules about exactly what "getting your head shaved" means, but it's the same basic idea.

(3) Go-Betweens, Capping Rituals, and Other Things You Never Thought You'd Need to Know about Chinese Weddings – For those of you familiar with Confucianism, you'll know that the Dynastic Chinese were somewhat obsessed with elaborate rituals, and weddings were no exception. There are proposal rites, betrothal rites, wedding rites, after-wedding rites… it's enough to make your head spin! Now, the characters we're dealing with in FY:NC are, of course, not from China _per se_, but their world is based very heavily on the Song Dynasty, so I borrowed from Chinese wedding rituals here and there when writing this scene.  
The basics are this: A "go-between," the job Koji wants to give Tasuki, is the person, sent out by the groom's family, who acts as the middleman between the two families – sending gifts to the bride's family, obtaining birth records and contacting fortune-tellers (for auspicious dates, doncha know!), and so on, until everything is set up and the parents of both bride and groom at last agree to meet. Now of course Koji doesn't have parents anymore, and Hareya comes from a small, middle class family, so Tasuki's job would be simplified to just getting Hareya's mother's permission and maybe sweetening the deal with a few gifts in the process. Nevertheless, it's a rather important job, so it's no surprise that Tasuki's shocked by the suggestion.  
A "capping ritual," which Koji also mentions, is… fun. It takes place the day of the actual wedding. While the girl is getting her hair done in elaborate patterns, the groom is kneeling at his family altar, dressed in traditional red cloak and shoes (red being an auspicious color for weddings) while his father places the ceremonial cap on his head. The groom then bows to the tablets of Heaven and Earth (or in this case, to Suzaku's shrine) and to his family, then they head off to begin the wedding procession. Again, I imagine this would be rather simplified for a pair of people who are essentially peasants, but the fact that Koji wants Tasuki to be there subtly implies that he wants Tasuki to actually _perform_ the ceremony, perhaps in lieu of an actual father-figure. Again, it's quite the honor, and really says a lot about how close the two bandits are. Oh, and yes, Koji would look _extremely_ silly in the ceremonial robes. Proof of how much he wuvs Hareya, haha.  
If you want more information on traditional Chinese weddings, I'd suggest going to:  
www . chcp . org / wedding . html  
They were a big help when I was doing all this (rather unnecessary) research. So, yay. :-)

_**Ye Olde Author's Note: December 31, 2007; 9:05 PM  
**_  
Shinnen omedetou, minna-san! (And a Happy New Year to the English speakers:-) )

Wow, look at me go! Two chapters in two months? This has gotta be some kind of record. The fact is, whenever I have a lot of actual school work to do (like during finals week) my creative side always goes in to overdrive to keep me from going insane, and suddenly… I've written/edited chapters upon chapters of fanfiction. It's good times, really. It also probably helped that I didn't have to edit a ton in this episode, just added some Elemental scenes and tweaked the "guy talk" in the middle – oh, and I wound up chopping the episode in half. I know you're probably all screaming at me for the cliffhanger ending, but trust me, this was the best place I could possibly do the cut. My roommate/editor can vouch for that, I swear.

So we'll be jumping straight into an edge-of-your-seat battle in the next episode! Aren't you excited? Aren't you biting your nails in anticipation? Can you _stand_ the suspense? Well, the good news is, you won't have to stand it for much longer – the next part will take a long time to edit, but I'm hoping very, very hard to have it up by the beginning of February, so keep your eyes open for it!

Thanks to xXDraconisXx, antyem13, RK9, DPFYLUVR, MagicAnimeGirl, Amaya-san, Ane-san, Aelita56, Ayriel, inuphantom13, and Bishiglomper for reviewing! I'm so glad you guys weren't scared away by my long absence – and I hope that the rest of my old reviewers will be back soon as well!

Honnen mo douzo yoroshiku onegaishimasu (Please regard me kindly this year as well)! - Dee ;)


	23. Episode Twenty Three: Friendship Eternal

_**Disclaimer**_ I still don't own Konan, Suzaku and all characters and seishi pertaining to them. Kiori and Ritsuka are and shall forever be mine, and that holds for all the other "originals" (you'll know 'em when they appear, trust me). Obviously the story is mine as well.

_**Rating:**_PG-13, for moderate language and violence.

**Musical Selection: **Bitchin' battles deserve bitchin' music, so I'd like to introduce you all to my friend Glay, who will be appearing twice in this episode. "Mermaid" will start us off – play it whenever swords are clashing ("He's a Pirate" works, too). His second number, "Kimi ga Iru," functions as the ending theme, so you can play it during the last scene (the one that takes place in the evening on the hillside, if that wasn't too vague for you). "It's Only the Fairy Tale" works nicely for the first Sora scene, by the way.

_Well, here's your cliffhanger conclusion, friends. It's a little late in coming, but I hope it was worth the wait. So… let's begin._

* * *

**--Episode Twenty-Three: Friendship Eternal--  
When the Bitter Breeze Strikes**

"Keep going, Keisuke," Yui said, waving her hands hurriedly in a gesture for him to continue. "We don't have time to argue about who gets to read next, and I want to find out about this fight."

"You mean I _don't_ have to arm wrestle you both for the book this time?" They both nodded and Keisuke laughed. "That's good, then. I'd already started reading ahead to myself." He frowned and set his finger to the top of the page, muttering into the pages, "Though at this point, I don't really know if I'm cheering for anybody."

"Any chance we can have a tie?" Tetsuya asked weakly.

"We'll see," his college buddy said, then cleared his throat and read, "_'Bandit and Element clashed once, twice, three times in the empty courtyard, blades crashing together, locking for a moment, then breaking away only to slam back together again, each weapon shrieking out its battle cry to the silent, deadly night…'_"

oOo

Kaze darted inwards and curved his sword in from the bottom – Koji jumped away – he pressed the blade straight forward – Koji caught it on the edge of his daggers and twisted it out of reach – he brought it in from the side, then looped it back up from the top – Koji saw it coming almost before he'd even made his move, and parried it so expertly that _Kaze_ had to go on the defensive for a moment, wincing as the daggers clanged against his sword. He hissed out a curse and backed away, nodding towards his enemy. "Hm. Not bad. Yer a lot better'n I thought you'd be."

"You should never underestimate yer opponent," Koji told him with a grin. "That's Battle Tactic Number Four, in case you were wonderin'."

"Jus' make sure ya remember that about _me_, too," Kaze shot back, but the bandit just laughed and sprang forward for a moment – one, two, three, four, the daggers flashed in and out but never touched flesh – only to jump back a moment later and allow them both a moment to catch their breaths, and maybe find a weakness in their enemy's defenses.

"Why th' hell d'you keep smilin'?" Kaze snapped, circling his opponent, eyes always searching for an opening. "You think yer better than me?"

"Sure do," Koji agreed, darting forward, his two daggers locking against Kaze's blade for a quick second before he twisted, breaking apart and hopping back a few steps. "But don't take it personal," they clashed again, steel screeching against steel but neither blade quite able to find its mark, "I think I'm better'n _everyone_ I fight. Wouldn't be much point in fightin' if I didn't."

Kaze smirked, slashing upwards. "Better'n Taiyou?"

"Yup" – Koji slid a step back, narrowly avoiding the blade –

– But Kaze came right back at him, this time from the right – "An' Tsuki?"

Koji twisted, bringing down both arms to catch the sword inches from his side – "A-course."

"Then how come," Kaze grunted and shoved the blade upwards, hoping to catch his opponent off-guard, but Koji chuckled and spun to the side, lashing out with a dagger and forcing Kaze to almost drop to his knees to avoid the blow, "you wound up bleedin' all over th' place out there, an' yer buddies had t'bail ya out?"

Koji shrugged. "Wouldn't-a been fair t'my buddies if I was gettin' _all_ th' glory, now would it?"

Kaze laughed and hopped right back up to his feet, taking a couple of careful steps back. "Maji ka (Are you fer real)? I didn't think people like you really existed."

"Smart, dashingly handsome, _an' _he can fight! I know, I amaze myself sometimes too."

Kaze snorted, brought his sword up to eye level, and charged at the Reikaku bandit. Koji grinned and dodged to one side, but Kaze spun hard on his heel, bunching his legs up beneath him, whirling, and jumping all in one lightning-quick motion. He brought his sword down hard, sliding it along Koji's dagger blade, hoping to use his momentum to get at the bandit's neck. Koji gritted his teeth and dropped to his knees, tucking his daggers up at his sides and rolling out of Kaze's reach. He sprang to his feet a moment later, scowling and shaking out his left arm. A few drops of blood skittered away from the torn and stained shirt, but the rest stayed with him, slowly staining the creamy cloth.

Kaze spat. "Still smilin', Konan scum?"

"I been scratched by tree branches that got more blood outta me than this," Koji said with another little smirk.

"Fuzakeru na!" Kaze roared, dashing at his opponent with the same raised stance from before.

Koji parried the sword with his right dagger this time, forcing the blade up and to the side, right over his shoulder. Kaze swore and swung his sword outwards in a short arc, hoping to bring it around at his feet, but had to stop halfway and jump back as Koji's forgotten second dagger slashed inwards, tearing open his shirt at the midriff and drawing a long but shallow gash across his stomach.

"Teeme…!" the Element snarled, taking a step back, but before he could catch his breath Koji was on him again, forcing him to stave off a rain of dagger strikes, two of which nicked him deep, one on his forearm and the other just below his collarbone, until Kaze was finally able to get his legs under him and dance out of the twin blades' reach, breathing heavily and glaring at his opponent.

"If you were thinkin' about beatin' me with speed," Koji called cheerfully across the courtyard, "ya might wanna look inta another plan. I've sparred with th' fastest guy in Konan more times'n I care t'count – I know how t'handle a little quickness."

"Damn you!" Kaze snapped, already catching his breath again. "Stop smilin' already! I ain't someone you c'n take so lightly!"

Koji laughed and opened his mouth to say something more, but before he could get the words out Kaze was on him again, and steel was clanging against steel, and the Element had such an enraged look in his eyes that Koji knew there wouldn't be time for any more banter that night.

They parried, ducked, and dodged another two rounds of each other's strikes, neither able to find a proper opening or weakness, before finally Koji slashed forward and Kaze fell to the ground, ducking the bandit's daggers and lashing out with his sword, swinging the blade in a wide arc and slicing into his enemy's thigh. Koji hissed and stumbled but kept his feet, crashing his daggers down so hard above Kaze that he had to roll out of the way, hopping up a few meters from the bandit and whirling to face him, sword again at the ready. "How's that fer ya, Konan scum? Earned yer respect yet?"

Koji pressed his forearm to the wound in an attempt to staunch the bleeding, but he managed to smile at his sparring partner even through his grimace of pain. "When did I say ya _hadn't_ earned my respect? Yer good, Element, I never pretended like ya weren't. Hell, I might lose this battle."

His leg quivered beneath him and Kaze saw his chance. He darted at his opponent, blocking a weak, ill-timed strike by the bandit and pushing forward, driving his sword in sideways for the kill, but Koji's weapons darted upwards with a speed Kaze hadn't thought he possessed, locking the sword between his twin daggers just a hairsbreadth from his neck. The two stared at each other for a moment across the glinting steel, eyes narrowed into mirror challenges – and then Koji's lips curled upwards into a grin. "Then again, maybe I won't."

He jerked his injured leg up and landed a kick squarely into Kaze's stomach. The boy gasped and his grip loosened around his sword hilt. Koji took the moment to twist his daggers hard around the locked weapon, wrenching it out of Kaze's grasp and sending it skittering across the courtyard. Kaze's eyes widened and he made as if to leap after the lost sword, but Koji flipped one dagger over in his hand and landed a hard punch to Kaze's cheek with the hilt. The Element felt a tooth pop loose as he fell against the cobblestones, clutching at his stomach and gasping for breath.

Before he could regroup he found a dagger pointed at his throat and a bandit standing over him. Kaze felt a shudder course down his spine as he stared upwards into that fearless grin and those clever eyes, the ones that had fooled him so well into thinking his enemy was genuinely injured. He shook his head hard, trying to scoot back across the ground, but Koji twitched his blade closer. "I _really_ wouldn't try that if I were you."

"No…" Kaze gasped, still fighting to find air. Koji sheathed one dagger and took the other off the boy's skin, but kept it close enough that he could attack if his opponent tried anything. Kaze swallowed hard. "I can't… I can't lose. Not here. I can't." His voice caught on the last word and he had to force the next wobbly ones out – but even as he fought to keep the tears out of his eyes, one of his hands was sliding slowly towards his waist, and landing like a desperate prayer on the pellet bag at his side. "I promised them. Her. I can't die here. I don't wanna die here. I still gotta… I d-don't wanna…"

"Ch! Ochitsuke yo (Calm th' hell down), kid," Koji said with a sigh, rubbing a free hand against his bleeding leg and allowed his dagger to drop another few inches away from Kaze's throat. "You ain't gonna die, least you won't so long's ya do what I tell ya. I ain't inta killin' kids. So if ya jus' listen up an' come with me, we'll find you a nice prison cell t'wait out th' rest-a this war in, an' ain't nobody gotta die from this little fight, I promise ya that."

Kaze swallowed another sob, hand still fumbling slowly, carefully through his bag. "B-but y-you don't understand, you don't understand wh-what she'll do t'me. Setsuka, she'll…" His fingers closed on a pellet that pulsed with the promise he'd been hoping for, and all his anxiety slipped away like water through his hands. He took a breath and nodded slowly. "Okay. No, you're right. I'll be safe here, even if I did mess up. You win." He held up his hands, the pellet pressed down and hidden in the crook of his index finger. "C'n I stand up now?"

The bandit nodded and took half a step back, finally relaxing his stance as Kaze rose to his feet. "Yeah, jus' do it slowly, an' don't think about runnin' 'r nothin'. Last thing I need is t'be chasin' you halfway across—"

But Koji never finished his sentence, because as soon as he had his legs under him Kaze seized his chance and threw himself sideways towards his sword. Koji cursed and lunged forward, his dagger ready for the kill this time – and fell right into Kaze's trap.

The Element landed hard on his side and threw his arm out, sending the pellet straight into the bandit's face. He pointed his finger at it and uttered two short, guttural words. An instant later a choking, black smoke engulfed the bandit, temporarily blinding him. Koji threw an arm over his face, coughing and rubbing a hand across his watering eyes. The pill was only meant to last a few seconds, but it was all the time Kaze needed.

Quick as his name suggested, Kaze scrambled off the ground, snatching up his sword and whirling to face his enemy. With a shout of triumph he sprang forward, raised his sword, and plunged it into the Warrior's chest.

Koji's eyes widened as he felt the blade pierce straight through him, punching a smaller, separate hole at a spot between his shoulders. A soft gasp tried to escape his lips, but got caught halfway down his throat on something thick and wet. He choked, coughed twice, tasted blood on his lips.

"That was a cheap shot," he managed to hiss through the fire spreading slowly out from his heart.

"Sometimes you can't play fair t'win," Kaze muttered in his ear.

The Element set his shoulder against the Konan Warrior's chest, shoving backwards as he fought to dislodge the weapon. Koji could do nothing but stare straight ahead, unseeing, as he felt the weapon at last slide free, a sheet of bright, fresh blood dripping off the tarnished steel. That familiar _splat splat splat_ of blood against ground, the _swish_ of the sword as Kaze shook the clinging drops free, only this time it wasn't somebody else's blood, somebody else's death. Dreamlike, he clasped a hand over the bleeding hole in his chest, blinking hard at all that _red_ – gods, it was bright – slipping out around his fingers. His eyes flicked back up to Kaze again, staring at him, trying to remember what they'd been doing before all this coldness inside of him had shown up. His feet took a tired, almost automatic step towards the boy... and then he collapsed.

Kaze shook his head and sighed. He turned his back on his opponent and walked to the edge of the courtyard, kneeling down to wipe his blade off in the soft spring grass. "You were talented, an' clever too, I'll give ya that, but you were a fool, thinkin' ya could make nice with yer enemies. A fool'll never survive, in th' end. Take _that_ advice with you, Konan Warrior."

The hard smack of body against stone jerked Koji out of his shock, if only for the moment. _'No,'_ something inside of his snapped, forcing his eyes to stay open, his mind to stay clear. _'Can't. He'll kill 'em.'_ He jerked his head up, keeping his blurring vision on the stooped form of the Element as his hand groped wildly for the blood-drenched, Suzaku-engraved throwing knife tucked in his shirt. At last his trembling fingers got a hold of it, and he gripped it as tightly as he could, forcing himself up onto his elbows. He squinted through the growing haze, aiming for a point between the Element's shoulder blades.

His hand shook, then his whole body quivered. _'Dammit, no… I'm not – I'm not strong enough...'_he thought, desperately trying to keep his eyes focused. _'Genrou... Chichiri... I can't...'_

A delicate hand gripped his wrist. Koji's hazel eyes flicked upwards, widening at the transparent figure standing above him. _'Houki…sama…?'_The figure grinned, and Koji knew in an instant that it couldn't possibly be Houki, not with a confident smile like that.

She – no, that was wrong too, though he couldn't remember how he knew it – nodded and tightened _his_ grip. An almost unnatural amount of strength coursed through the dying warrior's body, stilling the trembles that had threatened his aim so badly before. The bandit leader set his eyes back to the Element, and very slowly felt a tiny, confident smile cross his own face as well.

Kaze wiped the last bit of blood off his weapon. "It's too bad I had t'kill you, you'd-a made a damn good sparrin' partner. That's how things go, I guess." He stood, sheathing his weapon and turning his gaze towards the inner palace. "'Never underestimate yer opponent,' huh? You should know t'listen to yer own advice, Konan—"

_Thunk!_

The Element's words died on the night air. Kaze's jaw dropped, and he felt something inside of him slowly, slowly shut itself off. A single word formed on his lips, three syllables and nothing more, but it was lost to the silence of the courtyard. His eyes closed, his clenched hands at last relaxed at his side, and he toppled without a sound into the grass, a throwing knife driven up to its hilt between his shoulder blades.

"Heh!" Even through the creeping numbness in his chest Koji managed one final, weak chuckle. "An' _you_ should know never t'turn yer back on an enemy 'till y'know he's dead." He coughed again, a thin trail of blood dribbling over his lips. "But I guess y'won't have time t'learn that... will ya...?"

The grip on his wrist dissolved and he felt his last bits of strength desert him. Koji's arms dropped heavily to the blood-stained ground, head coming to rest within the folds of his drenched sleeves.

_"Nice shot."_

He looked up at the ghostly form through half-open eyes and smiled. "Seventy-three," he said, weakly but triumphantly. "Genrou's gonna owe me the biggest damn bottle-a sake..."

Nuriko smiled sadly as Koji's lips continued to move, forming soundless, incoherent words. He stood vigil as the bandit's eyes slowly glazed over and closed for the last time, the only witness to the deadly battle between Konan Warrior and Element.

oOo

Four people in four very different locations sprang awake within seconds of one another.

In the Takkan palace Setsuka screamed, shooting straight up in her bed and clutching her hands to her chest. "What just…" Something sharp pricked her finger and she blinked, glancing down just in time to see the glinting shards of white fall from her neck and tumble down, down, down into her lap. She sighed and forced herself to take a deep, calming breath. "It's Kaze," she murmured, watching as the white ki collected around her hands. "That boy has failed."

In her underground chamber Sora's eyes snapped open to find tears in them. She pressed a hand to her lips to force back the sob that tried to escape. "No, Sora," she told herself firmly. "There's no use crying over dreams. Still… I wonder what it was that made me suddenly… so sad…?"

In the Konan Palace Tasuki jerked awake, lashing out with a fist. "Ko…" he trailed off, opening his eyes and at last looking around his darkened room. "Huh? A dream? But I coulda sworn…" He frowned and cocked his head to the side, listening to the faint sounds of Chichiri's snores as they penetrated the thin wall between their rooms. Tasuki shook his head and chuckled. _'Well, if 'Chiri hasn't sensed nothin', then I guess I'm jus' imaginin' things.' _The seishi flopped back onto his bed and soon found himself asleep once more, though his slumber was fitful, and his dreams were all bad ones.

And, in a stronghold on a faraway mountain, the lone woman and temporary leader of the Reikaku bandits opened her eyes slowly, staring up into the shadows. Her hand slid sideways along the wide, lonely bed, towards the empty spot at her side. She snatched up the extra pillow, dragging it across the covers and clutching it to her chest. A single tear snaked down the side of her cheek and splashed against the pillow – and then everything inside of her twisted into a knot and she curled over, pressing her face into his lingering scent and his memory, and she couldn't stop the tears, and she couldn't possibly have explained them, only somehow she knew, as she sobbed his name quietly into that eternally-empty pillow, right down in her bones she knew that her bandit leader wasn't coming home.

"Koji…"

oOo

The sun had barely raised its forehead above the Konan wall when the Empress found herself jerked out of a peaceful sleep, eyes widening as the pounding on her door continued without pause, a background rhythm to the panicked voice calling through the wood. "Oh, Houki-sama! Houki-sama! Please, please hurry!"

"Yes, coming," she murmured more to herself than the person at the door, pulling her sleeping robe tightly around her shoulders as she crawled out of bed. The Empress rubbed sleep out of her eyes and forced back a yawn, flipping a loose strand of hair out of her face. Confused and a bit frightened, she stumbled across the floor and pulled open the door. "Yes?"

Her eyes snapped open as Akai threw herself into Houki's arms, sobbing uncontrollably. "Majesty, Majesty..."

Houki gripped a hand to either of Akai's shoulders and pushed her back half a step, brushing at the girl's eyes with a sleeve. "Akai, please calm yourself. What in the world happened? Is everyone all right?"

Her unbound hair whipped around her face as she shook her head, gazing up at Houki with tear-filled, lost, and hopelessly sorrowful eyes. "Oh, Houki-sama! It was an Element. It's – it's... oh, gods..." her chin wobbled and she gulped for air, wiping a hand across her face in a weak attempt to stop another fresh wave of tears. "It's K-K-Koji, Majesty. He... he's... oh I'm sorry b-b-but I just can't say it!"

Houki had to set a hand against the doorframe to steady herself as Akai hugged her once again. "Sonna. Koji is...?"

Akai sniffled and forced herself to pull away, tugging hard on the Empress' sleeve. Her voice wobbled with every word, but she kept herself going, made herself explain it to the baffled woman at her side. "I w-was w-walking to the training rings, for m-m-morning practice, and I heard some of the servants talking... ab-bout how someone found two b-b-bodies... p-private courtyard..." They reached the corner of the palace's walkway and Houki paused for an instant, but Akai just kept pulling on her sleeve, guiding her towards the outer buildings. "D-didn't want to b-believe it... b-but then I... Oh, Suzaku, it's just horrib-b-b…!"

She couldn't even finish the word, but instead dissolved into tears as they reached the infirmary door. No, Houki realized with a jolt. Not the infirmary door. A side door on the infirmary buildings. The place where she'd seen them bring the soldiers who had died in battle. Houki paled and her arm went limp under the young warrior's hold.

"Akai… why did you bring me here…?"

The palace champion said nothing, but instead just pushed open the door, somehow remembering her manners and waiting for Houki to enter first. The Empress pressed a hand to her nose, head swimming at the sudden onslaught of smells. Fresh blood, and old blood, and the stomach-wrenching scent of death that Houki had prayed she would never know again. She swallowed her nausea and stepped into the room, eyes trailing, trance-like, over the two bodies laid out on sheets in the middle of the floor. A boy with almost pure-white hair lay stretched out on the one, but it was the other that caused the Empress' heart to wrench. The mat of messy dark hair, the partially opened shirt now dyed dark crimson. Two medics hovered around him, doing what they could to mop up the dried blood, but the hole in his chest was plain to see, and he was much, much too pale to be alive.

Houki's legs crumpled under her as she knelt beside the body, touching her palm to his cold, lifeless cheek, almost as if to convince herself he was real. "When did you find him?" she asked, surprised at how calm she sounded.

"A servant found him early this morning, Dowager Empress," one of the medics explained. "In the back courtyard, the smaller, private one. No one usually goes there, so… by the time we got to him, there wasn't anything to do, for him or the boy."

"And why did no one inform me of this?"

"To be honest, Majesty, we didn't want to see you hurt. We thought we'd at least make him presentable, then tell you, about the time you normally wake up, see. That way he'd look like he was just sleeping."

"I see. Thank you for considering my feelings, but I would have preferred to know immediately."

"Yes, Majesty. We'll keep that in mind for the future."

Houki closed her eyes tightly at his cryptic words, pressing both her long sleeves to her face. Akai stood behind her, tears streaming down her cheeks as she turned her head to the side, unable to look at her fallen friend. "M-majesty... what should I...?"

"Get Chichiri," Houki said, almost automatically. She brushed away the few tears that had managed to sneak into her eyes, then dropped her hands from her face and stood, squaring her shoulders and turning to face Akai. She could cry later. Right now, the Warriors needed their Empress. "And the others."

Akai hesitated, then asked, "Tasuki, too?"

"...No," Houki said after a moment. "Let him sleep. I don't want him to see this... not yet, not like this."

oOo

As the sun shook itself awake and dawn slowly slid into morning, Tasuki swung open the door to his room and strolled down the walkway to the Warriors' private dining hall, whistling an old Reikaku drinking song as he went. The seishi slid open the dining room door, grinning as he rubbed at his stomach. "Man, I'm so hungry I could eat a horse! All right Red, Koji, ya better not've stolen all the good stuff fer yer…selves..."

Tasuki's voice trailed away. He glanced around the room at the other Konan Warriors and Aoi, all gathered together for the first time since their party two weeks ago, and felt his smile fade into a bewildered frown. Akai sat at the table, weeping into Aoi's shoulder. The boy soldier had his arm around her shoulder, but didn't seem to be doing much comforting as he was fighting back tears himself. Houki and Chichiri stood, talking quietly at the far side of the room, their eyes dry and their expressions grim. But it was Ritsuka, sitting across from the two youngest warriors, who frightened Tasuki the most. The tough young woman lay practically splayed out across the table, her head buried in her arms and her shoulders shaking with sobs. Kiori stood over her, patting her friend's back and sniffling, but nothing she did or said seemed to staunch Ritsuka's helpless tears, and her ragged cries rang out through the otherwise quiet room.

"Oi... oi, minna, what's wrong?"

Everyone jerked up as if they'd been stabbed. Houki and Chichiri snapped off their quiet conversation, and the rest of the warriors swallowed hard and looked away almost immediately. Only Ritsuka kept her eyes on him, one hand clasped to her mouth and tears running down her cheeks. "Oh, no..."

Tasuki took a step towards them, eyes curious and concerned. "Wh-why's everyone look like the sky's fallin'? An'..." his heart skipped a beat as he realized the one person who _wasn't_ in the room. "Where's Koji? He... he sleep in 'r somethin'? Yeah, that must be it... I should go get him, right...? An' we c'n talk about whatever th' hell happened…"

He turned to leave the room again, but the Empress' soft, sad request stopped him in his tracks. "O-machi kudasai (Please wait), Tasuki." He glanced at her over his shoulder, feeling something thick welling up in his chest as she walked slowly towards him, her right hand clutched at her side. "About… about Koji…"

"Y-yeah...?"

"There was an attack last night, Tasuki. The Element Kaze. Koji, he defeated him, but..."

"No..." The tightness in his chest grew thicker and he took a hurried step back, shaking his head hard. "Sonna uso yo, Houki-sama!"

Houki raised her arm, the sleeve falling away as she turned her hand palm-up and slowly unclenched her fist, unveiling the item in her grasp. It was the Suzaku-engraved throwing knife – the same knife that had defeated Kaze, and the same knife Koji had pledged his life on back at Reikaku, all those long weeks ago. She took Tasuki's limp hand gently in her own and pressed the knife into his palm. "Koji is dead, Tasuki. I'm sorry."

The seishi stared at the throwing knife, his face a picture of horrified disbelief. He took several steps backward, shaking his head slowly… and then tightened his grip on the weapon and looked up again, a desperate chuckle barking out of his throat. "No. Yer wrong, Houki-sama. You gotta be. 'Cause see, Koji's smarter'n me. I mean I know we joke about it all th' time, but he really is, y'know? An' I… I got through my Element fight okay, so… An', an' anyway, we had that bet goin', and it was gonna last right on through t'the end-a th' war, an' he wouldn't do nothin' t'lose out on a bottle-a palace sake, so… so it _can't_ be true, see? I know ya wouldn't lie 'r nothin', but it's… it's a mistake. It's gotta be. Koji's not dead. Koji _can't_ be dead. He's always…"

He trailed off as Chichiri came around the corner of the table, setting a gentle hand to his friend's shoulder. "Come with me."

Tasuki opened his mouth to say something else, to maybe make a joke or assure everyone that it really _would_ be okay, but something in Chichiri's maskless eye made him stop. He nodded once and turned, following his friend out the door and leaving the other Warriors to their tears. "So…" he said once the door had clicked shut behind them. "Everyone's real good at overreactin', ain't they? Jus' 'cause he's gone missin' 'r got hurt 'r somethin'… Th-that's what I like about you, Chichiri, yer always calm, ya take things th' way they really are. 'Cause you know like I do… you… you know about Koji th' way I do…"

Silence greeted his frantic words, so eventually Tasuki lapsed into silence, only speaking again, and faster than ever, when they arrived at the infirmary building. "Ha, so he did get himself hurt, huh? That's fine, I'll go check up on him, so everyone'll know fer sure that he's okay… O-oi, Chichiri, that's th' wrong door! That's th' door t'the…" Something at last caught in his throat, forcing him to pause before he went on, quieter than before and not nearly as confident. "Th' door t'the… t'the…"

Chichiri pushed it open, reaching out his hand again to usher Tasuki inside. "Come on. You need to see this."

He followed the monk's lead numbly, eyes flitting across the room, trying to look at everything but the two bodies in the middle. He tried to stumble backwards, out the door and to _somewhere_, it didn't matter where so long as it _wasn't here_, but Chichiri slipped behind him and blocked his path, forcing him to see the truth in the room. And, at last, Tasuki knew he couldn't lie to himself anymore.

His gaze trailed past the white-haired boy to the pale, blood-soaked body beside it.

Chichiri made sure to keep a steadying hand on Tasuki's shoulder as he crumpled to his knees, screaming.

oOo

Sora dashed up the stairs from her room to the main level, whipping around the corner and all but sprinting to her lady's chamber at the far side of the palace. She slowed to a walk and forced herself to relax, setting a hand to her heart in hopes of calming the clamoring in her chest. She pushed open the double doors and stepped inside, keeping her eyes averted to the floor until she'd reached the foot of her lady's chair. She knelt before the throne and touched her forehead to the ground. "You called for me, Setsuka-sama?"

"I have word on the final outcome of Kaze's mission," the Lady of Takkan drawled, rolling Tsuchi's green gem slowly between her fingers.

Her heart jumped into her throat but she forced herself to remain calm. "Ha… hai?"

"That boy," Setsuka said through gritted teeth, "proved himself not only as a rebel, but as a failure as well. On a mission that should have warranted complete stealth, he allowed himself to be spotted, and due to that sighting he was unable to complete his task. I imagine he fought valiantly, of course. I also imagine that's what he wanted right from the start. Oh, he must have done something right, as he managed to kill a Konan Warrior, even if it _wasn't_ the one I was after, but that sort of blatant disregard for orders cannot be tolerated. I'm sure you understand."

Sora swallowed hard. "Yes, Setsuka-sama, I do. What, ah… what is his punishment, then?"

"Punishment?" Setsuka repeated. "Oh, my goodness, there won't be one. Didn't you understand me? The boy was _spotted_ and was therefore _unable_ to complete his mission. Isn't it obvious? Kaze died along with his enemy."

Something cold swept over Sora and dropped into her stomach. "He… he _what?_" she cried, forgetting protocol and whipping her head upwards. "But how? I thought you said… I thought you said he _defeated_ the Konan Warrior!"

"Oh, he did, certainly, but he must have made a mistake at some point. The Konan Warrior killed _him_ too, you see. A knife to the back, if this dull ache between my shoulder blades is any indication." Her voice lowered into a warning growl. "And I would advise you to keep your head bowed when addressing your lady, my dear."

Sora turned her head to the ground, but not because of Setsuka's orders. She just didn't think she could keep her body upright for much longer, and craning her neck like that suddenly seemed… suddenly seemed like such a difficult thing to do. "I see."

"At any rate, I thought I ought to inform you. Really, I'd consider the boy rather lucky. Had he returned to the palace after such foolish decisions, I'd have been forced to do something rather harsh to him." Setsuka shrugged. "It's a shame, of course, losing another one of our own, but at least he managed to put himself to some use at the end, disposing of one of our enemies. I suppose we can take solace in that. It was about the only meaningful thing he ever did for me. He wasn't like _you_, Sora. Useful, I mean."

Her eyes snapped open, breath catching in her throat at her lady's words. "Use…ful…?" she repeated in a whisper.

"Yes, my dear. You are an immensely valuable member of my Elements. Mizu-chan as well. Oh, and might I say, I _am_ pleased to see you handling this news so well. You've learned quite a bit about strength since that horrid evening with Hataku. I had suspected you might. Tears are rather foolish and weak things for a warrior such as yourself to allow, I always thought."

"May I be excused, please?" Sora wondered for a moment if that calm, dead voice really belonged to her.

"Oh…" Setsuka blinked at the sudden request, but shrugged and waved a hand towards the exit. "Certainly, my dear. I imagine you need to perform the necessary tasks for mourning. I know how you enjoy your rituals. You have my permission to create another of those tablets if you'd like. If you need to request anything else, please tell me and I will do my best to accommodate you." She leaned forward and fondly stroked Sora's bound hair. "After all, even though he wasa bit of a nuisance, you and Kaze did spend so many years together."

A shudder ripped its way down Sora's spine and she stood in a hurry, somehow remembering to bow low before turning and rushing out of the room as fast as decorum would allow. Once outside, though, her steps slowed to a walk, then a crawl, until finally, at the bottom of the stairwell she creaked to a halt. Her right hand reached out and pressed itself against the wall, and her left snaked upwards to cup across her mouth, but beyond that she remained as still as a statue. She stayed like that for seconds, then minutes, staring forward into nothing, comprehending nothing, feeling absolutely nothing.

Then like a coiled spring let free, everything inside of her sprang apart. She found herself leaning against the wall, then sliding down it, and finally crumpling into a loose pile on the floor. And all the while she was looking at the ceiling and she was laughing, laughing at herself and at the deluded girl upstairs and the trapped boy in the back room and the dead boy in Konan, and she knew without question which of them had been the lucky one.

"Useful…" she said again, then louder, hysterically, her trembling voice banging around the narrow stairwell, "_Useful_! Oh, Kaze! Oh, my foolish Kiba-kun! And all this time we thought _I_was the smart one! But you knew her better, didn't you? _Loyalty, _I said? No, never loyalty! It was my _usefulness_ she wanted, all along! My sword as her sword, and your magic as her magic, and Mizu's crystals and Taiyou's shields and Tsuki's teleportation and Tsuchi's lovely little potions, and the rest of us could just burn in the hells, couldn't it! But then again, what else _was_ there of us, Kiba-kun? We never had a body but the one she let us keep. We never had a mind but hers. And our _hearts_? Our _souls_? What nonsense! Everybody knows that a doll doesn't have a soul… that a weapon can't… can't possibly cry…"

She rested her head against the wall and touched a hand to her cheek, blinking in bewilderment as her fingers came away drenched in water. "Nee, Kiba-kun," she whispered weakly, "This doll is leaking all over the place… I think it might be broken after all…"

oOo

"Houki-sama, I'm telling you—"

"And I am telling _you_, Chichiri, that it simply cannot be done! It would put too many lives at risk, and I will not see anyone else killed needlessly by this war!"

Ritsuka slipped open the door to the private study, wincing at the shouts that echoed from the back room. She cast a sad glance at Akai, Aoi, and Kiori, seated on the floor with a _go _board as they tried very hard not to listen to the commotion behind them. They looked up when she entered the room, frowning at the full tray of food in her hands. "He's still not eating?" Kiori asked, slipping one of her white pieces absent-mindedly across the board.

The redhead sighed and shook her head. "I forced about three bites down his throat before he said he felt sick and told me to go away. How about them? Still going at it?" she asked, nodding towards the far door.

"Like_ cats_," Akai grumbled, pressing down her own black piece without the slightest idea of where she'd placed it. "It's so strange… I _never_ thought I'd hear Houki-sama raise her voice like that, Chichiri-sama neither… and at _each other_…"

"Can you blame them, though?" Kiori asked. "They've both been running themselves ragged these past five days, trying to figure out the funeral arrangements. Houki-sama's got her hands full managing the palace ceremonies, and Chichiri's trying to run the religious rituals practically by himself."

"'Koji would want someone he knew to be leading all these prayer sessions,' he told me at the last one," Aoi remarked. "I guess I understand that, but…"

"Koji would want—"

"_Koji_ would understand the situation. We are in the middle of a war, Chichiri, and no matter how many reasons you give me for why this should occur I can find ten others why it should _not_!"

"…But they're gonna kill each other at this rate," Ritsuka finished, setting the tray on a nearby table and plopping into a chair. She rubbed her fingers pensively over the black armband on her sleeve, glancing at her three friends' matching ones and sighing. "It's completely unfair, them having to fight over funeral arrangements, over if we should send Koji back to Reikaku or not…" (1)

"Which we should _not_," Kiori said. "Houki-sama's right about this one. It's too dangerous, and completely insane, trying to sneak a funeral procession of all things out the back door of the palace without the Takkan army noticing. I think Chichiri knows that too, only he can't help but argue about it because it's what _Tasuki_ would've argued about."

"Oh, I agree with you," Ritsuka assured her, waving a tired hand at her friend. "That's my point, though. _Tasuki-chan_ should be the one in that room, getting into a shouting match with Houki-sama, not Chichiri. That masochistic monk's got enough to deal with as it is."

"Tasuki can barely stand to speak with _us_, these days," Kiori reminded her, staring at the _go_ board. "At least Chichiri's coping well. Heck, I'd say he's doing the best out of all of us."

The others all nodded their agreement, and Akai plunked another black _go_ piece on the board. "I just don't think it can be helped, Ritsuka-san."

"The hell it can! How about that stupid bandit gets off his ass, sucks it up and does what's needed for his _best friend_, instead of sitting around all day getting hungry and depressed…" Her voice trailed off into angry grumbles as the noise from the back room erupted again, and louder than ever.

"Then_ at least_ let me perform the Reikaku funeral ceremonies, Houki-sama! I've attended one before, I know how it's done no da. It's not traditional, I_know _that, but…"

"I apologize, but it simply will not happen. The priests and monks in the palace would never allow it. Barbaric, they would call it."

"It's a very serious and ancient tradition for those people, there's nothing 'barbaric' about it! I'll do the ceremony by myself if I have to, only please—"

"The answer is no. I have already made numerous concessions. The palace is in an uproar as it is. There is no more room for argument. I apologize, but certain rituals simply _cannot_ be ignored. This discussion is closed. Consider that… consider that an order from your Empress."

Not a second later the door creaked open and Houki bustled out of the back room. She met the startled gazes of her companions and felt her eyes well up with tears. "Well… I suppose _you_ all think I am a monster as well!" she cried, pressing a sleeve to her face and running out of the room.

"Ho-Houki-sama, please wait…!" Akai cried, abandoning her position at the _go_ board and running after the Empress. A moment later Aoi stood and followed, leaving the two young women alone just in time to greet a haggard, maskless Chichiri as he slipped out of the inner quarters. He heaved a long, heavy sigh, running a hand through his bangs and at last looking to his remaining companions.

"Have I been deserted no da?" he asked with a crooked smile.

"No, we've just got to have people looking after _both_ of you at this point," Ritsuka told him, picking a manju off of Tasuki's dinner tray and popping it into her mouth. "You're both wrong, by the way."

"I know," he agreed, collapsing into the only other open chair in the room. "I shouldn't have pushed the Reikaku funeral so far. I know how things work in the palace no da. Only…"

"Only_ somebody_ has to, even if it is stupid," the redhead continued, teeth snapping together on the manju like it had said something offensive. "Taku! You Konan types are so damn obsessed with ritual that you run yourself around in circles arguing about which way is right and which way is best, when the truth is it doesn't really _matter_ because Koji wouldn't give a rat's ass either way, only thing_ he'd _be worried about is that the right people were doing the right things, and meanwhile Tasuki-chan _who ought to be doing all this yelling anyway_ is sitting back there getting skinny and sick and, and… and there's not a _damn thing_ I can do about it!"

Ritsuka slammed her fist into the arm of her chair, then seemed to deflate a little and thunked her head over the back. She whooshed out a long breath through her noise and set a hand to her eyes, wiping away what looked like a few threatening tears. "I'm really starting to worry about him," she finally admitted. "It's worse than it was when we thought you were gone, Chichiri. He's a _wreck_, and it's scaring me. I just keep thinking that I'm gonna wind up losing them both, at this rate, and I just… d-don't think I can really… handle that, right now…"

Chichiri heaved himself out of his chair. "I've got a little bit of time before the next prayer session. I'll go and talk to him no da."

The redhead waved him off, pressing her tired hands to her eyes to at least keep her tears invisible, even if her sniffles still betrayed her grief. Kiori fidgeted with her skirt for a moment, then jumped up and hurried out the door as well, dashing outside just in time to catch him before he ducked around the side of the building.

"Chichiri!" she called from the doorway, remembering to close it at the last moment. "Are you… are you _sure _you're okay to do this? To talk about all of this… with him?"

He glanced back over his shoulder, offering a very faint and very unconvincing smile. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Because you're exhausted. Because you've probably lost track of how many prayer rites you've attended, how many of those incense sticks you've lit, how many times you've fought to change palace custom, to make things a little more the way Koji would liked. Because you've grabbed all the rest of us, even Houki-sama when you can, and you've thrown us onto your back and you're carrying us through this to the end, and you don't seem to even notice that _you're_ stumbling, too." She tried a smile back at him, and at least hers looked genuine. "Even if you are handling this the best out of all of us, you've got to be getting tired. I – we're all worried about you too, you know. Five days, and in all that time no one has seen you cry, not once."

"I'm not very good at crying," he admitted quietly. "Every time I try, I start thinking about everything that needs to be done, about the prayers that need saying and the people who need looking after, and then I just don't have the _time_ to cry anymore." He laughed, but the sound was so sad that it made tears spring to Kiori's eyes. "I think that's just how I deal with tragedy no da. So none of you need to worry about me. In two more days the funeral will be over, and I'll find a nice, quiet place to collapse. Maybe I'll even shed a few tears this time, too. I think Koji deserves at least that from me, no da."

She couldn't think of anything to say to that, so she just nodded and watched as he disappeared around the corner, on his way to set another lost, grieving Konan Warrior on his feet. Once he was out of sight she slipped back into the room, closing the door quietly behind her and leaning against the wood. "You keep busy to deal with tragedy… huh…? But, if that's the case… then…"

"Kiori?" Ritsuka called, her voice steady once again. "You okay?"

"Huh?" she looked down at her friend and blinked. "Oh, yeah, I'm fine Ritsuka. But, do you know something? As much as he hides it, and as composed as he's been throughout all of this… Outside of Tasuki, I think… I think _Chichiri_ might actually be suffering more than the rest of us combined."

oOo

Sunlight trickled through the open window on the far side of the room, casting alternating motes of light and shade into the room of the bandit seishi. Far away, a bird whistled to the spring morning. A moment later its friend answered the call. The wind chimes outside caught the passing breeze and tinkled as it flew past, calling back the good spirits and driving out the bad ones. Somewhere, a grasshopper hummed. But inside the room all remained silent save for the_ thunk-thunk-thunk_ of a knife hilt against wood, as the seishi splayed out on the bed tapped out a slow, dreamy pattern against the wall beside him. His other hand sat against forehead, palm upwards and trapped in the ray of sun, almost as if it were collecting the dust motes that trailed lazily down through the light.

He sighed and flopped onto on his side, still rolling the throwing knife between his fingers. His other hand dropped to his eyes, then slid over them towards the thin, temporary scar beneath his left eye, the one he'd earned for being sympathetic to a dangerous enemy…

vVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVv

Tasuki's loosened his hold on the boy's collar. He backed away from his young enemy, shaking his head in something of a daze. "No... no. We ain't killin' kids. I won't do it."

Kaze laughed. "Some seishi you are. I knew y'were slime but I never knew ya were stupid too." He took a step back, crouching into a fighter's stance. The Element chuckled dangerously. "Yer really gonna regret this decision, Konan Warrior. I promise ya that. In the meantime, y'can take _this_ as a reminder of yer biggest mistake!" In a movement too quick to follow, Kaze slashed upwards with his weapon, nicking Tasuki just below his left eye.

Tasuki instinctively slammed his hand over his eye, terrified for a brief moment that the Element had actually hit his mark. The seishi took three hasty steps back, smearing the blood away from his cheek and turning to glare at his enemy. "Teeme...!"

Kaze scrambled just out of sword range, glancing up through his bangs at the seishi. A dangerous spark glinted in his golden orbs as he flashed an arrogant smirk. "Too slow, too slow!" He set two fingers to his lips and blew, cutting the air with a piercing whistle. "You shoulda killed me when ya had th' chance, Konan Warrior. Take that cut t'help y'remember th' name Kaze – I promise that it'll bring ya a lotta pain in the future."

vVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVv

Tasuki rolled over, burying his head in his pillow. _'Gods damn it all…'_

Someone rapped on his door a couple times, softly at first. The seishi bandit decided to ignore the knock, but it persisted and grew in volume, followed by a gentle, "Tasuki?"

"Go away," he muttered through his pillow, just loud enough so that Chichiri could hear.

He heard the door squeak open and groaned a curse. He groaned even louder when he heard it squeak shut again, and the soft, slippered footsteps of his seishi companion pad across the room. Something put its weight on the end of the bed, and the edge slipped away from him, followed by a very faint warmth against his shin. He rolled over and briefly considered kicking Chichiri onto the floor, but instead just growled, "What part of 'Go away' doesn't make sense t'you? Can't you 'n' the others jus' back th' hell off already?"

"No, we can't," Chichiri said with far too much composure than Tasuki thought should be legal. "You're our friend, Tasuki, and we can't just sit back while you're in so much pain no da." Tasuki crossed his arm over his eyes and said nothing. "Do you... is there anything you wanna talk about?"

"Yeah,_ that_ sounds like fun," Tasuki said with a snort. "Let's talk about poor little Tasuki, wanderin' around th' palace like a kid who lost his fav'rite toy. Too sick t'eat an' can't even go half a day without snivelin'. That's _exactly _what I wanna talk about, 'Chiri."

"I didn't come here to pity you, if that's what you think no da."

"…No. I guess you wouldn't, huh?" He sighed and pulled his arm off his face again, rubbing his free hand once more over the tiny scar on his cheek. He kept his thoughts to himself for another long, terse minute, and then when he did speak he did it so quietly that Chichiri had to strain to hear him. "We're kinda th' same, you 'n' me."

"Mm? How's that?"

"We both killed our best friends, an' we got these nice little scars that make us remember it." Chichiri's eyebrows shot to the top of his head. "Koji's dead, an' it's my fault. You know that, doncha?"

"_Your_ fault? What are you talking about? Kaze was the one who—"

Tasuki jerked into a sitting position, flinging the throwing knife out of his hand and towards the far wall. It slammed into the wood with a reverberating _thwack_! and stuck there, quivering, buried almost up to its hilt. The bandit whirled on his friend, pressing his now-free hand to his chest. "Gods dammit Chichiri, I _know_ who fuckin' killed him, but ya don't have ta physically _kill_ somebody fer it t'still be yer fault! You of _all_ people oughta know that!"

Chichiri looked down, a flicker of a sardonic smile snaking across his features. "Point taken... no da."

Tasuki squeezed his eyes shut and pressed his thumb and forefinger down over the bridge of his nose. "No, I – shit, that ain't what I meant, okay? I jus'..." he looked away and gritted his teeth. "I had a chance t'get that brat! When we were comin' back from Reikaku... I _had_ him, an' you know what I did? I got all sentimental jus' 'cause he was a kid, an' I let him go! I coulda stopped it, right there..."

"Tasuki, you acted on impulse. I told you before, I would have done the same thing no da. How could you have known that he'd—?"

"That doesn't make any difference!" he snapped. "Th' fact is Koji's dead, an' _I_ coulda prevented it."

Chichiri shrugged. "Maybe."

"Maybe nothin'! If that kid'd been dead, then—"

"Then you'd have claimed your Element, and probably Ritsuka and Akai and Koji would've been killed by Taiyou no da. Or one of them would have defeated him, and another Element would've snuck into the palace the other night, and the same thing would have happened anyway." The monk sighed and looked to the ceiling, and Tasuki instinctively straightened, surprised by the open honesty pouring from his friend's unmasked face. "Maybe if we'd reached Nuriko in time, Miaka would've died in the Genbu seishi's trap no da. Maybe Chiriko was the only one strong enough to defeat Miboshi, and if it had been anyone else, we'd all have fallen. Maybe Mitsukake would've exhausted himself to death, and Hotohori-sama would've fallen once the Kutou soldiers reached the palace no da. And almost certainly, even if I hadn't attacked him, Hikou still would've drowned in the flood, along with the rest of the villagers."

"So what?" Tasuki snarled, bottled up frustration and rage catching in his throat. "Yer sayin' that all this shit keeps happenin' fer a _reason_ 'r somethin'? That it's just _fate_, and Koji an' all th' others woulda died anyway, an' there ain't a damn thing that coulda been done fer _any _of 'em?"

"Maybe that's true, and maybe it isn't," Chichiri said with another calm shrug. "What I'm saying, Tasuki, is that 'shit' happens because it does no da. And if you start trying to trace everything back to its source, you're going to wind up with a hundred strands that go into a hundred directions, and you'll _never_ find the 'reason' you were looking for. _Tathatha_; it is the way it is no da. I guess you can call that 'fate' if you want to." (2)

"If you think talkin' religion is gonna make me feel better…"

"I never said it would make you feel better no da," he said. "I just want you to understand that what you're saying makes absolutely no sense, and you're about as responsible for Koji's death as Tama-neko is."

Tasuki scowled and drew his knees up to his chest, wrapping his arms around his legs and stuffing his chin into his sleeves. "I hate you," he grumbled into his jacket.

"I know you don't really mean that."

"…No. But sometimes I really just wanna sock you one across th' jaw. You never do what I _want_. You were _supposed_ t'knock me around an' tell me what an awful person I am. But instead ya gotta be so damn calm, so damn certain, so damn… right all the time."

"I've been wrong a lot more these past few days than I've been right no da," Chichiri assured him. "And in case you haven't noticed, I'm pretty terrible at following my own advice. It's just… I know what it's like, getting trapped in the past. I don't want to see you go through that as well no da."

"Trapped in the past… huh…?" With a heavy sigh, Tasuki buried his face between his knees. "I don't know where th' hell else I'm _supposed_ t'go, 'Chiri. With th' others, an' with you, when we thought… with all that, I always had someplace _ahead_ that I could keep lookin' to. I could go runnin' off after a new enemy 'r a new goal, somethin' that'd let me forget all this_ weight_ clunkin' around in my chest. But this time, there ain't nowhere t'go. Nothin' ta hit. An' th' worst part… th' worst part…"

He had to pause to swallow back a fresh wave of tears, but at last found enough control to continue. "Th' worst part is that I can't_ blame_ that Element, I can't make myself blame him fer what he did! I try my damndest, I try t'get all pissed off at that stupid kid an' tell myself he's a bastard who got what was comin' t'him, but in th' end I just keep thinkin' that he was jus' a kid, jus' some _toy_ used by that, that woman..."

Chichiri's eye widened as a flash of crimson ki burst out over his friend's body. "Tasuki, daijoubu ka?"

"I hate her," Tasuki snarled after a moment. "I hate her… about as much as I hate myself, right now..." The ki around his body vanished as quickly as it had come and he slumped forward, almost caving in on himself. "Kuso, I miss him so much."

The monk nodded sadly. "So do I." He paused for a moment, waiting for his friend's trembling shoulders to steady themselves again and for the quiet sniffles to subside. Once they did, he took a breath and said, "Ritsuka-tachi and I are really worried about you no da. You haven't been eating, you barely speak to anyone, you're either wandering the palace in a dream or lying around cooped up in this room all day…"

"I know," he agreed. "But I can't bring myself t'face everyone right now. How th' hell am I s'posed t'be 'good ol' Tasuki' when Koji'll never see another sunset, never beat me in another archery competition, never laugh that stupid, cocky laugh of his..." He met his friend's gaze again, golden eyes shining with grief. "Every time I try t'eat 'r do somethin' with th' others, I start thinkin' about all that again, an' then I jus' get too sick t'do anythin'. I jus' can't make myself move on that quickly."

"I don't think anyone expects you to," Chichiri told him with a shake of his head. "It's hard, losing a best friend. You don't just hop up and dust yourself off from something like that – it's going to take time no da." The monk pressed his hands to his knees and stood, heading for the door. He turned as he reached the frame and looked back at his friend, eyebrows bunched tight with worry. "And Tasuki, you can take as much time as you need. Whether it's a day, a week, a month or a year, you can grieve for Koji for as long as you want. As far as I'm concerned, you can wear that black armband for the rest of your life if you need to. It's all right. I understand that. I think everyone else does, too."

Tasuki stared back at his friend, surprised to find a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Chichiri..."

"Just promise me something, all right?" he interrupted, a flash of fear tearing across his face. "Promise me that, no matter how much it hurts, and no matter how sick you feel and how much you want to turn your back on everything... promise me that you'll keep moving forward. Even if it's just half a step, promise me that you'll go on living. Promise me that you won't do anything stupid, anything... anything like I almost did, all right? Can you do that for me, for Ritsuka and the others? Please?"

The bandit snorted. "C'mon, 'Chiri, you know me better'n that. I'm too damn stubborn t'give up on _anything_."

"I know. I just wanted to make sure you hadn't forgotten it either," he said, returning the weak smile. "I'm holding you to that promise, though. I have a prayer rite to attend soon, but I'm sending Ritsuka back in here with a new dinner tray, and I'm _also_ telling her to strap you to the bed and stuff it down your throat if you resist no da. You need to eat, even if it does make you sick to your stomach to do it."

"Yeah, I know. An' I will this time. Promise."

Chichiri nodded, satisfied with the answer, and again turned his back on his friend, but as his hand touched the door frame he pulled to a halt once more. The seishi monk didn't bother turning around as he said, "Koji's funeral is in two days, at midday. You don't have to come if you're not up to it, I just thought I'd let you know."

Tasuki gave no response. He watched wordlessly as the door slid open, then clicked shut behind his friend. He flopped back down onto his bed, closing his eyes and heaving a heavy sigh into the evening stillness. "Aniki. What'm I gonna do?"

oOo

"Setsuka-sama."

The Lady of Takkan's eyes widened as she glanced up from her desk, staring at the Sky Element who stood across from her, her posture straight and her gaze squarely on her mistress. "Sora? What in heaven's name are you doing here? And while I know this is an informal meeting, I still do not remember giving you permission to—"

"I have something to tell you, my Lady."

Ink dripped off the end of Setsuka's brush, staining the edict that sat before her, but she barely noticed it. "Something to… tell me? I encourage you to speak with me about anything that concerns you, of course, but… Sora, why such frankness? This is unlike you."

"No, my Lady, I suppose it isn't. However, custom dictates that during the grieving period one may be excused from one's actions. I am… not myself." Her eyes flickered to the floor. "That is what I need to tell you."

"Whatever you request, I shall do all in my power to grant it."

"I didn't say 'request,' Setsuka-sama," Sora reminded her, blinking as her eyes filmed over with tears yet again. "This is something I am telling you. Whether you grant your permission or not, I will follow through with it. I apologize, my Lady, but this is something I must do. You can kill me for my impertinence if you like."

Setsuka frowned, at last setting her brush back into its ink well. "What is this about, Sora-chan?"

"The death of a family member requires a period of mourning," Sora explained, her voice quiet and wooden, almost mechanical, as if she had rehearsed these words in advance. "Although Kaze was not my brother by blood, inside of me – inside of us both – we felt tied together in the same way as family. Therefore it is important for me to show the proper amount of respect for my fallen brother."

"I'm not entirely familiar with Kutou customs, my dear," Setsuka said. "I'm afraid you'll have to explain it better than that."

Sora took a breath and looked up again. "Forty-nine days. I require forty-nine days of fasting, resting, and grieving. During that time I will continue my sword training, but I refuse to shed any blood until the period of mourning has ended. I remain your weapon, Setsuka-sama, and I will until my death, but to be of proper use I _must_ give Kaze these forty-nine days. His spirit will never rest if I don't."

Setsuka felt her hands clench at her sides, but she forced herself to keep her face expressionless. After a long moment, she nodded, fists loosening once more and a soft, sympathetic smile lighting her features. "Well. Forty-nine days it is, then. I had intended to attack Konan a bit sooner than that, but… well, I suppose a few weeks' delay will not harm anything. And besides, I could not possibly send my future champion into battle before she has had the time to properly… grieve." She said the last word like it was foreign, but her smile never wavered – at least, not until Sora spoke again.

"You needn't worry, Setsuka-sama. I'm not grieving. That's impossible. But I'm not working properly right now, you see. So I need this time to fix myself. When this is over, I will be yours again. I promise." She frowned, touching a hand to her cheek and blinking in puzzled wonder. "Oh, I'm crying again. When did that happen?"

"Sora…"

"May I please be excused now, Setsuka-sama? I'd like to get to work on Kaze's spirit-tablet as soon as possible."

The Lady of Takkan wore a rare look of confusion and concern, but acquiesced once again to her Element's request. "Of course, my dear. I will speak with you later." She watched as the girl turned and walked slowly out of the room, her steps so wobbly Setsuka feared she might collapse at any moment. As she reached the door, the Lady felt a rare surge of sympathy sweep through her chest, and before the rest of her could push it back it found a voice and called across the chamber, "Oh, and Sora? Please… do feel better soon."

The Sky Element turned in the doorway, smiling weakly even as the tears dripped off her chin. "I feel fine, Setsuka-sama. As things are, I don't see how I possibly _could_ feel anything else."

oOo

The incense stick sent up a thin trail of smoke, wafting lazily a few inches into the air before vanishing, swept away on a gentle breeze. Chichiri slipped it into the stand at the foot of the coffin, next to the pure-white candle that had burned throughout the night, and clapped his hands together, bowing first to it and then to the offering of prayer money glowing behind him, kept alight by a pair of young palace monks. He took a breath and glanced across the small group of mourners – the Empress at the head of the coffin, Kiori and Ritsuka to one side, Akai and Aoi to the other, and a handful of monks scattered here and there, murmuring prayers and carrying out rituals. Tasuki was nowhere in sight. His eye flicked down to the pale body in the coffin,clean and garbed in a pair of his regular clothes. His headband and twin daggers lay at his side, along with a handful of his favorite food fresh from the kitchens, as well as a foreign candy called 'chocolate' fondly donated by Ritsuka. He took a deep breath and tucked his hands into his sleeves, moving back to stand beside the Empress.

Ritsuka sniffed loudly in the brief silence that followed. "Y'know... he looks... almost happy. I never realized it before. He died smiling. Koji... Koji would've wanted to go like this, huh?"

"I think you're right, Ritsuka," Kiori agreed, rubbing her friend's shoulder and blinking back her own tears.

Akai cried freely, gripping tightly to Aoi's arm. "Maybe so, but why... why did he have to be taken from us? Koji-san... darn it, Koji-san, it's not fair..." she scrubbed a hand across her eyes, sniffling and fighting to mirror her friends' toughness. "I never… never _really_ minded it, when he treated me like a kid. I hope he knew that..."

Aoi shifted beneath her grasp. "Akai, I'm sure…" but he had to stop there, swallowing hard and squeezing his eyes shut to ward off a surge of tears.

Houki straightened her shoulders and looked to the monk. Though emotion clogged her voice, she managed to at least keep it steady. "Chichiri, shall we begin?" She hesitated, watching as he glanced over his shoulder towards the nearby palace buildings. "Oh, I apologize. Are you waiting for something?"

He frowned and turned back, shaking his head. "I was... it's nothing. Yes. Let's begin. Ritsuka, could you…?"

The redhead nodded, moving forward and lighting the single joss stick above Koji's head. She stepped back again as soon as it caught fire, bowing her head along with her friends and clapping her hands together in front of her face. Chichiri took a breath of the calm, soothing incense slowly permeating the air and closed his eyes. He opened his mouth to begin and had to stop, surprised to find a knot forming at the back of his throat. He frowned and swallowed it down._ 'Just a little longer,' _he promised himself. _'I have to stay composed for just a little longer. I can think about the parties on Reikaku, the days spent walking the markets of Sou'un, that hopeful conversation just the other day in the palace gardens… I can think about all that later. Right now, though, I have to take care of this.'_

The thought gave him strength and he opened his eyes again, keeping them on the ground as he raised his voice about the murmurs of the surrounding monks and chanted to the sun-filled courtyard:

"_In the space before me is the great guardian Suzaku  
Surrounded by his brothers and all the great sages,  
Like the full moon surrounded by stars_."

He glanced up, watching as one of the younger monks leaned forward and blew out the white candle at the foot of the coffin, clasping his hands together over it in silent reverence. Chichiri continued:

"_I and all sentient beings, until we achieve eternal peace,  
Seek refuge in Suzaku's purifying flame, his compassion, and his love_."

He paused to allow the others to repeat the lines three times, his own voice helping along their wobbly ones, leading them through this final, most difficult of stretches.

"_Through the merit collected by charity and all the other perfections,  
May Suzaku guide us to his heavenly palace and embrace us all_."

And again they repeated it three times, and again Chichiri pushed it forward, Houki's own strong voice joining with his even as the others trailed away into tears.

"_May everyone be happy,  
May everyone be free from misery,  
May no one ever be separated from their happiness,  
May everyone have peace, free from hatred and attachment_."

The group lapsed into silence for a moment, allowing the simple prayer to disappear on the wind. After a few minutes had passed Chichiri nodded and stepped back from the head of the coffin, gesturing for the Empress to take his place. "Houki-sama, if you could lead the remembrance?"

She smiled softly at him, previous anger forgotten amidst the sorrow and prayers. She stepped forward, glancing around at her companions and offering them all that same sad, comforting smile. Her long black sleeves covered her hands as she clasped them at her waist, bracing herself for this next part. "We are here to say our final good-byes to Mitsuragi Koji, a brave fighter and a dear friend. Though he was the last to arrive at the palace, in the limited amount of time we knew him he became a close companion to all. Rarely did I see him without a smile on his face, always ready with a few words that never failed to make us all laugh."

The Empress' smile dropped and she had to pause to swallow back a sob. Her next words quavered, though she somehow kept her voice from breaking. "Despite his careless attitude, he was indeed a brave, strong companion, one who never gave up, never stopped fighting to help the people he cared for... a true hero, and a true friend. What more..." Houki blinked and clenched her hands together to keep them from shaking. "What more could one ask... of a person? Koji, you will be sorely missed, but... but we will never forget you, what you have done, and what... what a wonderful, courageous person you were. Sayonara, Koji."

Chichiri pressed a comforting hand to the weeping Empress' shoulder as he again stepped forward, ducking his head and looping his thumb beneath his prayer beads. He held them a hands-breadth away from his body, over the burning joss stick, and slowly recited the final wish for the deceased.

"Life is ever-changing, and all those who are born must eventually pass from this life. However, everyone has within them the seeds of their past merits, which have the power to bring a happy rebirth in the future.

"We pray that through the power of this virtue, through the blessings of the gods above, and through the force of our heartfelt prayers, our dear friend Mitsuragi Koji will experience great fortune and everlasting peace and happiness.

"We also pray for his bereaved friends, that they may be comforted in their loss and find peace of mind and strength of heart.

"May all beings without exception be released from suffering, and find true happiness and everlasting peace. _On Mani Hatsumei Un._"

"_On Mani Hatsumei Un_," the others repeated.

"_On Mani Hatsumei Un_," a strong male voice echoed from behind him.

Chichiri's eye opened and he glanced up, watching as Tasuki walked slowly, deliberately, past him and towards the open coffin at the center of the courtyard.

Silence reigned on the clearing as the seishi, dry-eyed, stood beside his fallen friend as if in deep thought. After a long moment, he withdrew Koji's throwing knife from his shirt and laid it beside the bandit leader. Tasuki picked Koji's headband up out of the small pile of possessions, looping it twice around his seishi-marked wrist. His fingers brushed his friend's cold cheek, lingering for no more than a second, then he took a deep breath and stepped away from the coffin, bowing his head along with the others.

"_On Mani Hatsumei Un_," Chichiri finished in a whisper, and at last allowed a single, silent tear to trace its way down his cheek.

oOo

The grave of Mitsuragi Koji sat high on a hill in the palace cemetery, gazing down on the inviting canopy of the imperial gardens. A single tree cast its evening shade upon the gravestones, embracing the countless fallen lives with its lengthening shadows. The cemetery spread far across the northern edge of the palace, yet not a soul stirred among its waving grasses – not a soul save one, climbing slowly up the hillside, a tall white bottle in his hand.

The lone figure reached the newest grave and stared at it for a moment, then uncorked the bottle and plopped to the ground beside the tombstone, pouring a hearty splash of liquor across the fresh earth.

"Seventy-three," he said quietly. "You beat me, in the end, jus' like ya said ya would. I shoulda known I didn't have a chance – you always do everythin' y'set out t'do, doncha? That sake'll have t'wait a while, sorry 'bout that. The next time we meet, though, I'll be sure t'bring th' best booze in Konan. How's that fer a present, na?"

Tasuki sighed, drinking deeply from the sake bottle. "It's funny, y'know. Even when I was travelin' with Chichiri, I never really thought much about never seein' you again. It was like, I always figured whenever I got tired-a wanderin' around, I c'd always jus' settle back on Reikaku with you, an' it'd be like old times. Only it didn't work out that way, did it?"

He turned his eyes to the ground, gripping the bottle until his knuckles turned white. "I'm sorry… that I couldn't save ya when ya needed it. Maybe Chichiri's right, an' there ain't nothin' any of us coulda done, but still... a guy can't help but wonder, can he?" He took another much angrier swig. "I know there's nothin' I can do about what happened, but I wanna tell you somethin': I'm gonna get revenge on th' person who did this to ya – not that Kaze kid, but his Lady, that bitch Setsuka. I'll won't fergive her fer what she's done t'you, an' t'everyone else, too. I swear t'you that someday I'll kill her. That's a promise, Koji."

Silence settled over the clearing again as the bandit sipped pensively at his sake. He dropped both hands and bottle into his lap for a moment, and felt the soft brush of worn cloth beneath his fingers. Tasuki glanced down, staring at the headband he'd slipped around his wrist, and smiled weakly. "I hope y'don't mind me borrowin' this. I know there's no way I c'd ever ferget you, 'r everythin' we been through t'gether. But this," he wrapped a finger around it, "will help me t'always keep you in my mind, and help me t'remember that promise I jus' made. An' you can bet that I _will_ take my revenge on Setsuka – I'm like you in that I'm too damn stubborn not t'finish doin' th' things I say I'm gonna do.

"So, I guess... I guess there's nothin' much else t'say. I miss you, Koji, yer gonna laugh at me fer sayin' it but I ain't gonna try t'pretend it's not true. But I know that, wherever you wind up, yer gonna make yerself at home right away. Huh, if I live long enough, I might even try trackin' ya down. I'll jus' look fer the kid who keeps talkin' ta himself." Tasuki had to chuckle at that. He splashed the remaining drops of sake across his friend's gravestone, blinking back his tears as he whispered to the smooth plaque at his side, "Oh, an' Koji... say 'Hi' t'Reirei an' Hakurou fer me, all right?"

The seishi didn't bother turning his head as he felt more than heard Chichiri walk up behind him.

"Hi, Tasuki."

"Hey, 'Chiri."

The monk, mask once again in place, took a seat next to his friend, a much smaller bottle of sake clasped in his own hand. He popped off the cork and drained the contents onto the already liquor-drenched earth, earning a weak chuckle from the bandit at his side. "He's gonna be too trashed t'find heaven, we keep this up."

"I've seen him drain a lot more sake than this no da. Besides, I wanted to keep at least one more Reikaku tradition," Chichiri explained as the last drops soaked into the ground. "I wasn't able to keep many, I'm afraid."

"No, it was real nice – th' part I heard, anyway. Diff'rent prayers from th' ones we like t'do, but good, an' you say 'em better'n any of us back home ever did. I'm sure… I'm sure he was happy, that you did that fer him."

The monk ignored the compliment and went straight to his own. "It was good to see you at the funeral today no da."

"I have you ta thank fer that," Tasuki admitted. "I needed someone to listen t'me feel sorry fer myself, then tell me th' truth, even if it wasn't what I wanted t'hear. You pulled me outta that hole I was in. Doumo."

"Always happy to help a friend no da."

"I'll be sure to return th' favor someday." Tasuki rose to his feet, staring out at the Konan sunset and chewing on his lip, debating his next question. "Chichiri... how did... how exactly did Koji die? I never knew..."

Chichiri stood as well and followed his gaze, squinting against the soft light on the horizon. "Like a hero, Tasuki. Like a true hero no da. As far as we can tell, it looks like Kaze thought he'd won, and was starting to leave, but Koji..." the corner of his mouth twitched upwards. "He got Kaze between the shoulder blades, with his lucky throwing knife no da. Koji never did believe in giving up, did he?"

"No, he didn't," he admitted quietly. The seishi frowned, staring hard at Koji's tombstone. _'So maybe, in th' end, you were okay with th' way things turned out. Still... it's hard, losin' a great friend like you...'_

A whispered voice from just a week before seemed to drift back to him on the breeze:

_"It don't matter how far away y'are, a best friend is a best friend. We'll always be buds, you know that Genrou."_

He managed a small smile, eyes flicking upwards to the heavens. _'Hm. An' we will, won't we, Koji?'_

Chichiri clapped a hand to his friend's shoulder. "Come on. Dinner's getting cold no da."

Tasuki nodded. "Mm. Let's go, Chichiri."

oOo

"_'The seishi bandit followed his friend out of the palace cemetery and down towards the imperial quarters. At the last second he turned around, eyes once more on the faraway grave of his best friend. But then, with a deep sigh, he turned his back and took that half-step forward, away from the final resting place of Mitsuragi Koji, Konan Warrior, bandit leader, and treasured friend.'"_ Keisuke rubbed at his eyes with his sleeve, trying to block out the sniffles echoing from the couch across from him. "End Chapter Twenty-Three." He stared down at the book in his hands, rubbing a hand along the last words of the bandit leader's final chapter. "Sayonara, Koji."

--  
Houki: Following every great action there must surely be aftermath, be it for better or for worse. The Lady of Takkan seeks amusement in Konan, her future champion seeks refuge in mourning, and Tasuki seeks an escape from his own lingering grief. However, when the frustration becomes too much for him to bear, he may find that his solace lies in an unexpected source.  
Meanwhile, a familiar enemy opens his eyes in Takkan, and... Ch-chotto o-machi kudasai! You mean to say that you are on _our_ side now?

The Next Episode of Fushigi Yuugi: The Next Chapter: "Overlapping Destinies? The Return of the Fallen!"

I never would have thought it…  
--

* * *

**End Notes:**  
(1) The Konan Funeral: There's not enough room to properly explain everything I did or didn't do, but suffice to say that I borrowed heavily from traditional Chinese funeral customs for this chapter, simplifying wherever necessary and adding my own touches when it felt right. The two prayers are Buddhist in origin, though I of course tweaked and edited the lines so that it fit the Konan religion better. The _"On Mani Hatsumei Un"_ prayer (pronounced "An Mani Bami Hong" or 唵嘛呢叭咪吽 in Chinese) is the mantra of Kannon (pronounced "Guan-yin" in Chinese), the bodhisattva of compassion. It's recited at Buddhist funerals, but seemed appropriate for the soft-hearted Suzaku, god of love. It does not have a strict meaning, though there are various interpretations, and its power seems to lie more in the sounds than the actual words.

(2)_ Tathatha_ is a Buddhist concept but fits with Taoism nicely as well, often translated as "suchness" or "thusness," though I prefer the broader translation of "things are the way they are." It's a very simple but profound statement on the nature of reality – indescribable and unexplainable, exactly what it is and nothing more.

**Special Thanks to:**  
Chinaculture . org for the information on Chinese funeral customs; death-and-dying . org for the information on Buddhist funeral customs, as well as the outline for my two prayers; and Wikipedia for expanding my understanding of the "_On Mani Hatsumei Un_" mantra.

_**Author's Note: February 8, 2008; 12:36 PM**_

For once, I have nothing to say.

Thanks to xXDraconisXx, RK9, MagicAnimeGirl, Luckyleaf47, Halogazer, LordxxAxelxxLover, inuphantom13, and Ane-san for reviewing. I hope to hear from you all again soon.

Your Authoress – Dee


	24. Episode Twenty Four: Overlapping

_**Disclaimer:**_ I still don't own Konan, Suzaku and all characters and seishi pertaining to them. Kiori and Ritsuka are and shall forever be mine, and that holds for all the other "originals" (you'll know 'em when they appear, trust me). Obviously the story is mine as well.  
_**Rating:**_ PG-13, for moderate language and violence.

**Musical Selection: **I like"Belladonna's Snare" (Setsuka's Theme, Pt. II) for the back-and-forth scenes between Setsuka/Mizu and Tasuki/Ritsuka. Find it on the listen section in me blog! (You know the place – www . xanga . com / otakugraffiti )

_One of my friends in Japanese class showed me a book that she randomly found called _Kansai Japanese: A comprehensive guide to the dialects of western Japan._Eight dollars later it was sitting in my hands, covered in my tears of joy. Armed with the Holy Pronunciation Guide of Antioch, it's only a matter of time now before this young translator decodes Tasuki's mind-numbing accent once and for all. My happiness overflows like a bathtub filled by walking broomsticks._

* * *

**--Episode Twenty-Four: Overlapping Destinies?--  
The Return of the Fallen**

Keisuke glanced up at his friends, both of whom had to fight to get their emotions under control. He held up the book, waving it weakly back and forth. "Who's next...?"

"You take it, Tetsuya," Yui said between sniffles. "I don't think I can see well enough to read anything right now... poor Koji... poor _everyone_..."

Tetsuya rubbed a hand gently along his girlfriend's shoulder as Keisuke handed the book back over to him. He accepted it wordlessly, leaning back against the couch and taking a deep breath. "Okay, here we go. Chapter Twenty-Four… _'Meanwhile, far from the walls of Konan and ignorant to the tragic events that had unfolded there, an alliance's risky decisions were finally beginning to bear fruit...'_"

oOo

The Takkan serving girl glanced left and right as she sneaked out the palace's secret entrance, breathing a short sigh of relief when she found the street deserted on both sides. She relaxed her hands at her sides and took a step out onto the pathway, but no sooner had she escaped the shadows then a pair of arms grabbed her from behind, clasping her around the waist and twirling her through the air.

"Aiya!" she squealed, and raised the basket in her hand as if to fight back, but just before she swung downwards she heard a familiar, deep-throated laugh echo out from behind her. She giggled and flailed her arms helplessly. "Aiya, I said! I've been kidnapped by a terrible flirt! My maidenly virtues will be spirited away for sure!"

"Perish the thought!" the male voice behind her teased, laughing again as he squeezed her to his chest. "There's nothing more attractive than a chaste maiden – why in heaven's name would I seek to sully that beauty?"

"Oh? And what if the chaste maiden didn't _want_ to be so chaste anymore, hm?"

He at last released his hold on her, though not before reaching around to plant a kiss on her cheek. "Then she'd have to take that up with the worthy young men of the town, as this 'terrible flirt' has already sullied the virtue of one maiden and simply cannot bear to commit such an atrocious act upon another young lady."

She giggled. "Kita'd skin you alive if she heard you admit all that, Aji-san." She whirled on the young man, shaking her basket at him, though she still had an impish smile dancing across her face. "And don't you go saying you're claimed, it'll break the hearts of half the girls in Takkan! I haven't seen you capped yet, you know!"

"Hasn't been much _time_ for capping, Ayame-chan," he reminded her with just a speck of regret, eyes falling to the basket waving before him. "Sa, you've come through for me, have you? Our guest will be happy to hear that."

She nodded, handing it over for the young man to inspect. They slunk away from the wall as they spoke, Aji pulling out a variety of medicine jars and herbal tonics and nodding to himself as Ayame briefed him on the situation within the palace. "It wasn't easy; the supply doesn't grow as fast as it used to, now that the healer boy's gotten sick. Setsuka – may she die a thousand deaths – has been making 'em herself, best as I can figure, but she don't do it as fast as he did, and anyway hers aren't as strong neither, and they've got that nasty feel to 'em, like she added something foul to the mix. It's still doing the trick for him though, isn't it?" Aji nodded, still examining the supplies, so Ayame continued. "Everything's been real quiet on the inside, ever since that one Element boy got himself killed in Konan two weeks back."

"Three," he corrected absent-mindedly.

"Has it been that long?" she mused. "Well, don't the time just fly? Nee, Aji-san, you going to spare some flowery words for me, or am I gonna have to do all the talking by my lonesome?"

"Sa, sorry, Ayame-chan. I just wanted to make certain everything was here – for _everyone_, I mean, not just for the guest. Medicine's harder to come by ever since Setsuka – may she die a thousand deaths – caught Renjiro. We need to make certain that whenever we can obtain supplies, we obtain as many as possible."

"I know _that_," she said with a scowl. "Why else do you think I packed that thing so full? Never know when I'll get another chance to sneak in there…"

"I'd actually rather you didn't, Ayame-chan. Ever again." The girl's mouth dropped and she clenched her fists as if to protest, but the concern in Aji's eyes when he looked back up again made her forget her voice. "You've never had to witness a hanging, have you?" She shook her head uncertainly and Aji met her worried gaze with another small smile, this one much more serious than the others. "Pray that you never do. I attended Renjiro's. It was the most recent in a very long line of executions that I have witnessed over the years, and I'd like for _your_ pretty neck not to fit that noose anytime soon. Our guest does not need the medical attention he once did, and our people remain healthy enough. We'll manage with what we have."

Ayame nodded, thoroughly defeated by Aji's uncharacteristic solemnity. "Okay, I'll leave it alone. Sorry, Aji-san. Sometimes I forget that I'm just a rookie in this rebelling business, when you've gone and lived through a pair of 'em, huh?" He shrugged and she coughed, fighting to find more cheerful conversation. "So that adopted shogun of yours don't need as much tender love an' care, does he? How's he holdin' up?"

"Sa…" Aji looked to the evening sky as if searching for an answer in the clouds. "He's about the same, I suppose. Depressingly quiet. But he's polite, and he hasn't made any attempts to escape or turn us over to his former lady – not that I really suspected that he would. He's healing up well, too, thanks to the filched medicines. He's even been moving around a bit, these past few days, though that leg of his is about as stiff as a plank of wood."

"Think it'll get any better?"

"Doubtful, at least not with _our_ medical knowledge. But he's learning how to get around on it." Aji chuckled. "You're absolutely not allowed to tell him I said this, but it's _wildly_ entertaining, that shuffling hop-skip gait he's developed."

"I'm shocked he can walk on it at all," she retorted. "Wasn't it all twisted around when you got ahold of him? And Kazu, he told me there wasn't anything left of his chest but some bloodied strips, and he said he was all broken up on the inside, too, not just that knee, so you could practically hear everything crunching around when you moved him over to Otoo-san's, and his one eye was all gooey and _spssssh!_, like someone had popped it or something…"

"Kazuo-kun has a marvelously morbid talent for exaggerating," Aji told her with a smiling grimace. "Though in this case he didn't need to embellish much. In that first week, every night we thought he would not live to see the morning, and we could only sit in that tiny room and wonder how we'd _ever_ find a priest willing to conduct the proper funeral rites. But somehow…" He shook his head wonderingly. "Sa, while I can't say I _like_ him exactly, I do have to admire that toughness of his. I don't think I've ever seen anyone quite so determined to survive. You should visit sometime and see for yourself."

Ayame stuck out her tongue. "No, thanks. Maybe you and Kita and Otoo-san can pretend he's a friend now, but to me he'll always be Shogun Watanabe Hataku, the man who single-handedly turned half my friends' parents over to that bitch's gallows." Her eyes snaked over to watch the profile of Aji's attractive face and she smiled impishly. "Now, if that invitation extends to visiting just _you_, then…"

She swung her face around so fast that she thought for sure he'd never be able to avoid her sneak-attack kiss, but at the last moment Aji leaned backwards and Ayame went stumbling past him, planting her lips straight into the muddied wood of Otoo-san's front door. She scowled and rubbed hurriedly at her mouth, turning to send a mournful glare at the young man behind her. "You're no fun at _all_, Aji-san. All those charms and talents and good looks, and you won't even _use_ them. It's downright cruel, is what it is, when fat old coots take ten wives and a handsome fellow like you won't even pick up a single concubine. And Kita's a right beast, too, keeping you all to herself."

He strode past her to the door of Otoo-san's home, flashing her one last charming smile as he opened the door and strode through the frame. "My dear Ayame-chan, who ever said _Kita_ was the one doing the keeping?"

"Mouuuu…!" she growled in frustration. He closed the door behind him, but the wood wasn't nearly thick enough to keep Ayame's determined pledge from echoing through the tiny room, "Just you wait, Furosaki Aji! In a few more years I'll be a beautiful, classy lady, and then you'll be _begging_ me to share your bed, you'll see!"

Aji sweatdropped, then glanced across the room to find himself looking straight into Hataku's single, puzzled eye. "A friend of yours?" the former shogun asked dryly, mirroring the sweatdrop.

"Ah-heh-heh…" he trailed off into a nervous giggle, sliding away from the door and shaking the basket meaningfully. "Nothing important, simply a young lady who found something to take the edge off that stiffness in your leg. Oh, and…" he reached into his shirt and pulled out a dark blue headband, widened and sloping down on one side to form a handmade eye patch. "With love from Takamori-san." He tossed it across the room at Hataku, who accepted it with a muted "thank you." The young rebel set the basket beside the shogun and placed his hands on his hips, peering towards the two darkened back rooms. "Where is everyone?"

"Out," Hataku answered briefly, slipping his newly-acquired eye patch down to his neck and then back up, underneath his hairline until it covered the scarred, milky-white globe that remained of his left eye. "They didn't say to where." He nodded to the bowl sitting beside him, a pair of chopsticks placed across its lid. "Kita-san made dinner. There's more on the fire."

"Excellent!" Aji cried, rubbing at his stomach and disappearing into the back room that functioned as the kitchen. He returned a moment later with a bowl of his own, twirling his chopsticks between his fingers and flashing the somber man a smile. "Rice porridge again, I see. Many apologies for our rather scanty food supplies, as well as for the horrid taste. Rebels rarely double as cooks, it seems."

Hataku took up his bowl again and chomped down on the meager meal, shrugging his slightly bent shoulders – another souvenir from Setsuka's death sentence. "It's better than some things I've eaten. Thank you."

"They didn't feed you too well on the battlefield, I take it." Hataku nodded and Aji shot him a crafty glance out of the corner of his eye. "Nevertheless, you lived in the palace for quite a while, didn't you? I'm sure the food _there_ must have been delicious." He shrugged and the rebel took that as a sign to press forward. "Yes, yes, I'm sure you know all _sorts_ of interesting things about that palace, things we poor commoner folk couldn't imagine even in our wildest dreams. Sa, you might even, just perhaps… know some secrets about how, if one were looking to_ attack_ said palace, one might be able to succeed, even with those Elements guarding Setsuka – may she die a thou—"

Hataku's chopsticks snapped in his hand. Aji jerked at the noise, nearly falling out of his chair as he whirled to stare at the former shogun, swallowing hard as he saw real, passionate emotion blazing across that taciturn face. He couldn't read it, not really – couldn't tell whether it was hatred or pain, grief or fear – but he knew without a doubt that it was resolute and unwavering, and that it was going to topple absolutely anything that tried to stand in its way. The young rebel swallowed hard and inched backwards in his seat, wondering if _he_ might be one of those 'things' in the way. "Ha… Hataku-san…?"

"I'm going to kill that woman," he at last snarled into his porridge. "I'll make her pay a hundred times over for what she's done. To her… to me… and to all of you, as well."

"Ah, ah-hah, of course," Aji said, chuckling nervously and taking a bite of his porridge in a weak attempt to calm his nerves. He gagged and almost spat it out again, whirling to stare at his old enemy. "_This_ tastes fine to you? What in the gods' names did they _feed_ you in that Takkan camp?"

The rebel man was surprised and a little bit pleased to see Hataku chuckle – it was the first time he had so much as smiled. "It _is_ pretty awful," the former shogun admitted, "but it didn't seem fair to insult the cook who helped to save my life." He straightened his shoulders as best as he could and nodded, staring hard into his bowl. "But, in answer to your question… I doubt that anything I could tell you would help you with your goals. However, if there's something you want to know, I'll give it to you. It's the least I can do, for all of you… for everything."

Aji understood the meaning behind those words, and for the first time since he'd helped form the RAFT, he thought he could perhaps, someday,forgive this determined man for his part in the slaughter of so many rebel forces. But that was a long 'someday' in the future, he thought as he set his bowl to the side and rubbed his hands together, eyes alight with potential plans. "Sa! Then why don't we start with any hidden entrances or exits. Now we already know about the door in the south wall, so you needn't mention that, but…"

oOo

"Kita-san?"

The RAFT leader poked her head out of the kitchens, blinking at the sight of Hataku standing at the door, a cloak wrapped around his broad, crooked shoulders. "Mm?"

"I'm going out for the evening. I may not be back until tomorrow morning."

"H'oh?" Kita's eyes widened, trailing up and down the healed patient. "I takes it you're, ah… feelin' good, like?" He nodded, and she waited for more of an explanation, but Hataku remained as taciturn as always. At last she gave up and waved him towards the door. "Go on y'way then, an' I won't be botherin' wiff dinner f'you."

He nodded and disappeared out the door. Kita stared after him for perhaps five seconds, chewing on her lip and tapping her foot, before finally throwing up her hands and storming towards the doorway. "Oh, bloody 'ell! Aji, I'm steppin' out f'a bit!"

"Out, love?" he called from the kitchens. "Why ever would you do a thing like that?"

"'Cause I don't knows 'ow ter trust people, 'at's why! Agh… I_ knows_ 'e won't be turnin' on us but I jus' can't sit still while 'im's is runnin' 'round on 'is own… bloody 'ell…"

Kita cracked open the door and slipped out, looking to her left just in time to see Hataku disappear down a side street. Careful to remain as silent as possible, she followed at a fast stride, surprised to find that she had to move quickly to keep up with the limping man. _'I'll gives 'im credit, 'e's learned 'ow t'use 'at new walk o' 'is right well…'_

She tracked him through the winding streets of the capital city, at last ducking into an alley as Hataku pulled up in front of a house on the outskirts of town. Hidden in the shadows, Kita risked poking her head around the edge, watching as the former shogun glanced to his right and left as if searching for any would-be followers. After a moment he nodded, apparently satisfied, and knocked twice on the door before letting himself in. Curiosity piqued, Kita slunk up to the tiny home and peered carefully through the window, cracked open to allow a summer breeze.

She found herself looking in on the house's main room. Dim but welcoming light shone from a lantern hanging over the single bed, casting the walls in warm, muted tones. The area was shabby but clean, sparsely filled with a bed, two chairs, a small table, and a chest that must have contained the clothing of the residents. A darkened doorway led off from the main room, probably to a cooking area, but Kita's eyes didn't rest on the room's furnishings for long. Rather, they turned to the occupants of the cozy little home, first to a young woman perched on the chest and then to the older woman seated on the bed, both with their hands full of needle, thread, and cloth.

"Haha-ue (Mother)? Hourin?" Hataku called quietly as he entered the house. Kita's eyes widened at the soft, almost gentle tones echoing from his normally gruff lips. "It's me; it's Hataku."

"Hataku!" both squeaked almost as one, dropping their sewing. The younger woman sprang to her feet, face lighting up as she turned towards the newcomer's voice, but the older one remained seated, eyes wide and hands clutched to her chest.

"Ani-ue (Elder brother)!" cried the younger, reaching out a tentative hand and, after Hataku took it, throwing herself into his arms. "Oh, you've come home to us! I always hoped…!"

"Impossible," the older woman breathed, shaking her head slowly from side to side and staring up at the shadowy figure in the doorway as if meeting a ghost. "You can't be… we were told… we were sent a message saying you had died in battle… that, that you'd been buried on the field…"

The girl called Hourin whirled to face her mother, setting her hands to her hips and smiling triumphantly. "Didn't I _tell_ you, Haha-ue? Didn't I tell you never to believe a word from the palace? Ani-ue's come back to us, just like I knew he would, and all you can do is act like he's a phantom!" She turned again, grappling for her brother's hands and tugging him forward. "Come on, Ani-ue, get a little further in here and prove to Haha-ue that you're real."

Hataku did as his sister bid, limping into the light and standing before his mother with a soft, self-conscious, but genuinely happy smile tugging at his face. Hataku's mother pressed her hands to her mouth, standing slowly as the tears began to collect at the corners of her eyes. She swallowed back a sob and reached out, cupping her son's scarred face in her hands. "Suzaku bless us. It _is_ you." Silence reigned on the small family as she threw her arms around his neck, pressing her face tight to his chest and patting at him like a lost child who had finally been brought home. Hataku's arms wrapped around her thin frame, encompassing her effortlessly, and he didn't even seem to mind when she stood on tiptoe and planted a kiss on both his cheeks and forehead. She pulled back again, wiping a string of tears from her eyes and trying a smile that fell just short of true happiness. "You're back, but…" One hand reached out to cup his face, thumb stroking the smooth cloth draped over his eye while the other reached up to finger the ragged ends of his hair, now cropped to his neck. "Oh, but Hataku, what in the world_ happened _to you?"

"Mm?" Hourin's eyebrows shot to her forehead and she rotated towards her brother once more. "What's Haha-ue talking about? Is something the matter?"

The former shogun hobbled over to the nearby table, his sister's hands clasped firmly in his as he guided them both to the chairs. "It's nothing, Hourin. There've been some... troubles, we'll say. If I told you everything, it might endanger your life, so I think it's best that I leave you in the dark on this one."

Hourin chuckled, releasing her hold on his hands as he slid himself back into the chair with a weak grimace, his injured leg stretched out before him. She ignored the other chair and leaned forward, hands reaching out to trail lightly down his face. "Leave me in the dark, hm? Well, I suppose I'm used to that by now."

'_She's blind,'_ Kita realized with a start. She glanced around at the shabby neighborhood and gritted her teeth. _''Er own bleedin' shogun gets paid so li'l that 'im's own mother an' blind sister 'as t'lives '_ere_? 'At monster...'_

"Well, spare us the details, then. It's just… oh, it's good to have you home," Hataku's mother whispered again, gathering up her sewing and moving to take the chair opposite her son. "But Hataku, you must tell us _something_. Is everything all right in the palace? Between you and Setsuka, I mean? I know the two of you have not been on the most decent of terms as of late, but she did promise you so much, and after everything you've done for her, I'm sure…"

She trailed off, but Hataku understood the question hanging in the air. "No, Haha-ue. Things are nowhere near 'all right' in the palace. There's been... a falling out between Setsuka and me. I'm not even employed anymore, and I imagine everyone else in the military believes the same thing about me that you did." He paused, glancing up at his sister as her hand roved up his cheek and touched the patch covering his disfigured eye.

Hourin frowned. "Something's happened to your eye. Is that what Haha-ue was worried about?"

He held her hand in his, pulling it gently away from his face. "A bit more than just that. In a way, it's probably better that you can't see me. I don't know if you'd recognize me anymore."

"Not recognize my own brother? Ridiculous," she said fondly, taking a seat on the floor at his feet. "You seem the same to me, except that your walk has changed. Although... you have something very important on your mind. Has it really been that horrible at the palace?"

"It's been bad, Hourin," he said with a tired sigh. "But it's all right, because I'm going to fix it. I promise you that. I'll get you and Haha-ue out of this rat hole, and then..."

His mother chuckled and shook her head, drawing her needle through the cloth in quick, smooth strokes. "You worry far too much about the two of us. Hourin and I are perfectly fine. We have enough to live on, and we have each other. The only thing missing from our lives is you, Hataku."

"…I know," he agreed. "I'm too busy, aren't I?" Both women nodded. "I apologize, but I'll change that as soon as I can. There's something I have to do, though. Something that'll take me away from home for a while. A couple of months, maybe even more."

His mother sighed heavily. "I had a feeling. Any chance we can change your mind?"

Hataku shook his head. "It's important, and it's something I've been putting off for much too long. I'm sorry, but there's nothing you or anyone else could do or say that would stop me from this."

Hourin groped around for his hands, finding them without much difficulty. "It's one of _those_ things, huh? Well, if it's that important then I guess I'd be stupid to try and stop you. Be careful, and stay safe. Please. I don't want to lose my Ani-ue, not a second time."

Hataku nodded, giving his sister's fingers a reassuring squeeze. "I'll be okay. Something tells me I wasn't meant to die just yet. You take care of yourself, and Haha-ue too, all right? I'd never forgive myself if something happened to you." The former shogun smiled suddenly, leaning back and sniffing at the air. "Let's talk about something more pleasant for now. Like maybe what you've got cooking. It smells wonderful, Haha-ue..."

Kita slipped quietly away, already feeling as if she had intruded far too much on a very tender, very private moment between family members. As she jogged back to Otoo-san's home, Kita thought back over everything she'd just seen, staring up at the sky and puzzling it all out._'Huh! I ne'er would'er guessed! _'Ataku_ 'as 'imself a family, an' one 'e _loves,_ no less. 'Course 'ims is allus been civil enough, I s'pose, but I ain't never seen 'ims so... gentle, like. 'E really cares for 'em twos, 'e does.'_ She shook her head and slowed to a walk, chuckling at her own foolishness. _'I guess y'ne'er really _do_ know a person, na? I'll 'ave t'amember t'be nicer t' 'im… hm… an' next time we raids one-a them soldier barracks, why, I'll send some food over t' 'im's family. They 'as lookin' like they could'er used a li'l extra somefin' in 'em's cabinets, th' poor things...'_

"Konban wa, Kita m'dear," Aji said, raising a hand in greeting as she creaked open the door to Otoo-san's home. "I take it the good shogun didn't do anything uncalled for?"

She glanced up at her lover, a thoughtful, almost tender smile tracing her features. "Uncalled for? Ho no, I'd say 'e _definitely_ went 'n' did 'at."

Aji raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And what actions, pray tell, did he perform that could have caused you such happiness?" His eyes widened and gasped, clutching a hand to his heart and reeling backwards as if struck with an arrow. "Oh, Kita, dearest, say it isn't so! Hath Hataku stolen my love from me? The horror!"

She rolled her eyes and shoved him, sending the already off-balance actor tumbling head over heels onto Otoo-san's bed. "Ahou! It ain't noffin' like 'at! It's... well, let's get dinner goin', an' I'll explain t' 'ole fing t'you as we go. Y'll never b'lieve me, though…"

oOo

Hataku returned later that evening and spent the night in Otoo-san's dwelling, though he did not stay for particularly long. The next morning at breakfast, in the midst of Kita, Aji, and Otoo-san's lighthearted chatter, he quite suddenly announced, "I'm leaving today."

Aji nearly choked on his soup. "N-nani yo? Did I hear that right? You're _leaving_?" Hataku nodded, finishing off his meal and balancing the bowl on his uninjured thigh. "But, but I had assumed you would stay here with us and help to fight Setsuka—"

"—May she die a thousand deaths," everyone – including Hataku – chorused.

"Why the sudden departure? And why so soon?" Aji finished.

Hataku looked down at the floor, clasping his hands together in thought. "As much as I might enjoy fighting with the rest of you, in order to complete the task at hand I can't stay in Takkan. My path must cross again with that woman's, and for that to happen I'll have to go to Konan."

"Konan!" Otoo-san yelped. "My, my, why ever would you need to go _there_? The lady you wish to kill is here, right here in Takkan, so she is. Hm, hm, if you want to do what you say you do, wouldn't it make more sense to stay here, closer to your despised enemy, and fight with the rest of us?"

Hataku shook his head. "That woman," he almost never referred to her by name, "will go to Konan, eventually. She told me before this war even started that she wanted to be the one to finish things, regardless of whatever else happened. She wants to drive that final sword through Konan's heart with her own two hands. To do that, she'll have to wind up at the capital, and when she does," he gripped his teacup hard in his hand, and Kita worried for a moment that he might actually break it, "I'll be there to finish things as well."

Aji nodded. "A wise move, to be certain, however I think there's a flaw in your plan. Where exactly do you plan on _living_ while you wait for her to make her final move?"

"Where else but where she'll attack?" Hataku asked with a crooked smile. "The Konan Palace." Three mouths nearly dropped to the ground, and for the first time the entire trio was rendered speechless. "I don't expect that they'll just let me in with open arms, seeing as how I am who I am. But I think the valuable information I have about their enemy will help persuade them to let me stay. I also plan to offer my experience as shogun – those soldiers of theirs could use a real commander."

"Are y'plannin' on comin' back t'Takkan t'all?" Kita asked.

"I don't know," he admitted quietly. "If those Konan Warriors don't have me executed on sight, and if I manage to survive the rest of this war in my condition, and if I can finish my business with Setsuka, then yes, I know I'll return to Takkan. I have to."

Otoo-san frowned. "Hm, those are an awful lot of 'if's, yes they are, quite a lot indeed."

He nodded, turning his gaze meaningfully towards Kita. "My family doesn't need to know that, though." The rebel leader spit out her tea, and a snort of a laugh sneaked out of Hataku's throat. "A person doesn't spend his life in the military and _not_ know how to tell when he's being followed, you know."

Kita stared at the ground like a child caught raiding sweet buns, stubbing her foot at an imaginary mark in the floor. "I, er, didn't mean noffin' by it... I 'as jus'..."

"You didn't trust me," he said bluntly. "It's understandable. You can't trust much of anyone these days, can you?" He paused for a moment, watching as the sun seeping through the windows created dancing patterns of light and shadow against the far wall. He took a breath as if to steady himself against the possible futures looming over the horizon, then said, "Kita-san, everyone, may I ask a favor of you?"

"Depends on what it is, I guess," Aji said with a small chuckle.

"Do you think... do you think you can check in on my family, just every once in a while?" Hataku asked in a half-whisper. "They won't really need anything - Haha-ue's good at saving money, and the two of them can provide for themselves… they're both excellent seamstresses, but… even so… it would make it a lot easier on me, to leave and know that someone trustworthy was looking out for them."

A rare, tender smile twitched at Kita's lips. "It'd be a right pleasure t'do 'at for ya, 'Ataku. T'be givin' you th' true story of it, I 'as already fixin' t'do jus' 'at. Good t'know I got y'permission now, like."

He returned the smile, just slightly. "Arigatou. I can't thank you enough for everything you've done for me."

"Like I once told a pretty young Warrior, any enemy of Setsuka's – may she die a thousand deaths – is always a friend of ours." Aji stood, offering the former shogun a hand up. "Well, Hataku-san, shall we find you a horse? If you want to be in Konan before the week is out, I'd think you might need something a bit faster than your own two feet."

Hataku nodded, ignoring Aji's hand and pushing himself to his feet with only a small struggle with gravity, though the grimace that flashed across his face betrayed the pain in his crippled knee. "I was just about to request the same thing." He bowed politely to the other RAFT members. "Kita-san, Otoo-san, best of luck with your rebellion. It's almost a shame that I have to miss seeing you overthrow that woman."

"Oh-ho, y' 'ear 'at, 'Too-san?" Kita said with a laugh, slapping the older man on the back. "Th' ol' shogun 'imself says we'll be takin' 'at palace from th' li'l bitch, 'e does!"

Otoo-san nodded, chuckling as well. "I daresay, Kita m'dear, if _we_ had that kind of optimism we might've achieved our goals years ago, yes indeed!"

The rebel woman nodded, slapping her hands to her knees and walking Hataku and Aji to the door. She held it open for them and waved them off, though her gaze followed the shuffling, hop-skip walk of the former shogun until he'd disappeared into the Takkan streets, on his way to a farmhouse, a waiting horse, and eventually to the great southern empire. She couldn't decide whether to smile or frown, so instead she just clenched a hand around the doorway, lifting the other one in a tiny salute to the limping figure. "Gods be wi' you, 'Ataku. I 'opes you do get t'be th' one t'kill Setsuka – may she die a thousand deaths. I figures you deserves 'at honor."

oOo

"Lay-deez aaand GEN-tlemen!" Kiori cried, throwing open the doors to the dining hall and raising her arms with a flourish. "May I have your attention puh-lea…" she trailed off, glancing around the room to see only Houki and Boshin sitting at the head of the table, staring at her with wide, puzzled eyes. "…lease," she finished weakly. "Where is everyone?"

"Visiting Koji's grave, I suspect," Houki said with a sad smile. "It is another seven-day, after all."

"Oh, phoo," Kiori huffed, folding her arms over her chest. "Chichiri and I were out there earlier today, I guess I'd just assumed everyone else had gone then as well. But they were busy training with the rest of the soldiers again, I guess?"

Houki nodded, sipping at her cup of tea. "That _would_ be a fair assumption. It seems that our companions are attempting to take their frustrations out on one another, as the enemy army has been so quiet as of late. Oh, but what was it that you wanted to announce? If you had planned something exciting, Boshin-chan and I will happily provide the audience."

"Eh? Oh…" Kiori sighed and shrugged. "I guess I might as well. I _did_ rehearse it and everything, and there were going to be special effects too, so…" She clenched her fists and reverted back to her ringleader personality. "Lay-dee and gentleman, I have a marvelous announcement to make, one that will surely have you turning cartwheels, proposing toasts, and dare I say turning to your beloved and asking for their hand in holy matrimony! _What_ I present to you today has not been seen within our palace walls in nearly two months, yet _toooo_-day, today appears to you in a glorious, momentous, and positively heart-warming moment of triumphant return! Lay-dee and GEN-tleman, may I present to you, the magic-toting, injury-healed, one-hundred-percent Taiyou-ki-blast-free, _Chiiiiiiiichiri!_"

She clapped her hands, which must have been the signal because a poof of smoke appeared above and in front of her, and down dropped a very chibi Chichiri, using his kesa like a parachute as he landed before the dinner table, smiling cheerfully and patting at his previously wounded abdomen. "Da-da!"

Houki and Boshin both clapped appreciatively.

The pair bowed to their audience just as four heads poked around the open door, blinking at the scene before them. "Aw, did we miss something fun?" Ritsuka said with a pout. "I could've used some fun."

"Do I need to do it again no da?" Chichiri asked, pausing halfway through slipping his kesa back over his shoulders.

Kiori laughed and waved a hand, first at him and then at the newcomers. "Oh, no, that's fine. I was just excited because Yukeda-sensei_ finally_ decided that Chichiri's Taiyou-injury was fully healed, is all."

Chichiri patted his side again to make his point. "_And_ my abilities are actually doing what I want them to do again no da."

"Congratulations," Ritsuka said with a muted smile. "Sorry we weren't here to see it. We were… busy."

Akai, Aoi and Tasuki all offered their congratulations as well, though with more forced than genuine cheerfulness. Ritsuka frowned as they walked past her and took their seats at the table, making a point of leaving the chair at the end empty, another reminder of their recent loss. She shook her head and marched into the dining area as well, drool collecting on her lips as she snatched up a pair of chopsticks and, shooting Kiori a challenging glare, dove for the bowl of noodles that her friend had already placed in front of her.

"Ritsuka, give me that back! I called it!"

"Tut, tut! You can't call food, Kiori-chan! It's the law of, um... table manners."

"Is that so? Then I'll just help myself to some of your soup."

"HEY! No fair no fair, if it's already in my bowl then it's officially mine!"

"You snatched those right off my plate, you cheater!"

As she slurped down another mouthful of filched noodles, Ritsuka glanced out of the corner of her eye just in time to catch a chuckle rumble out of Tasuki's throat. She waited to see if he'd join in on the fun, but instead he just glanced down again, taking a halfhearted bite of rice. The redhead scowled, not even bothering to defend herself when Kiori stabbed her chopsticks deftly into a particularly plump piece of chicken.

Houki cleared her throat, attempting to sweep away the subdued silence that followed. "I… have not heard the call for battle recently. It seems as if the Takkan army has decided that the heat is far too much for them as well, does it not? Still, I wonder if Setsuka—"

Tasuki's chopsticks snapped in his hand. Everyone jerked around to stare at him, eyes widening at the faint flecks of crimson ki that flared out around his form. His bangs had fallen into his eyes, but the grimace of hatred that flashed across his lower features betrayed his emotions far better than his gaze ever could. "Ta…Tasuki…?"

"I'm gonna kill that bitch," he growled between clenched teeth. "She's gonna pay a thousand times over fer all the shit she's done. Until then, please, nobody mention her name. It ain't fit t'be said in a decent place like this."

"Ah...y-yes, of... of course." Houki coughed nervously. "Well then, allow me to reword my question: do we have any idea when our enemies might plan their next strike?"

Ritsuka shrugged. "Beats me." She waited expectantly, watching Tasuki out of the corner of her eye. He didn't even look at her. Ritsuka scowled, then forced a fanged grin and lowered her voice, imitating the seishi's kansai accent. "Beat you? My pleasure!" She thumped herself over the head, then reverted back to her usual self. She glared at Tasuki across the table, pointing an accusing finger at his nose. "That's how it's _supposed_ to work, anyway. Geez, I give you a wide opening to pick on me and you completely ignore it. You've been the most depressing person on the planet ever since—"

"Let it go, Ritsuka-san," Akai said sharply, blowing on her steaming fish.

The redhead thumped her chopsticks and bowl onto the table, standing and letting her baffled gaze trail from one person to the next. "_Why_ does everyone refuse to talk about what happened?" she demanded. "I just thought I'd ask, because quite frankly, it's starting to get on my nerves. I _know_ it sucked, I know it _still_ sucks, and I know we all miss the hell outta him, but what's the good of sitting around here quietly steaming, or sulking, or pretending like everything's perfectly normal? Why can't we just _talk_ about Koji—"

Akai's hands smacked the table as she rose to her feet as well, tears springing to her eyes. "I said to let it _go_, Ritsuka-san!"

The two stubborn fighters stared across the table at each other for a long moment, almost as if attempting to beat the other into submission with her gaze alone.

Aoi set his bowl down and stared hard at the half-finished meal. The young soldier heaved a sigh. "This entire thing is all my fault. If I wasn't such a useless wall guard..."

Tasuki's jaw tightened and his fists clenched around his broken chopsticks. "How th' hell could I be _soft_ on that kid...?"

The pair stood and quietly exited the dining hall, one disappearing to the right and the other to the left. Akai and Ritsuka's heads jerked up at the sound of the doors swinging shut behind them, blinking wide, worried eyes. "Aoi/Tasuki-chan?" They glared back at each other, growling low in their throats. "This is all _your_ fault!"

With twin "humph"s of frustration, Akai and Ritsuka stormed out of the room, turning sharply outside the door and following their respective male counterparts.

Kiori winced as the twin doors slammed behind the girls. "Well, I've never seen them act like _that_ before. Guess I shouldn't be surprised, though – with all the frustration that's been sitting around, just stewing inside of everyone, it's no wonder it finally boiled over." She sipped at her tea and glanced over at Chichiri, drawling with just a touch of sarcasm, "I don't suppose you want to blame yourself for what happened and have me chase after you, too?"

"Daijoubu, I haven't started blaming myself yet no da." He frowned, bringing his hands forward to clasp them loosely beneath his chin. "Though I _still _can't figure out how that Element managed to get in here without my sensing him no da..."

"Oh, I may have the answer to that, actually." Monk and woman turned to the empress, eyebrows raised curiously. "I am sorry that I never mentioned it before, only I did not realize it was a concern. You see, when some of my servants were preparing to bury the boy, they found a small purse hooked to his belt that contained a variety of multicolored pellets."

"_'Pill magic,'_" Kiori quoted, recalling the scroll's words.

"Quite right," Houki agreed. "Uncertain of their function but nevertheless sensing an unusual power within them, I sent the purse to some of our scholars who specialize in sorcery. None of them could manage to _use_ them, unfortunately, but they _were_ able to ascertain the specific purpose for a variety of these pellets. One, they concluded, likely functioned as a sort of 'blanket' that, when activated, could cover an area and stifle the outward pulse of one's life force."

"That_ would_ make sense no da," Chichiri agreed. He turned his masked eye upwards, blowing out a puff of air and watching as it swayed past his bangs. "Huh, I might share some blame in this after all, then."

"Blame?" Kiori repeated with a disbelieving laugh. "Chichiri, how in the world could you have possibly known that kid would have something like that? This is nobody's fault but Setsuka's, and you know that as well as Tasuki and Aoi do."

"That's true, of course," he agreed, but added in the same breath, "but even so, the fact that the barrier was down—"

"You weren't strong enough to build it," Kiori argued. "And it's certainly not your fault that you were too weak. A person can't almost die twice and not get drained of their energy."

_'But that's not true no da,'_ he scolded himself, searching the ceiling for a good excuse for his decisions, the ones that had seemed so unimportant just a month ago. _'If I'd asked for Kiori's help, I could have had the force field up a long time ago. Only… I didn't want…'_

But he didn't know how to end that, or rather there were simply too many ways _to_ end it, so he just shook his head and stood, forcing a smile that couldn't have been more unconvincing if he had tried. "Well, I'm done here. I'll see you three in the morning no da."

The farewell was so sudden and so unexpected that Kiori could only sit there for a few moments, mouth halfway open like a politician who, about to make a point on economic policy, suddenly discovered that his opponent was discussing the environment instead. She at last found her voice when the door again thumped against its frame, announcing the monk's departure and tossing her out of her stupor. "Chi…Chichiri? What'd I say? Chichiri…?" Baffled, she stood and followed him out of the dining hall, leaving the empress alone with her son.

"Oh, my," Houki murmured to the dozing boy in her lap. "First Koji's death – may his soul find a happy rebirth – and now all of this. It is a bit like ripples in a pond, isn't it?" She ran a hand through her son's hair, gently brushing away a few tangles as he, oblivious to the commotion around him, dreamed happy, simple thoughts. "I must say, there are times I am almost glad that the only man in my life is you, Boshin-chan. It seems much less complicated this way."

oOo

From her private chamber, Setsuka and Mizu saw the entire dining room incident through the young Element's seeing-crystal. The Lady of Takkan chuckled, lacing her hands beneath her chin and watching the crystal with undisguised glee. "Hm... do you know, Mizu-chan, even though Kaze failed in his task, I still think he did us a world of good. Who would have thought that killing one member of their group, and not even one of their leaders at that, would cause them such grief?" Mizu offered no response, but the silence didn't seem to bother her mistress. "Mizu-chan, keep your crystal on that seishi, the one we call Kaji." The crystal grew dim and hummed for a moment as Mizu closed her eyes and felt out the blazing, frustrated ki of her fellow Element, then it seemed to lock onto the young man and focused once more, following him as he stormed through one of the inner courtyards. "In a hurry, aren't we, Kaji?"

"He's very troubled. I can feel it."

"Yes, as can I," she said, fondling the red gem at her neck. "He took the death of that bandit the hardest, did he not?"

"They were very dear friends, my Lady, so… it's natural, that he'd still be upset."

"Upset, hm? That's an interesting word for it," Setsuka remarked, pressing into the young man's kiand wincing as a spark of crimson light jerked out of the jewel. "My, my. Would you believe it, Mizu-chan? I can practically _taste_ his hatred towards me. It's quite amazing, how much anger he has allowed to build in his heart, and all of it directed straight towards the woman he should be serving. Quite fascinating..." she paused, pursing her lips together in a thoughtful frown. "Strange... my connection to him seems to have strengthened somewhat. I wonder why...?" Her eyes seemed to automatically fall on the battered headband looped around the seishi's wrist, and her face seemed to light up with understanding. "_There_ we are."

"There what is, my Lady?" Mizu asked in a timid half-whisper.

Setsuka gestured towards the cloth. "Kaze battled the original owner of that headband. If he used some of his magic against the bandit, chances are there are still bits of his power attached to it." She actually laughed, though the sound made Mizu's skin crawl. "Kaze, my boy, you were nothing but trouble while you lived, but in death you've given me a brilliant new game to play with our rogue Element. And, with nothing else to do until Sora completes her mourning period, I might as well amuse myself with this new toy for the time being."

Mizu turned away so Setsuka couldn't see her frown. "What in the world are you planning to do, Setsuka-sama? I thought your bond with Tasuki had been destroyed."

"The connection between Element and Lady can never truly be broken," Setsuka explained with a smirk. "Though I cannot directly reach him, nor get him to obey me... with Kaze's ki now working as my own, and that fool's thoughts clouded so fully with hatred… yes, I may just be able to work a little idea into his head."

"An idea?"

"Mizu-chan, do you know how wolves kill a deer?" Setsuka didn't wait for an answer. "They separate it from the rest of the herd. If you take one away from many, that one becomes helpless. It is only a matter of time before the ravenous pack brings it to its knees."

The Lady's fingers pressed hard into the crimson gem, lips twisting into a wicked grin as she poured every enraged thought, every reviled remark, and every despicable emotion into the gem and to the seishi connected on the other side. "That's right – hate me, Kaji. I have played this game before. The more you hate me, the easier it is for me to do what I need with you."

If Mizu had any doubt that Setsuka's plan would work, she did not have to question it for long. Right before her eyes she watched with growing horror as the expression on the bandit's face shifted from frustration to rage, contorting and darkening to the point that the young Element felt a chill creep up her spine, halfway expecting him to tear his way through her seeing-crystal and turn that tessen of his on every poor soul who happened to stand between himself and the woman he so despised.

"Now," Setsuka said with a gleeful chuckle, "let's see what happens when I whisper a little suggestion to our rogue Element. If we're lucky, Mizu-chan, we may just lead him straight into our welcoming arms."

oOo

Akai found Aoi sitting cross-legged at the edge of the palace pond, halfheartedly plucking at the petals of a nearby wildflower. "Um…Aoi?" she called quietly. "Are you... is everything okay?"

"Eh?" he glanced over his shoulder, eyes widening at the sight of the palace champion standing a few feet from him with a small, worried frown on her lips. "Oh… hi, Akai." He turned back to the pond, tossing the plucked flower into the water and heaving a thick sigh. "Y-yeah… I'm all right. I just... I can't stop thinking that that Element was supposed to kill me, I guess."

"You shouldn't say things like that!" she scolded, stepping across the ground in short, alarmed steps until she stood at his side. "It wasn't like Koji-san offered to take your place _knowing_ there was going to be an attack!"

"Mm," he said with a nod. "You're right. But, but Akai... did it ever occur to you that if I'd been awake, instead of sleeping on duty, that I might've spotted that Element and gotten an arrow through him before he even _reached_ the palace?" Akai opened her mouth to argue, but the young soldier cut her off, waving his hand as if to brush away her unspoken argument. "I know, I know. All the other wall guards were asleep too. I've heard that from you, Houki-sama, Chichiri-sama, _everybody_. But the other wall guards didn't get offered a chance to sleep while their friend took over their watch, did they? The other wall guards didn't find out the next morning that, because they were so lazy, that friend was dead, and—"

"STOP IT! Stop it, please!" Akai cried, and she sounded so terribly distraught that Aoi finally turned to look at her, eyes widening when he found her kneeling beside him, hugging her arms around her waist. "Why do you have to _say_ it? Can't you just leave it alone? I can't bear to think of it! I can't bear to think of Koji-san – of Koji-san out there, alone, and… Oh, please, Aoi, don't _ever_ say those words again!"

The young soldier reached out a tentative hand to her, letting it hover above her curled back as if he wasn't quite certain what to do next. "A-Akai..."

"Death is horrible, Aoi," she said, burying her face into her knees. "I hate everything about it... about losing someone you love, knowing you'll never see them again! And I know that it has to happen, I _know_ that we're at war and that it _has_ to happen, but why... why do people have to _talk_ about it? Why do they have to bring up all those awful memories...?"

She plopped to the ground with a small sniffle, and Aoi at last found the courage to set his palm against her shoulder. "Is that why you snapped at Ritsuka-sama today? Because you don't want to think about what happened?"

Akai nodded, rubbing her sleeve over her eyes. "But the thing is, I still _do_ think about it, no matter how hard I try not to. I can't hardly _stop_ thinking about it, no matter how hard I throw myself into my training routines or my studies. And Takkan's been so quiet recently, I can't even lose myself in a battle... So I just keep looking over my shoulder, half-expecting him to come running up behind me with some new story to tell or a song to teach, or maybe a new battle plan to go over – or maybe he'd just pat me on the head and say, 'Genki ka, Akai-chan?' and then I'd yell at him about treating me like a kid and he'd laugh at me…" she sniffled. "But he's never there, Aoi. And I know that he won't be, but I can't stop seeing that shadow. And I can't stop asking that shadow the same question, again and again: Why? Why did he have to die, Aoi?"

"Gomen, Akai. I don't really know. I guess it's just... just one of those things that _happens_, I guess," he murmured, looping his thumb under his shirt and using the sleeve to wipe away a few of her tears. "And anyway, I thought you didn't want to talk about it."

"I don't," she murmured. "But we're on the subject, and you got me started..." She glanced up at him, gently pushing away his helping hand and managing a weak smile. "Huh, and all this time I thought I was the one who came out here to comfort _you_."

"You did, in your own way. I'll be okay," Aoi assured her, lying back in the soft grass and closing his eyes. "How 'bout you?"

She swallowed hard and lay down beside him. "I... I think I will be. It's just... Aoi?"

"Mm-hm?"

"D'you think Koji-san... d'you think he really did die happy, like Ritsuka-san said? In spite of everything... d'you think he died without any regrets?"

Aoi opened one eye to look at his friend, and couldn't help the chuckle that slipped out of his lips. "Did you ever know Koji-san to regret _anything_?"

The warrior girl smiled slightly, closing her eyes and picturing the friendly bandit. "Hm. I guess you've got a point there, huh?"

oOo

Chichiri had only just taken a seat at the table in his room when two timid knocks hit the other side of his door. He bit back a sigh and forced a little extra cheer into his voice. "Yes?"

Kiori poked her head around the door, eyebrows bunched together in concern. "Chichiri? D'you mind if I come in?"

"Be my guest no da."

He waved a hand towards the bed, then turned his back on her without waiting for a response, attention returning to the scrolls and books scattered across his table. His hand had only just closed around one when the woman behind him cleared her throat and asked, "Um… Is everything okay?"

"Shouldn't it be no da?"

"I'm not really sure," she admitted with a forced laugh. "I mean, I don't know why things wouldn't be, other than the usual reasons... it's just, well, you've seemed kinda, I don't know, _bothered_ I guess, and in a different way than everybody else has been. Distant, too. It kind of feels like it's been going on since before what happened to Koji, even." And though she didn't say it, Chichiri could hear the unspoken _'Ever since you had that dream'_ echoing through the room as if she'd shouted it in his ear. "I guess it's just been eating at me a little, is all."

He frowned, knowing she couldn't see it. _'Has it really been so bad that she was actually worried about me no da? And all this time I'd thought I was handling it fairly well...'_

"Um, Chichiri?" Kiori called, sounding almost panicky. "If I'm butting into your personal life again, just let me know and I'll leave it alone."

The monk at last rotated in his seat, flashing Kiori a small smile. "It's not that at all no da. I appreciate your concern, but the truth is there's really nothing wrong. I hadn't meant to be so distant, but if it's seemed that way then it's probably just because I've had a lot on my mind no da. And if that scene in the dining room had you worried, well..." he fumbled for a moment, trying to think of a good excuse. "I guess I'm going through the same thing everyone else is no da. I didn't know Koji as well as Tasuki did, but he was still one of my closer friends."

Kiori nodded, though her voice sounded doubtful. "That makes sense. Sorry if I sounded like I was stressed out over nothing. If you ever, you know, want to talk about whatever you've got on your mind, I'm always ready to listen."

"I'll remember that no da." Chichiri's smile vanished as he turned back to the table. _'Gomen, Kiori,' _he apologized inwardly. _'I'm not _trying_ to lie, but I don't know how to say it any other way no da. If I tell you the whole truth, it'll just cause more problems.' _He shook his head and cracked open one of the weatherworn books he'd swiped from the palace record rooms. "Ano, I'm going to be a little busy with these scrolls no da. I'd like to see if I can find a pattern, so maybe we can predict the next battle with the Elements. You can stay here if you want, but I don't think it'll be very much fun no da."

"I don't mind," she assured him. "With everyone else chasing each other around the palace, there isn't much else for me _to_ do, to be honest. Besides, maybe I can help you. I've been thinking about it for a while, and I might have an idea. Er… if you don't mind, that is."

He smiled in spite of himself. "Of course I don't mind no da," he said, and realized that he absolutely meant it. "Let's hear this idea of yours."

oOo

"Tasuki-chan? Tasuki-chan? Hey, would you stop moving so fast? Ta-suki-chaaan!"

The seishi gave up on ignoring Ritsuka and whirled around. He waited while she hurried to catch up, one foot tapping out an impatient rhythm on the wooden promenade. "What d'you want?"

Ritsuka leaned against the railing, scowling at him and fighting to catch her breath. "You and your stupid seishi power. Makes it a hell of a lot harder to keep up." Her eyes narrowed as he snorted and took off down the walkway again. "Aagh! Would you stand _still_ for half a second? Tasuki-chan! Are you even listening to me?"

He slid open the door to his room with a reverberating bang, moving to the shelves and rummaging through his small set of supplies. "Did you jus' follow me t'annoy me, 'r is there some reason why yer here?"

She planted her hands on her hips and glared daggers at him from the doorway. "What am I, the person who makes your life miserable or something? I happened to be _worried_ abut you, ahou, after you stormed out with that whole, 'Look at me I'm so angry' number."

She watched with a scowl as he wordlessly tucked his tessen into its sling and looped it across his chest. Without a word of explanation he grabbed his sheathed sword from the same shelf and strung it onto his belt. Lastly, the seishi grabbed a bag, stuffed it with a clean set of undergarments, and stormed back towards the door. Ritsuka raised an eyebrow. "And what exactly are _you_ doing?"

"Ain't it obvious?" he snarled, shoving past her and barreling down the walkway once again. "I'm takin' a little trip."

"Trip?" she repeated, following him as fast as her legs would allow. "Something tells me this isn't your ordinary vacation." The seishi disappeared into one of the palace pantries and Ritsuka quickened her pace, swinging herself around the doorway and, through panting breaths, asking, "Where are you going?"

Tasuki stuffed supplies into his bag without even paying attention to what he grabbed, then tied it shut and tossed it over one shoulder. He turned back to the doorway, but Ritsuka stood in his way, arms folded over her chest. "_Move_, Red."

She met his angry gaze with a stubborn one of her own. "Answer my question, Tasuki-chan."

He glared at her, and even raised an arm as if he might shove her out of the way and continue on his mystery journey. But at the last moment the seishi seemed to change his mind and looked away, answering in a low growl. "Reikaku. I'm gonna tell Hareya 'n' th' boys about what happened. I been thinkin' about it fer a while, an' what with Takkan bein' so quiet now, I figgered I might as well—"

"Liar," she snapped. "Even after almost a month, you won't even talk about Koji's death with _us_. You'd never be able to break the news to the poor guy's girlfriend. Tell me the truth, Tasuki-chan, or I'm not moving."

"I could get you outta this doorway with one hand tied b'hind my back," he snarled, fingering the hilt of the sword swinging at his side.

The violence in his words sounded genuine, and Ritsuka's eyes flashed uncertainty for a fraction of second, but then she raised her chin in defiance and pressed her palms against the sides of the doorway, glaring the challenge right back at him. "Try it, Tasuki-chan."

The seishi raised his fist, holding it above his head as if he really did mean to strike her. He wavered, eyes snaking back and forth between the stubborn young woman and the clenched fist at his side, and Ritsuka felt herself relax for half a second – only to find everything inside of her tense up again and her eyes snap closed as he swung the arm forward.

_Crack!_

Ritsuka opened her eyes slowly, surprised to find herself still standing. She looked to her left, mouth dropping as she saw Tasuki's fist planted in the door frame, the wood cracked down the center and splinters embedded in his knuckles. "Dammit, Red! I'm goin' t'Takkan, okay? Now move already!"

Something inside of the young woman tightened, and she felt an uncharacteristically soft gasp escape her throat. "Takkan…?" she said, too stunned to prevent the seishi from slipping past her and out the pantry door. The brush of his jacket against her arm seemed to jerk her out of her shock, though, and she whirled on her heel, pursuing him once again. "Takkan?" she repeated, with more of her usual fire. "What do you plan on doing once you get there?"

"Do ya have t' ask?" Tasuki barked over his shoulder. "I'm gonna do what I said I'd do! I'm gonna kill that bitch Setsuka an' end this war, b'fore anyone else gets hurt 'cause-a her!"

Ritsuka snorted. "Oh, so you're just gonna stroll into the palace, find Setsuka's room, give her the old 'Rekka Shin'en' and stroll right back out? Are you _brain-damaged_ or something? In case you forgot, she's still got three Elements in that palace with her, and God only _knows _how many soldiers patrolling her halls! You honestly think you can get in and out of all that alive?"

"No.".

She stopped dead in her tracks. "No?" she whispered, feeling something cold settle in her stomach. She took off after him again, demanding in a bellow shaken with panic, "What the hell do you mean, 'No'?"

Tasuki paused, a heavy sigh shrugging off his shoulders. He turned back to the woman, her blue eyes suddenly so full of fear. "Listen, Red… I never said that I'd live t'tell about th' job..."

"You've totally lost it, haven't you?" she said, stomping over until she was close enough to properly yell in his face. "Talking about running into the palace and playing the loyal retainer! Don't make me sick! What makes you even think you'll be able to find Setsuka before one of those Elements gets you? Have you _thought_ about this, even a little?"

"I've thought about it enough," he insisted, stuffing his hands into his jacket pockets and taking off, outside the palace walls and towards the nearest city gate. "There ain't much _to _think about, really. I'm gonna kill Setsuka, that's all there is to it, an' if I don't survive then at least I'll know I rid th' world of scum like—"

Ritsuka threw herself at the seishi from behind, wrapping her arms around his waist and tugging backwards hard, forcing him once more to jerk to a halt. "Dammit Tasuki-chan!" she cried in a voice trembling with desperation. "I know you wanna kill Setsuka, but this isn't the way to do it!"

The seishi's stone-like face softened for half an instant, but then he shook his head and set his jaw, focusing his gaze on the far-off Takkan. "Let go of me, Red. I gotta—"

"You don't 'gotta' do _anything_, you ass!" she roared, cutting him off as she tightened her grip around his stomach. "Ugh, you men are all alike! You think that running off into a battle you have no chance of winning is courageous and noble! But it's not noble, Tasuki-chan, it's just _stupid_, you hear me? There's _nothing_ heroic about walking into death, there isn't a single good reason in the entire _universe_ to do something that you know you won't live through! It's_ stupid_, Tasuki-chan! It's _stupid_ and it's _selfish_, to make other people have to suffer like that…!"

"Red,_ let go_!" Tasuki at last untangled himself from her quivering hold, stumbling several steps forward before turning to glance at her one last time. He had to look away again, though, stunned at the tears glazing her eyes. "D-don't try t'stop me again, or I'll… Jus' stay outta my way, all right?"

Ritsuka blinked back the water rimming her eyes, watching as the seishi continued down his suicide trek. She tightened her jaw, voice low but firm as she called out to him, one last time. "Are you really so stupid that this is the only answer you can come up with? That you honestly think… that you _honestly _think that getting yourself _killed_ is going to make him happy, Tasuki-chan? That it's going to make it stop _hurting_ so damn much?"

Tasuki froze, and all of the weight that seemed to have been building in his chest dropped straight into the pit of his stomach. _'She's right,' _he realized, clenched fists going limp at his sides. _'I c'n talk all I want about endin' this war, but… but that ain't why I wanna do this. I jus' wanna… I jus' want Koji t'be…' _

The bandit pressed thumb and index finger to the bridge of his nose, shaking his head slowly from side to side as if attempting to shake off a bad headache. '_But… but how th' hell would runnin' into a palace fulla Elements, soldiers 'n' servants help me do that? I'd never make it t'that woman, and then… all my promises, they'd…'_

oOo

Setsuka pouted, a child whose favorite game had just been spoiled by the arrival of the adults. "Oh, damn. He's finally starting to push back again. And I almost got him to _hit_ that stupid girl, too." She sighed, releasing her hold on the gem and leaning back in her chair. "Ah well, it was fun while it lasted."

The tiniest smile sneaked onto Mizu's face, though she made sure that her mistress couldn't see it. "What should I do now, my Lady?"

"That's all for today, I suppose," she said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Still, with a bit of work and a bit of luck I might be able to get through to him. If nothing else, it will give me something productive to do until Sora is ready to return to battle. I'll try again tomorrow, perhaps."

"If that's the case, then may I please be excused? To…to visit Sora? I thought maybe I could help her with her prayer rites, and maybe try to cheer her up, a little."

"That would be fine. I will call you again when I need you."

"Hai, my Lady."

oOo

Everything inside of Tasuki seemed to loosen itself, like a taut bow whose owner had just decided not to shoot after all, and he felt a wave of building frustration and anger whoosh out of him. He glanced down, half-expecting to _see_ it, even, spreading out across Eiyou's pathways, but of course nothing lay there but his own shadow, cast faint and long by the rising moon. The seishi's legs wobbled and with a soft hiss of a sigh he crumpled to his knees, staring at the darkened road below him – the road that, had he continued on it, would have almost certainly led to his death.

_'Kuso, Koji... all I wanna do is help put ya t'rest, but… but I dunno what th' hell t'do about it anymore, with her an' those brats so far away... I dunno how I'm s'posed t'fix this, Aniki…'_

"Ano…" Ritsuka's soft footsteps pattered slowly down the street, until he could see the edge of her slippered feet at the edge of his vision. "Are you, um, you again?" He offered the tiniest of a nod, though even that felt like it took every ounce of energy to manage. "It's about damn time. I thought I'd have to tie you to your bed before the night was over." Tasuki said nothing, merely watching as her feet shifted, her next words stumbling out in broken, awkward bits. "Well, er, if you're not gonna do anything stupid... then, um, I'm probably gonna head back to the palace... Just to see who Ritsuka the Counselor can help next, y'see…"

She trailed off, blinking wide eyes as Tasuki's hand jerked out, grabbing at the edge of her sleeve. "Um, ya don't…" he muttered, turning his head to the side and releasing his hold on the material. "Ya don't _have_ t'leave, jus' yet. I mean… I don't really know what th' hell jus' happened, an' I dunno about… I mean… so…"

Ritsuka chuckled in spite of herself. "Baaaka. If you don't want to be alone, then just say so." She hesitated, then reached down and patted a hand against his back, glancing around the empty Eiyou street and sweatdropping. "But, uh, you think we could continue this Kodak moment someplace else? I don't want the civilians to think they've got a soap opera getting performed outside their houses, ah-heh..."

Tasuki nodded and moved to stand, but his legs still felt full of jelly, and he struggled to get them to hold his weight. Ritsuka heaved a good-natured sigh and offered her friend a hand up, then, looping an arm around his shoulder, she led him to the nearby wall. The young woman climbed the stairs with gentle complaints until she reached the gatehouse at the top, kicking the door open with one foot and giving Tasuki a little push inside. He stumbled into the room and collapsed into a nearby chair, setting both hands to his head and rubbing at his temples. Ritsuka glanced around the small room. "Anything you need? I don't know what kind of supplies they keep in these places, but _you've_ certainly got a stash of goodies in that bag of yours."

"Mm," he murmured, voice husky with exhaustion. "A head-doctor an' a bottle of sake. Don't s'pose you carry those around?"

Ritsuka patted at her shirt, then looked up and snapped her fingers. "Damn, I'm fresh out. Well, let's take a look around and see what we can find..." She threw open the door to the single cabinet in the room, rummaging around before she pulled out a half-full bottle of alcohol. She popped the cork out, sniffing the beverage suspiciously. "It kinda smells like death, but I think it's supposed to be sake."

She tossed the bottle to her friend. Tasuki popped the cork and took a long draught, ignoring the poor taste. "Oddly enough, I feel better already." He plunked the bottle down on the nearby table, leaning back in the chair and pressing his hands to his eyes. "Am I _losin'_ it, Red?"

"Tasuki-chan, you lost it a long time ago."

He pulled his tessen out of its sling and thumped her on the arm with it. "I'm bein' serious fer once. That first week, I couldn't stop thinkin' about what happened, an' feelin' like shit fer it. Then I spent th' next three doin' everythin' I could _not_ t'think about it, an' t'tried t'pretend like I wasn't getting more 'n' more pissed off 'n' impatient. An' then, when I get out some energy at the trainin' rings t'day, an' we do th' visitation an' it ain't as hard as b'fore, an' I'm thinkin' that I'm _finally_ startin' t'work this shit out, I pull _this_ stupid stunt..."

"Well, you _did_ lose your best friend," Ritsuka reminded him, taking a seat on the edge of the table. "No one expects you to come running into the room tomorrow belting out Giru songs at the top of your lungs." (1)

Tasuki rolled his eyes. "I know that. But it's just... it's so weird... I never had anythin' like this planned out, other than maybe thinkin' about it a little. But I never planned on _doin'_ it, it was jus' one-a those things ya sorta muse over... then all of a sudden when I was walkin' t'my room, I started thinkin' about that woman, about how horrible she is – declarin' war on us fer no reason, whackin' you over the head, kidnappin' Chichiri an' all – an' suddenly I jus'... I jus' wanted t'find her an' take her out, more'n anythin'..."

Ritsuka frowned. "Maybe you _do_ need that head-doctor." Tasuki threw the now-empty bottle straight at her smirking face. The redhead ducked, catching it before it hit the wall and flinging it right back at him. It hit the seishi on the forehead, knocking him head-over-heels over the back of his chair. "Then again, anger management might be more appropriate. Say it with me now, Tasuki-chan: Violence is not the answer."

He rubbed at his smarting scalp and scrambled back into his chair. "You oughta practice what you preach." The seishi set his elbows on the table and his chin in his hands, glancing up at the young woman through his bangs. "Thanks, Red. I'd-a done somethin' _really_ damn stupid if you hadn't been so stubborn t'night."

She winked, flashing a victory sign. "I'm like a deadbeat son: you just can't get rid of me." She set her hands behind her head, leaning back against the nearby wall. "And besides, it's not like _you_ never did the same for me."

"Guess that's true," he admitted, pressing his chin into his palms and glancing out the nearby, open window. "Heh… I never thought much about it b'fore, but we're pretty good friends, when ya get right down to it, ain't we?" She nodded and Tasuki chuckled. "But y'know, I think that's given _some _crazy people all kinds-a perverted thoughts. Like ya won't b'lieve this: Chichiri, Koji, an' I were talkin', the day when he...y'know..."

"Say it, Tasuki-chan. You'll never be able to get over it if you don't."

He frowned, murmuring into his palms. "Th' day Koji died." Tasuki took a breath and glanced up again, surprised to find a hint of lightness in his voice. "Anyway, we were sorta talkin' about, er, girls—"

"What else _do_ guys talk about?" Ritsuka asked with a laugh.

"Huh, well, that might be true... but would'ja b'lieve it? Those two actually thought that there was somethin' goin' on b'tween us. That I had feelin's fer you."

"Oh, well, you do, Tasuki-chan," Ritsuka said, and the comment came so suddenly that Tasuki fell right out of his chair. "I mean, there aren't many guys who can resist this killer figure, enchanting wit, and charming personality."

"Charming_ what_?" he asked with a sweatdrop.

She leaned in until her nose nearly touched his, fluttering her eyelashes teasingly. "Look into these baby blues and tell me you don't love me." Tasuki flushed when her bangs brushed at his forehead, and Ritsuka drew back in a hurry, clapping a hand to her mouth to hide her giggles. "Aw, you're blushing! Maybe you really _do_ want me."

Tasuki rubbed at his cheeks and scowled, looking away. "Yeah, an' Miaka hates food."

Ritsuka stuck out her chest, looped her hands behind her head, and gazed at the bandit coyly through half-closed eyes. "Oh, you're a terrible liar, Tasuki-chan!" She stretched out one hand towards him, holding it palm-up while she pressed the other to her forehead and turned her head to the side, batting her eyes as if to blink away imaginary tears. "Unfortunately for you, you could _never_ have me!"

"Oh, an' why's that?"

"You're too violent, too loud, and your hair's too red."

"Didn't you just describe yerself?"

Ritsuka ignored him and leaned across the table, grabbing his mess of bangs. "And what's up with all _this_? Can you even see around this mop?" She pushed them upwards so they sat splayed across his forehead, peering hard into his face. "Hm, now maybe if you whacked these bad boys off... Hey, wow! You actually have kinda sexy eyes once a person can see them!"

Tasuki shoved her away, nearly knocking her into the nearby cabinet. "It's nice that _you_ think so, but I'm startin' t'really hate 'em." He proper his chin in his hands again, the lighthearted moment gone as quickly as it had arrived. "It's 'cause-a them that I'm marked as one-a those damn Elements... t'think, I coulda actually been _serving_ under that woman..."

Ritsuka clapped a hand to his shoulder. "No worries, Tasuki-chan. We'll get her, trust me on this one." He nodded into his palms, offering no response. Solemn silence filled the room for a tiny moment, but then Ritsuka smiled again and broke the serious mood. "Um… can I ask you a tiny question, though?"

"Er...?"

The redhead took that as a sign to continue and cracked her knuckles, growling low in her throat. "Lemme smack that Takkan lady around a little before you give her the roasting she so dearly deserves…" she threw her arms around his shoulders and squeezed so hard the bandit felt his back pop. "After all, nobody hurts my Tasuki-chan and gets away with it!"

"Ahou! Leggo! I can't breathe! RED!"

oOo

Chichiri rubbed at his drooping eye, stretching his arms high above his head. "I've been staring at these words for so long I've probably got them memorized no da," he said through a yawn. "What about you, Ki—"

The monk stopped short, unable to stifle a chuckle. Kiori lay curled up on the end of Chichiri's bed, fast asleep, with the scrolls piled around her like pillows. He shook his head and stood, walking to the bed and leaning over the young woman. "Um, Kiori? You need to..." she snuggled into a tighter ball, making a happy little "mm" noise under her breath. He sighed, though he couldn't help but follow it with a smile. "Oh, never mind no da."

Chichiri unclasped his kesa from his shoulders and spread it out along the floor next to the bed, then tiptoed quietly around the young woman to retrieve his pillow. He blew out the small lamp at his bedside, then plunked both himself and his pillow atop his kesa, slipping off his mask and laying it down at his side. He set his hands across his stomach and closed his eye, a tiny sweatdrop visible even in the dim moonlight. _'And here's one _more _thing Shu'u Monastery is never hearing about no da… And neither are Tasuki and Ritsuka, now that I think about it…' _(2)

He rolled over onto his side, smiling as Kiori murmured in her sleep again. _'Well, I suppose it won't hurt anything no da. It's not like we're going to _do_ anything. And besides, I couldn't bring myself to wake her up, not when she looked so comfortable… and happy… no da…"_

oOo

Tasuki woke up in the middle of the night to find himself staring up at an unfamiliar ceiling. He blinked and sat up, gaze circling the room from its single open window, to the table with the empty sake bottle, and finally, cutting back down and across the tiny enclosure, to the redhead dozing on her stomach a few feet away, arms wrapped around his satchel as she used it like a pillow.

The sight of the girl and satchel kicked his memory back into gear and he groaned, shoving himself to his feet and tottering sleepily to the nearby window. He leaned his elbows on the frame, staring first out at the sweeping plains and then up to the wisps of cloud scuttling across the moon. "Helluva nice night. Be even better if I didn't feel like crap."

He closed his eyes, soaking in the damp summer air and the soft, soothing hum of the cicadas. _'All that anger from b'fore – what _was_ that? I thought I was gonna pop right open, it was so bad, an' then it jus' _disappeared_, almost like it didn't b'long t'me...'_ Tasuki ran both hands through his hair and couldn't stop a quiet, frustrated snarl from breaking the night's stillness. _'Rrrgh, Koji was right, I gotta start pullin' it t'gether, start bein' more like a man an' less like an angry kid, 'r I'm never gonna be able t'do all th' things I keep sayin' I wanna do.' _He sighed and slumped forward, leaning his forehead against the edge of the window frame. _'Well, at least I feel like myself again. That's gotta count fer somethin'.'_

"Tasuki-chan... right in th' pond..." grumbled a half-asleep voice from behind.

The seishi glanced over his shoulder just in time to see Ritsuka roll over in her sleep, throwing her arms out so she was lying spread-eagled on her back. His lips twitched into a smile. _'I really owe her one,'_ he remarked to himself. _'If she hadn't been there t'night, who knows what I woulda done. Huh, an' t'think that stubborn brat I fought halfway t'the capital would turn inta someone I c'd count on, even care about, fer Suzaku's sake. Life sure is weird sometimes...'_ His thoughts trailed away, eyes widening as they flicked to the ground to see a figure on horseback riding at a slow trot across the plains, and growing larger by the second. "An' speakin' a-weird things…"

Tasuki abandoned his post at the window and moved to the doors, but stopped at the last minute, glancing with a groan at the redhead on the floor. "She'd skin me alive if I left her outta the action," he grumbled, but he smiled when he said it. The bandit trotted over to her and moved to bend down, but at the last moment seemed to change his mind and instead just prodded her with the toe of his boot. "Oi. Oi. Red? C'mon, somethin's up."

Ritsuka's eyes cracked open. "Did we find 'em?" She grumbled, words so groggy they were almost unintelligible.

Tasuki raised an eyebrow. "Find who?"

"Th' bastards that stole my cheesecake, who else? Didja get 'em?"

"I don't even know what a cheesecake is, an' b'sides that we got more important things t'worry about."

Ritsuka at last seemed to come awake, rubbing at first one eye and then the other as the seishi returned to his lookout post at the window. She glared at his retreating back. "And what could _possibly_ be more important than finding food-thieves?" She staggered to her feet and stomped over to him, grumbling all the while. "Well, maybe kicking the butts of certain people who wake other people from their rest. I should charge you with violating code 104: Disrupting the Beauty Sleep of the Local Redheads. How d'you plead, hm?"

"Would you just shut up and take a look at this?"

"Don't make me throw you out of this window, Tasuki-cha—" she stopped short, eyebrows rising into her bangs at the sight of the horse and rider, now nearly at the gates. "Well that's odd."

Tasuki nodded. "Who d'you think would be comin' t'Konan at a time like this? It's weird enough t'have people comin' an' goin' durin' a war, but in th' middle of th' night, too?"

"You think it's another Element?"

He kept his shrug casual, but couldn't stop the steel from creeping into his voice as he whirled from the window and back into the room. "Only one way t'find out."

Ritsuka cracked her knuckles, skipping ahead of the bandit and snatching his tessen off the table just before his hand could reach it. "Oo, this one's mine, okay? You already got to fight your Element, after all." She flourished the crystal weapon above her head and flung open the gatehouse door, marching out and onto the walkway.

Tasuki grabbed his sword and followed, cocking an eyebrow at the overzealous woman's back. "Well if you wanna take a crack at him I got no problem with that, but ain't you getting' yer weapons mixed up? What th' hell good is my tessengonna do you?"

"Oh, more than you might thi-ink…" she said in a sing-song voice. She didn't bother to turn around as she twirled the tessen, sweeping it from her shoulder to her hip and crying out in a melodramatic trill, "Rrrekka… Shin'en!"

Tasuki's mouth nearly dropped to the ground as a puff of flame shot out the end – nothing near the strength or intensity which he or even Koji had produced, but fire all the same. He jumped back a full three feet, pointing a shaky finger at her and staring in slack-jawed, speechless shock. "How... how...?"

Ritsuka turned towards him, wringing the tessen between her hands and stubbing her toe into the ground. He could practically see the halo floating over her head as she peeked up at him through her bangs, lips parted in a half-smile, half-point. "Well, you see Tasuki-chan, that one time when we were up on the wall cutting those grappling hooks, you sorta kinda said the spell out loud, under your breath and all. And I was nearby, you see, and I sorta happened to just accidentally hear the words, is all."

"Accidentally my ass," he grumbled. "An' yer tellin' me you remembered th' whole thing?"

She flashed her best "aw shucks" grin, drawling through an exaggerated Okayama accent, "Mama always said I done had a right good mem'ry, she did." She thwapped Tasuki lightly on the forehead with his tessen, her smile rotating from false modesty to pure mischief. "And besides, I told you a long time ago that I planned on learning how to use this baby, and I'm very good at reaching my goals, you know!"

He scowled, scratching at his head. "I should't've expected any less from _you_, Red. So what, yer gonna start fryin' me every time you manage wrestle that thing away from me 'r somethin'?"

She wagged the weapon in his face. "Only when I think you _really_ deserve it."

"Which'll be pretty much anytime I piss you off?"

"Just about."

"I can't win, can I?"

"Don't think so."

"Sumimasen! Is anyone there? Helloooo?" a low, male voice rumbled from below.

The two exchanged surprised looks, almost as if to say, _'Oh yeah, we were doing something just now, weren't we?'_ before glancing over the ramparts and down to the two figures, a man and a horse, standing at the gate below them. Between the nighttime shadows and the hooded cloak pulled down across the stranger's head, it was impossible for the two Konan Warriors to make out any distinguishing details about their new arrival, though the slight hunch in his shoulders suggested either an older man or the victim of an accident.

"If that _is _an Element, he's bein' an awfully polite one," Tasuki grumbled to himself. Louder, he leaned over the ramparts and shouted down to the man, "What're you doin' ridin' out here so late?"

"I've been traveling for the better part of the week," he explained, cocking his head back and speaking just loud enough for the two to hear. "I have business in the capital that couldn't wait until the end of this war, and I thought it would be safer to arrive under the cover of darkness."

"He's got a point," Ritsuka remarked. She raised her voice and called to the stranger, "Friend or enemy?"

Tasuki sweatdropped. "Like anyone would _say_ 'enemy.'"

"Friend, I assure you," he replied without hesitation. "Though I think it's better if I remain nameless and faceless for the moment, otherwise you might doubt my words." He spread his arms, displaying the simple jacket and pants beneath the his cloak. "I'm alone and unarmed, as you can see. May I please be allowed entrance?"

Ritsuka looked to the seishi, who frowned and drummed out an anxious pattern on the rampart. "Well, he doesn't _seem_ dangerous, and he _is_ unarmed as far as I c'n tell, but… I ain't one t'start trustin' shadowy figures too quick. This could be nothin', but it could just as easily be a trap."

"Well yeah, but…" the young woman paused, eyes flickering back to the figure at the gate just as he took a few hop-skipping steps towards his horse to check on the meager supplies strapped to the animal's back. She laughed and waved a hand at her friend. "Aw, c'mon Tasuki-chan, he looks about as dangerous as my grandmother – heck, considering the way he's limping and the way Obaa-chan can swing a ladle, I'd say he's _less_ dangerous, even. He's probably just some geezer official from one of the outer villages or something. Nothing scary about _that_. I say we let the poor guy in."

Tasuki bit his lip and nodded slowly. "You got a point. An' b'sides, if this _ain't_ a trap then we'd be leavin' him out in a whole lotta danger, standin' around out there with th' Takkan army lurkin' around. Even so…" He pushed himself off the wall, clapping his hands together as he at last landed on a suitable solution. "Okay! Red, I'm gonna go down an' meet him, but I'm lettin' him in at th' side door 'stead-a th' main ones. That way we don't have t'worry about a mess-a soldiers tryin' t'come runnin' in after him. You direct him to it from up here, then come on down an' we'll take him t'the palace."

Ritsuka saluted smartly, leaning over the edge to shout out the directions. Tasuki took off down the steps to the ground level, hopping them two at a time and musing over the stranger, the one who had seemed both friendly and dangerous, both entirely unknown and absolutely familiar. "Like an old friend… 'r an old enemy…"

He swung a left at the bottom of the stairs, jogging past the closed main gates and to the pair of smaller, steel-inlaid doors beside it. He fiddled with the latches for a moment in the dim light, then finally got them unlocked and pulled one back, opening it just wide enough for the man outside to limp through, his horse trailing behind him.

Tasuki slammed the door behind him and snatched the reins from the stranger, one hand still resting on the sword at his side. "Okay pal, yer in. Now let's have a name and some explanations."

"Straight to the point. I like that in a person." The man reached up with both hands and slipped back his hood, pausing for a moment to smooth down his short, windblown hair before meeting the seishi's puzzled eyes. "It is a pleasure to officially make your acquaintance, Suzaku no Tasuki. My name is Watanabe Hataku and, as I said before, I have business at the palace."

"Ha...Hataku?" Tasuki gaped, eyes widening for an instant before narrowing again in an enraged snarl. "_You!_" In one fluid motion he took a step back, dropping the horse's reins and whipping his sword from its sheath, swinging it in a short arc straight for the despised shogun's throat. "Takkan bastard—!"

Hataku spoke five words that worked like magic: "I have information on Setsuka."

Tasuki's weapon halted half an inch from his throat. "You have what?" he breathed, voice trembling with pent-up emotion at the mention of the Lady's name.

"Tasuki-chan!" Ritsuka called, coming across the grounds at a fast run. "I heard shouting. Is everything okay?" She pulled up at the seishi's side, but had to do a double take when she caught sight of the man standing across from them. "Woah, what the hell is _he_ doing here?"

The seishi offered no answer, but instead just glared at his old enemy, shoulders tensed and mouth set in a thin line. The former shogun's single eye flicked from the seishi to the woman at his side, and despite the sword at his neck he remained cool and composed, his voice never once rising or falling from its calm, even tones. "Konan Warriors. This makes my job easier."

Ritsuka was immediately on the alert, hands clutched around the tessen. "Just say the word and I'll—"

Tasuki held up a hand. "Chou matte." He waited until the other redhead had dropped the weapon back to her side, then relaxed his own sword and nodded at Hataku. "Get t'talkin', or I set her loose."

The former shogun, perhaps aware of his perilous position, bowed low at the waist, speaking in clipped but extremely polite tones. "I traveled to Eiyou in order to humbly present your honorable selves with whatever knowledge I may possess, on both the city you battle and the lady who rules it. I no longer serve as her shogun, and she is now my enemy as well. I should like to explain everything else in the presence of the rest of the Konan Warriors, if your honorable selves deem that possible."

"Oh?" Tasuki said with a suspicious snort. "An' what proof d'we have that yer tellin' th' truth? How d'we know ya weren't sent here _by_ her, t'give us false information 'r do some-a yer own assassination work?"

"I could swear on my honor as a soldier, but I somehow doubt that 'honor' from an enemy combatant would suffice." He straightened again, voice still perfectly calm even as he met the guarded eyes of his hosts. "The truth is, I have no solid proof that I am working against Setsuka. I can only ask that you remember that I am the one within your palace, unarmed and essentially incapacitated, and that should I be foolish enough to attempt anything I would be unable to run. As I am now," he added with a tiny sardonic smile, "I can barely walk. If I appear untrustworthy later, then you will always have the chance to kill me then. However, if you turn me away now and I _am_ telling the truth, then you will lose precious information about your enemy – information that only I possess." He met the seishi's stubborn eyes with his own. "So I suppose the real question is: which risk are you more willing to take?"

The two stared at one another for a moment, something bitter and desperate and absolutely determined glowing from both their faces. Tasuki scowled and sheathed his sword. "God damned war tactics. C'mon Red, let's get him back t'the palace. You walk on his right, I'll take his left." The former shogun relaxed visibly, but Tasuki, taking his tessen back from the puzzled redhead at his side, wouldn't let him get comfortable just yet. He prodded him in the back with the crystal fan, urging him on towards the palace. "Don't start thinkin' yer home free. I'm willin' t'risk ya, but that ain't th' same as trustin' ya. Play us false an' you won't see sunrise."

Hataku shrugged, impassive as always. "Fair enough."

oOo

"_'As they led the former shogun deeper into the city, the pair of Konan Warriors' eyes met behind his back, exchanging questions which neither knew how to answer. Who _was_ this man, really, and what could have possibly provoked him to turn on his own nation?'_" Tetsuya passed the book to Yui, who was so deep into the story that she almost forgot to take it from his waiting hands. "End Chapter Twenty-Four."

--  
Chichiri: Hm? Tasuki's brought a guest to the palace no da? Da! Hataku, Shogun of Takkan – oh, _former_ shogun, now? And you say he's willing to answer any questions about Setsuka? Hey, that seems like a nice deal, makes our jobs a lot easier ya know!

The past isn't easily brought back, but when it is it can often bring to light vitally important information, and a lot of bitter memories. The story of the lady and her retainer finally surfaces, and it looks like I'm not the only one fighting old emotions no da.

The Next Episode of Fushigi Yuugi: The Next Chapter: "A New Arrival – The Memories of a Former Ally."

Can the past ever _really_ be put behind us no da..?  
--

* * *

**End Notes**  
(1) "Giru songs at the top of your lungs" – "Giru" being short for "Girugamesh," a slightly cliché but enjoyable J-Rock band of the somewhat Visual Kei variety. If you're interested in giving them a listen, then I recommend checking out the music video for "Owari to Mirai" on YouTube, as I think it's one of their best.

(2) Shu'u (朱羽) Monastery – the name I gave the monastery where Chichiri once-upon-a-time took his vows and received training. It uses the kanji for "vermilion" (which is actually the first character in the name "Suzaku") and "feather." Someday I think I'd really enjoy writing a short fanfic about his time at this imagined monastery – and about the master he seems so afraid of, heheh.

_**Ye Olde Author's Note: 16 March, 2008; 12:14 PM**_  
Ni-hao, minna-san!  
Phew, another long episode, but with lots of exciting plot developments. Yay plot developments! I added all kinds of detail to the early scenes, because the first time it was mostly a narrative and I wanted to "show, not tell" this time around. Also, I love writing for Hataku and the RAFT, so the more I get to do that, the better. (_smile-smile) _Outside of that there weren't a ton of changes. If the chapter length drove you crazy, fear not – the next two should be of a more manageable length, since I'll essentially be splitting the original episode into two again. Of course, I also intend to add a bunch of stuff, too, so... (_sweatdrop_) As the preview suggested, we'll be heading into Flashback City for the next two episodes! There won't be a lot of Konan action because of it, but tons and tons of mysterious plot questions about Setsuka, her Elements, and their powers will at last be answered. Aren't you all just tickled with excitement?

Since I'm still waiting to do more character profiles, I think I'll spend the next couple free-talks rambling about the seiyuu (Japanese voice actors) who I hear whenever I'm writing for these characters. The image songs on my blog (under "Listen") give you an idea of how they sound, but if you're unfamiliar with names...

**Kiori **– played by Orikasa Fumiko – best known as Rukia (Bleach), Seras Victoria (Hellsing), Kirara (Samurai 7), and Chise (Saikano). When I hear her as Kiori, she's always playing her "shy-adult" voice, so she sounds a lot like she does when she plays Fuyutsuki-sensei in GTO.  
**Ritsuka **– played by Hirano Aya – best known as Haruhi (Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya), Misa (Death Note), Konata (Lucky Star), and Reira (NANA). An up-and-coming seiyuu who I was so impressed with that she even took the place of Ritsuka's original seiyuu, the amazing Kotoni Mitsuishi (of Sailor Moon, Evangelion, and Excel Saga fame). When I hear her, it's always in a Haruhi voice.  
**Akai **– Undecided. It's between Sakamoto Maaya (Hitomi in Escaflowne, Haruhi in Ouran High School Host Club) and Tanaka Rie (Chii in Chobits, Lacus in Gundam SEED). In my head, she usually sounds like Sakamoto Maaya when she sings in her higher range.  
**Aoi **– played by Paku Romi – best known as Ed (Fullmetal Alchemist), Oosaki Nana (NANA), Temari (Naruto), Katsushiro (Samurai 7), and Ren Tao (Shaman King). An extremely talented female seiyuu who plays a variety of lower-voiced ladies and young boys. When I hear Aoi, it's usually in her Edward Elric voice.

Obviously Chichiri, Tasuki, Houki, and Koji keep the same seiyuu. I'll talk about the large Takkan cast in the next free-talk.

Thanks to Halogazer, LordxxAxelxxLover, xXDraconisXx, inuphantom13, Ayriel, MagicAnimeGirl, RK9, roku kyu, Magic-in-Flames, Ane-san, and antyem13 for reading! For those of you who reviewed for Episode 23, I truly appreciated all of your heartfelt sympathies for Koji, Kaze and the surviving cast... and doubly appreciate the lack of death-threats to the author (I have received those in the past, heheh). I hope to see you all in the review pages this time as well!

Onwards & Upwards! – Dee


	25. Episode Twenty Five: A New Arrival

_**Disclaimer**_**:** I still don't own Konan, Suzaku and all characters and seishi pertaining to them. Kiori and Ritsuka are and shall forever be mine, and that holds for all the other "originals" (you'll know 'em when they appear, trust me). Obviously the story is mine as well.

_**Rating: **_PG-13, for moderate language and violence.

**Musical Selection: **"Fude no Umi" (from _Mushishi_) for the opening dream sequence, and "Theme of Shuurei" (from _Saiunkoku Monogatari_) for Mizu's flashback scene. Once that flashback scene is over, playing "It's Only the Fairy Tale" is, as always, a good idea. Everything's available on me blog, as usual.

_My roommate should win an award for her ability to put up with random fanfic crap. Last episode, I had her help me look up information on Chinese gateways because I needed to know whether Tasuki and Ritsuka would open the door or crank it up… And the best part is that I wound up forgoing the main gates altogether! (Ha-HA! Wasted efforts.) At least I searched for Chinese medicine on my own, this time... (Sweatdrop)_

* * *

**--Episode Twenty-Five: A New Arrival--  
The Memories of a Former Ally**

Yui glanced up at the clock, somewhat surprised to see that it was nearly three in the morning. "Hey, guys? Maybe we should take a break or something. After all, it is getting kind of late."

Keisuke tossed the high school girl a can of coffee as he plopped back onto the sofa, breaking open a bag of pretzels in the process. "Aw c'mon Yui, a good student like you should be used to all-nighters by now."

"Besides," Tetsuya added, "I couldn't sleep even if I tried, wondering what was gonna happen next."

Yui chuckled. "I guess you've got me there." She popped the top of her drink and took a quick sip, shaking her head and smiling. "Ah, much better." She glanced back down at the book, blinking sleepily and setting her finger to the top of the twenty-fifth chapter. "'_While the bandit and the young woman led their new arrival to the main hall, a certain monk lay on his floor in a restless, fretful sleep...'_"

oOo

_Chichiri's feet sloshed through something cold and wet as he tried to grope about in the darkness. Every footfall brought forth another loud splash that echoed through the chamber, but beyond that no sound greeted his ears, and not a sight met his eyes. He stared hard into the gloom, pressing one hand forward and one hand back, when—_

_"Where are we?"_

_The monk whirled towards the familiar voice, surprised that he hadn't sensed a presence before. "Kiori? Is that you?" He reached through the darkness until their hands met and their fingers locked. "Stay close, okay? We'll find a way out of here soon no da."_

_"Mm," she replied, and Chichiri could picture her sad, cheerful smile even if he couldn't actually _see _it__. "I trust you, Chichiri."_

_Side by side, the pair took a couple of tentative steps forward, the chill liquid splashing and soaking Chichiri up to his knees. One, two, three steps – and then the tips of his feet hit the side of a ledge, and the water at his feet turned into a sharp current. He jerked back in a hurry, almost falling over in his attempt to stay away from the watery precipice. "Kiori, wait—"_

_Chichiri heard a squeak next to him and felt Kiori's hand pulled roughly from his own. "Chichi—" But the word was drowned out by a hollow, echoing _plunk_, as if a stone had been thrown into a very deep lake, and then even that was swallowed by the darkness, and there was nothing but Chichiri and the gloom and the invisible, raging current. _

_"Kiori? Kiori!" He took a breath and braced his legs beneath him, ready to dive into the sweeping stream, when a pair of arms threw themselves around his waist and jerked him sharply backwards._

_"Yamete! Yamete kudasai, Houjun!" a female voice cried, and Chichiri felt the strength slip out of his body as if swept away by the current. He opened his mouth to say something – he didn't know what – but that voice called out again, frantic, desperate, "You mustn't! It's too dangerous! You could – something might... I'm afraid for you. I can't stand it. Please, Houjun, just let her go."_

_He tensed again, shook his head, tried to get his arms to move but they refused, as if some invisible force held them pressed to his sides. He could use his voice, at least, and tried, however weakly, to break her hold on him. "But I have to – otherwise, she'll—"_

_"Please." Her arms tightened, her mouth tickled the back of his neck, her voice was a whisper that he remembered more than heard, tender and afraid but so certain of itself, just as it'd been on their first night together. "It's not worth it."_

"_But she—"_

_"Doesn't matter. After all, you don't even love her, right?"_

Chichiri's eye snapped open only to find itself staring at a shadow-covered ceiling. He forced a heavy breath out of his mouth, pressing one shaky hand to his forehead and down over both eyelids. "Gods…" he whispered, pushing himself into a sitting position and fumbling with the little lamp on his nightstand. It took him nearly three tries to light it, but at last the flame took and the soft beams flooded the room, throwing him back into the safety of reality. Chichiri grappled for his mask, pressing it hard into his skin as he forced his breathing to return to normal. _'Calm down,' _he scolded himself. _'You're acting like a child. It was just a dream, after all. It wasn't _real_, so calm down…'_

His eye flicked to the bed at his side, then over to the young woman curled up at the foot of it, her chest rising and falling with a steady, peaceful rhythm. He sighed and rose, taking a timid seat on the edge of the bed, his eyes still studying Kiori's sleeping features. _'You were so confident in me, weren't you?' _he found himself thinking, perhaps a bit dazedly. _'Gomen. I really _did_ want to save you, there at the end… only, for some reason…'_

_"After all," _the dream's voice echoed back through the room, _"you don't even love her, right?"_

He frowned, reaching forward to touch at her cheek as if he needed to assure himself that she _was_ real, that it really _had_ only been a dream. _'That's… a complicated question… isn't it, no da…?'_

Kiori's eyelids flickered and Chichiri pulled his hand away. "Mm..." she murmured, and he realized with some measure of guilt that there was a lot of happiness in that sound. Her eyes fluttered open halfway, and she blinked in the lamplight. They trailed across the ceiling and towards the monk's masked face – and then, without any warning whatsoever, her eyes snapped open and her ki screamed _danger!_ so loudly that Chichiri glanced away, half-expecting to see someone standing behind him – which was the exact moment that Kiori screamed and lashed out with her foot, catching the monk square in the chin and sending him head over heels off the bed with a surprised "Daaaaa!"

The young woman sat up, fully awake and blinking wide, though this was all lost on Chichiri as he had somehow found his head buried in the floor. "Chi-Chichiri?" she squeaked, leaning over the edge of the bed, her hands clutched nervously to her chest. "Da… daijoubu ka?"

He flashed a shaky, upside-down victory sign. "Daijoubu na no da."

Kiori rubbed at the back of her head and blushed to the tips of her ears. "I… Sorry. When a girl wakes up with a guy leaning over her, and she's already half-asleep, she sort've... er… It's instinct, y'know?"

"My fault no da," he muffled from within the cracked floorboards. "Do you think you could give me a hand?"

She nodded vigorously. "Oh right sure!" She took a hold of the monk's feet and tugged as hard as she could, until after a few pulls Chichiri came free with a resounding _pop_! He sat on the floor for a few minutes, shaking his head to clear it of the sawdust, while Kiori fluttered around him, dusting him off and apologizing the entire way.

"I really _am_ sorry about that, but I didn't have any idea who you were right away, so I just sort of _reacted_... I hope you didn't break any bones, no concussion or anything, right? Next time I'll wait until I'm _completely_ awake before beating the living daylights out of the first thing I see, ah-heh-heh..." She flushed a bit and glanced around. "Er, speaking of which, can I ask what I'm doing in your room in the middle of the night?"

"Oh, we were working on the legend, and you fell asleep no da. I didn't want to wake you, so I just gave you the bed and slept on the floor. No harm done, right?"

She chuckled. "Not until I woke up and put a crater in your floor." Kiori hesitated, uncertain about her second question. She took a seat on the floor across from Chichiri, frowning a bit. "So... why were you, y'know, leaning over me just then...?"

Chichiri's shoulders tensed. "Well, about that..." He took a deep breath and looked back up at her, and for the first time in a long time Kiori sensed open honesty on his masked face. "The truth is, I—"

The door to his room flew open with a clatter and in barged Ritsuka, swinging her arms, scowling, and looking terribly self-important. "Wake up Chichiri-chan, we got ourselves a Code 1-2-4 in the main..." she trailed off as she realized that Chichiri was awake – and that he wasn't alone. Ritsuka cocked her head to the side for a long moment, taking in their mussed clothing and rumpled hair, then pressed a hand to her mouth to hide her smile. "Oh-ho, I didn't know I was _interrupting_ anything..."

Kiori felt her face heat up and she hurriedly stood, looking away from Chichiri. "You weren't interrupting anything, baka. We'd only just woken up, is all—" Ritsuka smirk grew wider "—because Chichiri let me sleep in his room—" and wider "—because I'd already fallen asleep on his bed—" and wider still "— _after reading through a bunch of scrolls_!" Kiori finished in a breathless hurry, her face a flustered shade of crimson.

"I'm so sure," Ritsuka drawled, shooting the pair a sideways glance and a knowing shrug. "Well, I was _going_ to tell you we've got an interesting visitor, but maybe it's better if I just leave you alone." Her eyes widened as she noticed the growing knot on Chichiri's forehead, and she could barely contain her giggles as she snaked an accusing glare at her best friend. "_Damn_, Kiori, I never knew you liked it so _rough_—"

Kiori tackled her friend to the ground, clapping one hand over her mouth and thumping her over the head with the other, punctuating each word with another thwack to the skull. "Just – shut – up – already – and – lead – us – to – this – visitor!"

Chichiri grabbed Kiori from behind and dragged her off the redhead. "Take it easy no da! It was just a stupid joke, and besides, it's too late to get into a fistfight!"

The redhead pointed a wobbling finger in the general direction of the pair. "I agree completely with those three Chichiris... Itai..."

oOo

Ritsuka arrived in Houki's private sitting room, leading the parade of yawning Konan Warriors to where Tasuki sat, guarding their new arrival. The seishi's sword lay unused across his lap, though he kept his eyes placed firmly on the former shogun and a hand near his sword hilt. He only paused to glance up when he heard the door open and the tromp of feet march into the room.

"Okay Tasuki-sama, who's this 'guest' Ritsuka-san keeps mentioning?" Akai grumbled, rubbing at a tired eye. "And is it really so important that you had to wake all of..." she trailed off, gaze falling on the man in the chair at the far side of the room. She stared at him for a few moments, confused by the gloom and his injuries, until finally the face found a match in her memories and she jumped back a full yard, pointing a disbelieving finger at his nose. "_You_?"

Hataku managed the flicker of a humorless smile. "Nice to see you again as well."

Houki glanced back and forth between the repulsed Konan Warrior and the stranger. "Have the two of you… met before?"

"I'd say we all know him, Houki-sama," Chichiri said, hands already half-gripped in a spell. "That's Shogun Watanabe Hataku, you met him the first day of the war no da."

The Empress' hand flew to her mouth. "Oh, my! What in the world is the shogun of Takkan doing _here_?"

"Former shogun," Hataku corrected.

"Former?"

He nodded, pushing himself out of his chair with a small grimace. He took a step towards Houki, then checked himself when he saw the two seishi flicker crimson, and settled for a low bow from across the room. "I apologize for being unable to kowtow, Dowager Empress, but recent injuries have rendered me incapable of displaying the proper amount of respect to a leader such as yourself. I hope you will not think the less of me for that. As it is, I am truly honored to stand in your presence."

The words flowed out of his mouth smoothly, with the exact amount of humility and respect that ritual demanded. Houki couldn't help but feel her mouth quirk upwards into a little smile. "Such apologies are quite unnecessary. I would like to extend the same greeting to your honorable self – however, I am a bit puzzled by your arrival at the palace. So for the moment, why don't we forgo ritual and make ourselves comfortable, Former Shogun-sama?"

Hataku rose from his half-bow and Chichiri angled himself forward so he was standing between the Takkan man and the Empress. Hataku did not miss the subtle movement, and couldn't suppress another sardonic smile. "Calm down, Suzaku no Chichiri. I have no intention of attacking anyone in this palace, and even if I did I wouldn't be stupid enough to try it now. I've seen the sort of damage you and your friend can do to a soldier who is in a condition to fight – imagine what might happen to an unarmed cripple?"

The monk nodded, dropping his hands but never letting himself relax. "Tasuki, what's he doing here no da?"

The bandit seishi put his hands behind his head, shrugging. "He says he wants t'give us some information on Setsuka. He won't tell me nothin' else, said he didn't wanna have t'repeat everythin' t'the rest of you."

Akai sat cross-legged on the floor as far away from the former shogun as the cozy room would allow. She glared at him through narrowed eyes. "Well, we're here. Let's hear some explanations."

"Akai, there is no reason to be so hostile," Houki reprimanded. Chichiri offered her the final chair in the room and she accepted it, scooting in so she could sit a bit closer to Hataku and nodding to the others to do the same. Warily, they followed suit. The Empress signaled to a servant waiting in the wings. "Hataku-san, is there anything you need? I imagine you have been traveling for some time." The former shogun sat up a little straighter in his seat, then relaxed again and shook his head. Houki noticed the slight movement and whispered a few directions into the servant's ear, who nodded once and disappeared through a back door.

Once he had left, Chichiri set his chin in his hands, watching the disfigured man carefully. "If you don't mind, I'd like to ask you a couple questions about yourself and Setsuka no da."

Hataku held up a hand. "Before I tell you anything, I need to be sure that you won't simply kill me afterwards."

Kiori's eyes widened. "You really think we'd do something like that?"

Hataku shrugged. "You'd be surprised what some people might do in the middle of a war. I'd rather not take chances – I've been 'killed' once already, and once was quite enough."

"If you already don't trust us, then what'll a promise do for you?" Ritsuka asked.

His eye flickered over to the Empress. "I've studied Konan's brand of diplomacy for the past couple years. You may not always tell your opponent _all_ the details, but you are always true to whatever you _do_ tell them. And, you've allowed me into your palace on my word. It seems to me that the least I can do is trust you on yours as well."

Tasuki smothered a yawn. "Yeah, yeah, we ain't gonna kill ya. Swear on our lives, 'r whatever y'want us t'swear on. That good enough for ya?" He nodded. "Great, now can we get on with this b'fore I fall asleep?"

"Then I'll tell you everything you wish to know about Setsuka to the best of my ability, and questions about myself to a certain extent. Is that fair?" Nearly every head in the room nodded in assent. "Then what do you want to know?"

"Why did you leave the Takkan army no da?" Chichiri asked at the same time that Ritsuka said, "What made you turn on Setsuka?"

Hataku's hands clenched in his lap. "We had been at odds with each other for some time. Disagreements about the nation, among… other things. Even so, I had no _real _intention of turning on that woman... she was the one who turned on me. How else do you think I wound up looking like this?"

"Setsuka tried to kill you?" Kiori whispered.

"She had me beaten to death, or at least that was the intent. I happen to have an odd streak of luck, though, and thanks to some friends I managed to survive." He flashed another dry almost-smile in the young woman's direction. "More or less, anyway."

The Empress patted at her arms to ward off a shudder. "But why in Heaven's name would she do such a thing to you?"

"I was, in all likelihood, the only person in Takkan with the ability to overthrow her," Hataku said, but the words sounded hollow, almost as if he had rehearsed them. "Someone like that can either be your greatest ally or your most bitter rival, and Setsuka chose to make me her rival. Because of that, I became a threat to her position and had to be disposed of. I imagine a leader such as yourself, Majesty, would understand that."

"I cannot say I do," Houki murmured. "Oh, but I can tell you do not wish to speak of this. Shall we change the subject?"

"Good idea. I got a question, actually," Tasuki said, drumming his fingers across his knee. "Well, it's really more like a couple questions. Th' Elements, an' their connection t'Setsuka... how's that work out? An' why're they attackin' Konan? More importantly, who the hell prophesized this stupid legend in th' first place?"

Hataku blinked at the long string of questions. "I was hoping for one at a time, not ten all at once. Still, being an Element yourself I can understand why you'd be curious."

"I'm no Element, an' don't you ever ferget that!" Tasuki snarled.

His hand reached for his sword hilt, but Hataku never flinched. "You know you are, so why try to deny it? You should be proud that you are one and still managed to resist her. Even those who aren't directly connected to that woman have a hard time saying 'no' when she uses that power of hers."

"Power?" Chichiri repeated. "What kind of power no da?"

"And while we're on the subject," Akai began tersely, speaking up for the first time, "why would _you_ know so much about Setsuka anyway?"

"Hm..." Hataku considered this for a moment, rubbing a hand absent-mindedly against his injured knee. "Well, to answer everything you want to know, I'll probably have to go into a bit of Takkan history."

"Oh, joy," Ritsuka said, voice dripping sarcasm. "Nothing like a good story at three in the morning."

Hataku's eye narrowed a fraction of an inch. "Would it be more convenient for you if we continued this in the morning, Konan Warrior?"

"My name is Ikido Ritsuka, Ikido-_sama_ to you, and—"

But before she could get any farther Tasuki whacked her over the head with his tessen, eyebrow twitching into his hairline. "Oh, give it a rest. Believe it 'r not, I kinda wanna know why the hell I'm supposed t'be Setsuka's little pet." He nodded to Hataku. "Ignore her, she jus' likes t'get inta pissin' matches with newcomers."

Ritsuka rubbed at the quickly forming lump on her head. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. Sorry."

"Very well, then..." Hataku leaned back in his chair, eye sweeping across the room until at last falling on the open window, and the few stars twinkling outside of it. "As you might already know, seventeen years ago the late Toushi-sama – Setsuka's father – began a concentrated movement in Takkan to bring down the lord who had been oppressing our people for years. I was fourteen at the time, and really much too young to join his military..."

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The boy pressed his arms to his sides, perhaps a little tenser than etiquette demanded, yet despite his nerves he never once recoiled from the searching, puzzled gaze of the lion-like man sitting at the desk across from him. Rei Toushi, commander of the Takkan Revolutionary Forces, set his brush back down atop his ink stone, pressing his hands to the table and scrutinizing the child for another long, silent moment. At last he offered a quirked eyebrow and an uncertain frown, and said, "Are you... lost, maybe?"

"No, Rei-sama," he said, his voice cracking for a fraction of a second on the end of the man's name. He winced at his own youth but continued. "I'm here to sign up. To fight."

"Fight?" Toushi bit his lip and looked down, but the boy didn't miss the snort of a laugh that snuck out between his teeth. "Listen, son, I don't think you understand what you're getting into. And anyway, no one under seventeen is allowed to join. Sorry." He took up his brush again and resumed his correspondence. The boy didn't budge, though, and eventually Toushi's eyes flicked up again. "Well? What now? Go on home, you should be helping your father in the fields, not trying to sign up for the army."

"My father's dead, sir," the boy said flatly.

The commander's head jerked up at that. "What's your name, son?"

"Watanabe Hataku, sir."

His eyes widened. "The loyalist's son?"

"No, sir. Tadashi was my uncle. But – but he did teach me how to use a sword, a little bit, before he…" he swallowed, hands clenching at his sides. "His brother, the former Vice-Minister Eisai… he was my father, sir."

"I thought after that bastard Chou took over he just stripped the former officials of their titles – I didn't think he killed them."

"He didn't, sir. It was the Wet Summer Sickness, this past season."

Toushi softened a bit. "Well, I'm sorry to hear that. I respected your uncle greatly, and I only ever heard good things about the former Vice-Minister. You come from a good family, son – see that you take care of it."

"That's just it, sir," Hataku said, straightening again. "I don't see how I _can _take care of it right now. My family, we might have a 'good name' but that's all Chou left us, and with my father and uncle gone… we need money, sir. That's why I _have_ to enlist – it's the only job available anymore. I can fight well enough, so I won't get in the way—"

"Absolutely _not_," Toushi interrupted, all steel once again. "I'm not so desperate that I'd send a _child_ out into that bloodshed. The very idea is sickening."

"There has to be _something_ I can do, though!" he pleaded, composure at last giving way to desperation. "It doesn't really matter what, so long as it pays enough to keep us off the streets. Please, Rei-sama?"

"Listen, I—"

"Chichi-ue (Father)!" Man and boy alike turned towards the tent's entrance just in time to see a girl, golden hair unbound, throw back the flap and race in, nearly bowling over Hataku as she ran to the side of Toushi's writing desk. She held up the torn hem of her skirt, flicking a bit of dirt off of it as she smiled winningly at the older man. "Chichi-ue, can you fix this for me? I had an… accident."

"Don't tell me you got into _another_ fight?"

She stared back at him with hard, stubborn eyes. "Some of the soldiers' boys were teasing me again, saying all sorts of nasty things about my hair color and Haha-ue (Mother). I can't stand it! Haha-ue might've been a foreigner, but I'm _also_ the daughter of a former Takkan emissary who's gonna be the future _Lord_ of Takkan! I'm just as much one of them as they are, and even more!"

Toushi pressed thumb and forefinger to the bridge of his nose. "Be that as it may, you _are_ the daughter of a former emissary, and as such you need to carry yourself with grace. Getting into fights all the time is absolutely unacceptable."

Her lower lip quivered. "I'm sorry, Chichi-ue… I just…"

"Oh, don't cry," he said in a hurry, reaching forward to pat at her cheek. "I'm to blame as well. You don't have a mother to teach you these things, and you're by yourself so much that it's only natural that you'd get into trouble from time to time."

Hataku shifted, and the sound drew the girl's attention. "Mm? And who's _this_, Chichi-ue? He's too young to be a soldier." She marched right over to him, her enchanting silver eyes scrutinizing him from top to bottom. "Doesn't look like a normal commoner, either. Hey, Nii-san," she said, and Hataku felt himself stiffen up so tight he thought he might snap right down the center, "what're you doing here, hmmm?"

He swallowed hard and opened his mouth to attempt a reply, but Toushi swept forward, stepping between the two and smiling winningly at first Hataku and then at his daughter. "Actually, this is your guardian. I've only just hired him to look after you during the war, to keep you out of trouble and make sure that nothing happens to you."

"You have?" the boy gasped, at the same time the girl asked, "You did?"

Toushi nodded, setting a hand to his daughter's shoulder and nodding at Hataku. "That's right. I think the two of you will make a suitable pair. Of course, it's only temporary, but—"

"Nice to meet you," the girl interrupted. "I'm Setsuka. And what's _your_ name, Guardian-san?"

"Hataku," he said quietly, bowing low towards his young charge and mistress. "My name is Watanabe Hataku… Setsuka-sama."

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"Wow, so you've known her for seventeen years, huh?" Ritsuka chuckled, flopping back onto the floor. "_That _must've been seventeen years of hell."

"On the contrary, some of the best years of my life were when I was serving under Setsuka and her father," Hataku said. "That woman is sometimes a difficult person to deal with – she's the daughter of a lord, after all, it's really only natural that she'd be as stubborn as she is – but things were always…" he hesitated, as if searching for the correct word, then finally settled on, "pleasant between us, until recently."

"Have you been serving Takkan all those years?" Kiori asked.

"I didn't spend all of that time fighting – by Toushi-sama's own laws, I wasn't even allowed to see _real_ combat until I was seventeen." He shook his head. "But I'm getting off-topic. You wanted to know about that woman and her Elements."

Tasuki leaned forward, hands gripping his knees. "That's right. Tell me what gives her th' ability t'get a hold on all of us – on all of _them_, I mean. How's she got that power t'try t'control 'em?"

Hataku opened his mouth to reply, but paused as the rear door of the study opened and the servant returned, bearing a tray filled with teapot and cups. He slid it wordlessly on the little table in front of Houki, Hataku, and Tasuki, then bowed and left once again. Hataku looked to the Empress, eyebrows raised in a silent question, but she merely smiled and poured out a cup of tea, pushing it across the table to him. He stared at it for several seconds before accepting it, watching with a puzzled frown as she did the same for the rest of her companions. Houki must have noticed his eyes on her, because she glanced up and waved her free hand at him. "Oh, please, do not let me distract you. I believe you were explaining the relationship between Setsuka and her Elements?"

"Oh, of course…" he said, taking a pensive sip of his tea. "Well, when Setsuka came to Konan, did you notice the necklace she wore?"

Ritsuka nodded. "It caught my eye right away, what with the different colored gems and all."

"That's her link to the Elements."

"That's _it_?" Tasuki snapped. "Some stupid jewels on a string? You've gotta be bullshittin'—" he stopped short, the memory of Setsuka pinching at that bright red gem right before he'd doubled over in pain running through his head. He sat back hard in his chair. "Oh."

Chichiri frowned at his friend, then turned his attention back to Hataku. "Let me guess: seven gems, one for each Element no da." The former shogun nodded. "That makes _some_ sense, but... you wouldn't happen to know exactly how it works, would you?"

"Not exactly, no. That woman – Setsuka," he forced out her name through clenched teeth, "never spoke to me about it. All I can tell you is what Toushi-sama told me, five years ago, and just months before he passed away…"

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"Setsuka, I want you to have something before I leave."

"Oh? A going-away present, Chichi-ue? What is it?"

The Lord of Takkan chuckled as his daughter flounced up to him, childlike in her excitement despite the fact that she was already several years past adolescence. "Just a moment." He reached into his satchel, digging around until he pulled out an embroidered handkerchief. He unwrapped it slowly, presenting his daughter with a seven-jeweled necklace strung onto a thin strand of gold. "Here. I've been meaning to give this to you for a while. It belonged to your mother, a long time ago. Now seems like an appropriate time to give it to you."

The young Lady accepted the gift, holding it lightly between her fingers and turning it in every direction to watch the different colors sparkle and shimmer. "_Ara_! It's beautiful! But why did you wait so long to give it to me?"

He took the jewelry back from her, reaching behind her with both hands so he could clasp it around her neck. "Because _this_, my dear daughter, is no ordinary necklace. When you were born, the midwife found that golden string wrapped around your hand, sparkling and shimmering just as it is now."

"Be serious!"

"I _am_ being serious," he assured her. "Your mother said it was a gift from the gods, a charm for her daughter's protection, so she wrapped it in silk and kept it tucked in her dresses wherever she went. When she passed away, she gave it to me, and now I'm giving it back to you. That's the truth of it."

She pursed her lips in a teasing challenge. "Very well, then. If I was born with the gold, then what about the jewels? I suppose a dragon floated down on a cloud and gave them to you?"

His smile faded half an inch. "No. Your mother discovered them, just a few years after you were born, at the shrine that belonged to her parents' tribe. Do you remember that?" She nodded, a little uncertainly, and he continued. "The night your mother found them, they were all lackluster, nothing worth mentioning. Over the years, though, they've gained that inner shine, see?" She fondled the white one between her fingers, eyes sparkling at the little glow that seemed to emanate from within the gem. "Your mother told me, when she gave them to me – she told me they were another gift, to protect you, because you were going to be someone very powerful and great one day. She said that she dreamed of your future. I'll never forget the words she told me, that night when – well, let me recite it to you."

"Please do! I didn't realize my life was so exciting!"

Toushi managed a weak chuckle, then recited:

"_A piece of a soul  
Living within each gem  
Give it to the child  
Who can rule over them  
Take the great nation  
And make it your own  
With the help of the seven  
Yours is the throne._"

"Lovely words, Chichi-ue," Setsuka remarked with a pensive frown, "but what are they supposed to _mean_?"

"That," he said with another forced laugh, "I don't know. But it can't be anything but good fortune, I think. The way I see it, you might just be destined to possess seven powerful allies, connected to you by this necklace which the fates have granted you."

"Just like a miko!" she said excitedly.

"That's true. _And _you'll be taking a 'great nation' and making it your own – I'd say Takkan is going to be in capable hands, don't you?"

"You think it refers to Takkan?" she repeated, still frowning down at the sparkling jewels. "I wonder…"

"Whatever it's about, I'm sure you'll handle it capably. But Setsuka, there's no need to rush into anything. A good leader always bides their time, like the patient bird of prey. Remember?"

She nodded, now moving her fingers on to the blood-colored gem. "Of course, Chichi-ue. I never forget anything you teach me, especially if it involves governing Takkan."

"Good," he patted her cheek fondly, tossing his satchel back over his shoulder. "Well, that border won't hold itself. I need to be going. If for any reason I don't come back, then I want you to seek out those 'souls' of yours as soon as possible. I imagine those gems will lead you to them, and if you're ever lost, then don't hesitate to pray to your mother's memorial shrine for aid. It's always done me a world of good when I've been in a bind." He glanced over her shoulder at the dutiful young soldier standing by the doorway, now a taii (captain) in the Palace Guard. "And I'm sure you'll have plenty of help from Hataku as well."

"Don't you dare talk like that!" Setsuka cried, hugging him fiercely. "It's bad luck to act like you've already been killed on the battlefield! I don't even see why you have to go in the first place, just because Konan asked for some extra help. It's not_ our_ border that Kutou's sneaking up on."

"No," Toushi agreed. "But if Konan were to fall to Kutou, where do you think that bloodthirsty nation would look next? A small patch of fertile ground just to the north would be pretty tempting, I imagine. Besides," he added, untangling her arms from his neck, "they were good to me during my campaign against the Deposed Lord Chou. I intend to settle those debts."

"I suppose," Setsuka agreed reluctantly. She opened her mouth to say something else, then shook her head and forced a smile. "Well, I'll make sure to keep the nation running smoothly while you're away. And when you and the rest of the men return, I'll play hostess for the victory celebrations."

"That's an excellent plan. Be a good girl until I come home, then, and don't go beheading any unruly guards."

She stifled a giggle behind her sleeves. "I'll do my best, Chichi-ue!"

Toushi headed for the door of his private study, pausing for just a moment to sneak a glance at the young taii out of the corner of his eye. "Oh, Hataku. Spare a minute of your time and walk me to the gates, will you?"

His eyes widened at the sudden request, but he nodded and, after bowing a short farewell to Setsuka, followed the Takkan Lord into the halls. They walked in silence for some time, until at last Toushi sighed heavily. "I don't think I'll be coming back alive this time, Hataku."

The sudden remark made the young taii pull to a sharp halt. "What? B-but how can you say that when—?"

Toushi chuckled dryly. "When what? When I'm the best swordsmen in Takkan? When I've won so many campaigns in the past? When my daughter will miss me so terribly? When _you_ will miss me so terribly?" Hataku's eyes dropped to the ground on this last one, so he missed the sympathetic smile that flickered across Toushi's lips. "Those are all compelling arguments, but I don't think the Kutou attackers are going to take that into account. They're skilled, Hataku, and they have the numbers. I'll do what I can to help discourage them from declaring an all-out war, but at this point I think we're just prolonging the inevitable. I only hope Konan can hold out when the time comes. Tell my daughter to give them some aid, would you? I don't think I'll be here to do it myself."

"Ha…Hai, Toushi-sama," he agreed in a defeated murmur.

"Oh, now don't act as if I'm already in my burial garments. I could be very wrong about this." Hataku merely nodded, so Toushi shook his head and pushed open the front doors of the palace building, stepping out onto the path that led to the stables. "At any rate, that's not why I asked you to escort me. Hataku, you joined my military because you needed the money, do you remember that?" He nodded again. "It doesn't pay as much as it should, does it?"

"My family… has what they need," he said carefully. "They get by."

"True, but there is better work for a well-educated man like yourself, isn't there? After a few years of study, you could even take and pass the exams, I'd imagine. Get yourself a respectable position in one of the outer villages; settle down with a wife, perhaps?" Hataku nodded again, reluctantly this time. "So why haven't you, Hataku? Why do you stay around here when you could be doing so much better for yourself?"

"Why?" The young soldier glanced away. "Because I… well, I respect you, Toushi-sama. I wouldn't feel right simply deserting you after everything you've done for me. And besides, Setsuka would be upset if I left." He stiffened, practically coming to attention as he added in a nervous rush, "S-since we're such close friends, I mean to say, sir."

"Indeed," Toushi agreed, a brief smile twitching at the corner of his mouth. The little grin did not last long, though, as his gaze traveled out across the courtyard, towards the gardens and the palace gates, and perhaps even out into the sprawling cities and villages of all of Takkan. "Hataku, I'm a talented campaigner, but I can't for the life of me figure out what's going to happen next to this country. Setsuka has a good heart, but she's never really had to _work_ for anything, not the way you and I have at least. I'm glad I could give her this privileged life, but it's left her with an innocent sort of selfishness that, quite frankly, makes her unfit to rule Takkan. Do you remember when she met that homeless boy in the marketplace?"

Hataku chuckled. "I remember chasing her down the hallways while she raged at Vice-Minister Bu, demanding that he find a way to appropriate funds to build a proper orphanage in the city."

"And _I_ remember Vice-Minister Bu chasing _me_ down the hallways, begging me to explain economic policy and budgeting to my 'stubborn daughter,'" Toushi finished with a little laugh of his own. "That's what I mean, though. She's so passionate and creative, but I see her trying to do great things for one person at the cost of the entire nation. And now that I've given her that damned necklace, I'm even _less_ certain of the future. No doubt she'll attack the mystery of those 'seven souls,' maybe ignoring Takkan entirely. It's a shaky situation, Hataku."

"If it's such a concern, why did you give it to her in the first place, Toushi-sama?"

"Because it was the last thing my wife begged of me." He paused, pressing a hand to a nearby cedar tree and rubbing the other over his eyes, and for the first time since Hataku had met him he truly looked like a man with a nation pressed upon his shoulders. "Those jewels killed her," he said, so suddenly that the young taii jumped a bit. "I was still stationed on the Kutou border, as a foreign emissary. Setsuka was barely a toddler. Eimin and I went to visit her parents' tribe, and she left me for a few hours to offer libations at her people's shrine. We needed to get back for an important meeting, though, so I went looking for her. I found her on the floor of that shrine, seven jewels cradled in her hands and blood covering her from chin to chest. She didn't survive the week."

"Gods," Hataku gasped. "So… so one of her gods put those things… they put them _inside_ of her?"

"She accepted them willingly," Toushi said. "She told me so. And she knew, I think, that she wasn't going to survive it. That last week, she could barely recognize or remember anything, but she begged me again and again to make certain I gave 'the gifts' to Setsuka when she was of age. She said it was 'his' will, and she seemed genuinely terrified of what might happen if I didn't. After she died, I thought about throwing the damned thing into the ocean, but I loved my wife too much for that. I couldn't betray her last wish. Whether that was the right decision or not… There's a power in that necklace, Hataku," he said. "I've been protecting it for over twenty years, and it's not even intended for me, and _I_ can feel it. There are _people_ inside of those gems, and their pain and joy and anger is all there, and when you touch them, it's as if all of those emotions belong to you as well. It would be only too easy to drown in something like that, I think."

Hataku frowned, his eyes flickering back to the palace stretching out behind them, and to the carefree young woman within it. "I don't think I'd wish that kind of power on anyone, if you don't mind my saying so, sir."

"Neither would I," Toushi agreed. "But I think this has progressed far past something that _either_ of us can wish or not wish for, Hataku. All we can do now is look out for my daughter, and help her and protect her, and hope that her own strength and good heart will allow her to conquer whatever it is the stars have planned out for her." His gaze followed Hataku's back to the palace, and he finished in a wistful murmur, "More and more, though, I'm beginning to think that I won't be around to do that."

"You know I'll always be with her," Hataku assured him. He flushed as soon as the words had left his mouth and added in yet another frantic, stammering burst, "I-I just mean, for as long as she needs me to protect her, as you yourself hired me to do, my Lord."

Toushi chuckled. "Setsuka is going to need a lot more than a guardian in the years to come. She's going to need someone who will take care of her, no matter the circumstances. Someone who she can always count on to stand beside her, and catch her if she stumbles, and make sure her feet never stray too far from the proper path. What my daughter needs, Hataku, is a husband."

"S... Sir?"

Toushi studied his jacket, brushing a fleck of dust off of the sleeve. "How would you like to be the Lord of Takkan, Hataku?"

The young soldier felt his jaw drop open. "B-but my Lord, I'm not – I mean, I'm just a commoner, really. Politically, it wouldn't—"

"What? Are you suggesting I marry my daughter to some empty-headed foreign prince just so Takkan can enjoy a few extra trading privileges?" Toushi snorted. "I'm not building this nation on the broken principles of the empires. You should know that by now. I want the next Lord of Takkan to be someone who can handle the responsibilities of running a nation, and I'd give the title to a farm boy if I thought he could meet those requirements."

"A-and… you think that I…?"

Toushi looked up at last, smiling at the young man across from him. "I took a liking to you the moment you arrived in my office, you know. You've got a good, solid head on your shoulders, and a streak of toughness that my daughter could never hope to possess. You know how to deal with adversity, and you're familiar with the sometimes desperate conditions of the common people. What's more, Setsuka likes you. I'd dare say she's in love with you, but I suppose _you'd_ know that far better than I would. And naturally your family could come live with you in the palace, which would help _their_ situation a good deal, I should think. Of course, if you oppose the idea…"

"Oh, no, Toushi-sama!" Hataku yelped. "I'm actually quite, er, _fond_ of your daughter, to tell the truth. And I… that is to say, if you honestly think that I'm the best one for it, then… then yes. I'd be honored to accept your proposal. Thank you so very much, sir."

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Kiori watched the former shogun in the dim lamplight. "Setsuka... you were in love."

Hataku shrugged, rotating his teacup slowly between his hands. "Maybe we were, but who can say? 'What could have been' and 'what is' are two completely different things."

Ritsuka frowned. "But you were gonna—"

"Yes, but I doubt you were 'going to' fight in this war, and yet here you are and here's the battle," Hataku replied, unable to mask the harsh edge in his tone. "I've given up on all of that, and I can guarantee that _she_ has as well, so it's irrelevant, don't you agree?"

"Not really..." Ritsuka grumbled, setting her chin in her hands. "Well, whatever. There anything else you wanna tell us?"

Hataku glanced over at Tasuki, who had been sitting stiff-backed in his chair the entire time, listening with rapt attention to the former shogun's story. "You said you wanted to know why Takkan decided to attack, and where this legend came from in the first place?" The seishi nodded. "Well, I can answer part of that. That woman chose to attack Konan because she, like her father, wishes to make Takkan one of the great nations, and to do that she needs more land and extra resources. Konan will provide her with that." He smiled sardonically. "That's the answer _she'll_ give you, anyway. The real reason is that she hates this nation. Konan sent her father to his death, or so she believes, and she's never forgiven her for that. She doesn't just want to conquer Konan – she wants to grind it and its people to dust."

"All of this for _revenge_?" Houki asked.

"Mm, though I think there might be more to it than that, too. About a year ago, after a sudden and severe illness, she started talking about 'other reasons' for her conquest. She became much more determined to destroy Konan instead of simply conquer it. She never explained that part to me, though."

"A year ago…" Chichiri murmured to himself.

Kiori glanced at him expectantly, but when he just laced his hands in front of his mouth and fell into silence again, she turned her attention back to Hataku and said, "What about the legend?"

"That's the part I _can't_ help you with, actually. If Toushi-sama's story is any clue, then I think the gods have gotten all of us mixed up in a very complicated mess, but anything past that is just guesswork on my part. I'm sorry." The Konan Warriors shifted, clearly displeased with this answer, so Hataku offered to make amends. "Is there anything else?"

"There is one thing no da," Chichiri said, glancing up again. "Why did you decide to come to Konan? You had to know there was a good chance you'd be shot before you even made it to the gates no da. What would make you risk coming to an enemy city?"

Hataku spread his hands. "Couldn't it just be that I wanted to help? 'The enemy of my enemy,' and all that?"

"Don't make me laugh," Akai snorted. "_Your_ kind doesn't think that way. To just come onto enemy land, deliver some news, and then waltz off? Yeah, and I'm the Empress."

Houki frowned and opened her mouth to reprimand the young soldier, but a dry chuckle echoing from Hataku's throat cut her short. "Am I really that transparent? But then again I don't know _anyone_ stupid enough to do something like that, so I shouldn't be too surprised. No, Konan Warrior, I didn't come here selflessly. I have my own goals as well."

"Your own goals?" Kiori repeated, watching out of the corner of her eye as Chichiri and Tasuki tensed in their seats.

He nodded. "I was hoping that your honorable selves would allow me to stay in the palace. As I said, that woman wants to take her revenge, and to do that I think – no, I _know_ she'll make it a point to travel to Konan herself. I want to be here when that happens. I'm not asking for charity, though," he assured them. "In exchange, I'd be willing to work with your soldiers. Meaning no offense, but they could use some proper training from an experienced shogun."

"_Former_ shogun," Akai growled.

Hataku ignored her. "I don't need money, just a place to stay, the occasional meal... and a small favor."

Chichiri raised an eyebrow. "What sort of favor no da?"

"Nothing extravagant, I assure you." He paused for a moment to rub at his aching kneecap, then said, "I'd like you to allow me to be the one to kill Setsuka."

Tasuki jumped up, hands slapping the table. "No deal, Hataku! Setsuka's mine, an' I'll kill anyone who tries t'interfere with me!"

The former shogun's eye narrowed. "You'll have to finish her off fast, then, because as soon as I found out that that woman _hadn't_ killed me, I swore that I'd make her regret that mistake. I plan to follow through on that, and _I'll_ kill anyone who tries to interfere with _me_."

The room filled with silence for a long, tense minute, then Hataku and Tasuki both nodded, grinning at one another across the table. The bandit laughed, maybe a little dangerously, and extended a hand to the shogun, who clasped it in a brief gesture of camaraderie. "First come first serve, then, an' let's try not t'kill each other too much – _someone's_ gotta be alive t'finish her off, after all."

"So does that mean I'm to stay here?" Hataku asked.

"I'm okay with it," Tasuki told him. He jerked his head at his friends. "But I gotta talk it over with them first."

Hataku leaned back in his chair, rubbing one hand against his sore knee and waving the other towards the group of warriors. "Understood. Take all the time you need – I'm not going anywhere, after all."

The six Konan Warriors nodded and stood, moving towards the back of the small room to confer. Chichiri waited until they were all formed into a loose circle before offering the group a reassuring smile. "I can't sense anything hostile about him, not directed at _us_ anyway, no da."

"I got nothing against the guy," Ritsuka said. "The way I see it, if someone goes through so much trouble to get somewhere, I don't see any harm in letting him stick around for while. And to be honest, the army could use some help – ever since Koji died," Tasuki and Akai both shifted uncomfortably at the words, "there's been a huge lack of leadership." She looked to Kiori, who stood to the side chewing at her lip. "What do you think, Kiori?"

"A blend of _tochuu_ and teasel, with maybe a little myrrh, mixed with a cup of Oolong, or maybe Jasmine."

"_What_?" everyone said at once.

Kiori blinked. "Mm? Oh, for his knee. It looks like it's really bothering him." (1)

Ritsuka sweatdropped. "And Kiori just welcomed him into the Konan Family. Okay, now…"

She trailed off as her eyes, like the rest of the warriors', swept over to Akai. The palace champion glared back at them, fists clenched at her sides and body quivering with rage. "Absolutely _not_!" she hissed. "It makes me sick to even _think_ about accepting that man in here!"

"What've you got against him?" Ritsuka asked. "I'd say he's been a big help so far."

"Have you all forgotten that he led the army that's killed hundreds of Konan soldiers?" she spluttered. "And besides that, soldiers of any nation are supposed to live by a code of honor and loyalty, and this man – and I use the term loosely – has none of either! He's a slimy traitor who's turned on his own people, and it's just a matter of time before he does the same to us, so—"

"Akai, that is quite enough," Houki interrupted. "I understand your feelings, but you are judging a person before you know him. I think that Hataku deserves to stay at the palace, even though – no, _especially_ since he was exiled from Takkan."

"But Houki-sama—"

"I am sorry that you disagree, Akai, but you have been outvoted," Houki reminded her. "I believe that it would be in your best interests to learn to at least tolerate his presence, seeing as how the two of you will be fighting in this war together."

Akai opened her mouth to object, then seemed to think better of it and snapped her jaw shut. She ducked her head, hands clenching hard into her tunic. "Well, then... if that's decided, then may I be excused? I think I'm… really very tired, is all..." She didn't wait for an answer, but just bowed low to the Empress before turning on her heel and rushing out of the room, frustration still blazing from her body as she closed the door behind her with a forceful slam.

Chichiri frowned. "Maybe I should go talk to her no da."

"Leave her for now," Houki said with a sigh. "She is quite unreachable when she is like this. Give her time to calm down, and I am sure she will see reason."

They turned back to face Hataku, but his eye was still on the main door. "Is she okay?"

"She will be," Houki assured him. "She just has... a few objections to our decision." Hataku's gaze flicked back to the Empress, and she offered him a genuinely warm smile. "Welcome to Konan, Hataku-san."

The former shogun allowed a fleeting grin as he stood, though it disappeared as his leg nearly buckled under him. He righted himself with only a small grimace and turned, bowing low from the waist towards the Empress. "Doumo arigatou gozaimashita, Your Majesty."

"You are quite welcome. Please, though, enough of these formalities – it makes me feel a bit uncomfortable."

He hesitated, then nodded and straightened himself with another small wince. Kiori stepped forward. "Would you excuse me for a minute, Houki-sama? I need to get something for Watanabe-san."

"Oh, of course." Houki paused to stifle a yawn. "As a matter of fact, you are all excused – it really is quite late. Hataku-san, why don't you come with me? I can give you a bunk with the other soldiers or, if you would prefer it, a private room."

"If it's not too much trouble, I would appreciate the privacy," he said.

"No trouble at all," she said with another smile. "There are plenty of spare rooms in the palace – I can put you in the one next to Tasuki, if neither of you mind."

"I wouldn't, Houki-sama," Tasuki told her. "As a matter-a fact, I'll take him there myself. I still got a few questions about Setsuka."

Hataku followed the seishi out of the room. "I'll do what I can to answer them, though I can't think of much else to tell you."

"Don't worry about that, I got questions practically comin' outta my ears. I wanna know more about that stupid necklace, an' the Elements' powers. I'll need t'know everything I can if I expect t'defeat her."

"_You_ defeat her?" Hataku snorted, but his tone was amused. "Perhaps you can defeat what's left of her after _I'm _finished with her."

Chichiri trailed behind the two, rubbing the back of his head. "Well, before the two of you kill her, do you think I could get in at least a couple whacks with my staff no da? She _has _hurt a lot of people so far, and I'd like to teach her part of the full lesson no da."

Tasuki looked over his shoulder, smirking at his friend. "Only if you promise t'do my cleanin' fer a month. Oh, an' once we win this war and we start wanderin' again, yer carryin' me on your back whenever I get tired fer the first... oh, six months 'r so."

He sweatdropped. "Da... you take Setsuka, I'll take my health no da."

oOo

"Tsuchi-kun?" Sora called quietly, pulling back the curtain that separated her lonely room from his. The light from her chamber spilled in through the entryway, casting a soft golden glow across Tsuchi's drawn, pale features. The female Element stood in the doorway for another moment, hesitant, her figure casting a long shadow across a room filled with shadows, before she finally stepped through the portal, the curtain swishing closed behind her and throwing both into darkness once more. "Tsuchi-kun?" she called again. "Are you awake?"

The lump on the bed stirred. "Sora… senpai?" he whispered. "I haven't... seen you in so long. What are you doing in here?"

"I'm not really sure," she admitted. "Only I was having a hard time breathing in the other room, so I thought I'd see if it was better in here." She paused, looking around for a moment. "It's not. Anyway, I can't stay. It's a seven-day. I have a vigil in the shrine tonight."

"For Kaze, right?" Tsuchi struggled into a sitting position. "Mizu-chan told me what happened. I'm really… I'm really sorry about it, Senpai."

"Don't be," she said, expressionless even at the mention of her dearest friend. "He wanted to be free of Setsuka-sama's bond. He received his wish the only way he possibly could. You should be envious of his good fortune, not sorry for it."

"The only way possible…?" Tsuchi repeated. He reached forward, trying to feel through the gloom for Sora's hands. "Listen, Senpai, it doesn't have to be that way! I'm too weak, but I'm sure you... and Mizu-chan... _you _could leave!" He shivered so hard Sora thought he might collapse onto the floor, but at the last moment he righted himself, curling back up on the bed. "You could... break free of her... I know you could..."

Sora walked to his bedside, leaning forward and tucking the blanket up around his shoulders, though the action held little warmth. "You still don't understand. Can a sword ever escape its maker? All of us, that Element in Konan included, are connected far too deeply with Setsuka-sama for a simple rebellion to free us from our bonds. We'll be free when our jewel shatters, and not a second sooner."

"Is that... is that really true?"

"I am sure of it," Sora said with a nod. "We're not capable of _really_ turning against her. It's impossible, as ridiculous as a puppet cutting its strings and running away. You must understand that, or you would have escaped after you betrayed her."

Tsuchi buried his head in his blankets. "You're right..." His body stiffened under her hands and he jerked up, reaching out with a hand and snapping it down on her wrist. "But if that's true, then... Senpai, please... please kill me!"

Sora's eyes widened and her free hand flew to her mouth. "_What_? But I—"

"If that's the only way I can be freed from her power – if that's the only way I can keep her from drawing her strength, her terrible strength from me – then please, you've got to kill me! I don't want to help her, not now or ever again!" His innocent eyes stared pleadingly into hers. "Your power would make it painless... wouldn't it? Just one quick sword thrust, and..."

The Element jerked her wrist out of his hold, clasping it to her chest and taking two, three, four hurried steps backward. She opened her mouth but no sound came out; she shook her head from side to side, slowly at first and then with greater and greater intensity; and very, very slowly, two tiny tears sprang into the corners of her eyes.

"No," she finally whispered. "Don't make me do it to you, too, Tsuchi-kun. Hate me, that's fine, but don't make me be 'the thing that kills' to my allies again."

"Again?" Tsuchi repeated, puzzled, but Sora was already backing out of the doorway, still shaking her head, though now with her hands pressed tight to her lips. His voice softened to a soothing whisper. "It's fine, Senpai. I…I didn't really mean it anyway. Don't worry about me, okay? Just take care of yourself. You look like you need to."

She didn't reply, but instead just darted out of the room as quickly as her feet would allow. As soon as she reached the other side of the curtain she pulled up short, nearly crying out in alarm when she found Mizu standing in the middle of the room. She swallowed back her long-dormant misery and forced composure into her words. "What are you doing here?"

Mizu winced under the blunt question. "Oh… sorry. I couldn't sleep, and then I remembered that you'd be awake too, so I thought I'd keep you company a little bit. I thought you might get sad down here, now that it's just you and Tsuchi-kun." She nodded towards the back room. "How is he?"

"The same," Sora answered shortly. "I can't stay very long. And thank you for your concern, but I'm not sad."

The younger Element took a seat on the edge of Tsuchi's old bed, frowning at her comrade. "You don't have to pretend to be so strong, Sora-san. I mean, you and Kaze went really far back, so…"

Sora ignored her, moving towards her bed and reaching for the ceremonial supplies she would need for her midnight vigil. "I told you already, I'm not upset about his death. That's impossible. So your sympathies are wasted on me, Mizu-chan. Yes, it's true that I knew Kaze for half of my life, that we fought through tragedy together, that we were taken in by Setsuka-sama and Hataku-sama together, that we trained and began our proper educations together, but that's doesn't matter. It stopped mattering the moment we _met_ Setsuka-sama. So I _can't_ be sad, Mizu-chan. I can perform the rituals, and I can continue to serve Setsuka-sama. That's all."

"But whenever you say that, somehow you look like about the loneliest person in the world."

"We're all of us _alone_, Mizu-chan. Some of us just choose to be sensitive about it."

Mizu looked down. "We are, now, aren't we?" She perked up again, forcing a timid smile onto her face. "But you know, Sora-san, as sad as things are now, sometimes I find myself thinking about the poetry contest." The sky Element blinked, a flicker of recognition and nostalgia shimmering briefly across her eyes. Mizu took that as a sign to continue. "Remember? It was after Setsuka-sama had found Tsuchi-kun, but before we'd gotten Taiyou-san and Tsuki-san. We were on our way to find them, actually. Do you remember that, Sora-san…?"

vVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVv

Kaze yawned wide, leaning over the rail and watching as the sea waters passed slowly beneath the ship. "Maaaan, this is borin'! When're we gonna get t'Hokkan so we c'n actually _do_ things again?"

"Complaining as usual, Kaze?" Sora said with a teasing smile, joining her friend along the railing.

"How can I help it? I'm _bored_!" He set his head into his arms, grumbling under his breath, "You'd think those two Elements'd have the good sense t'stay _near_ Takkan, like th' rest of us did, 'stead-a gettin' themselves born way up in Frozen Wasteland Empire."

"_I_ think it's exciting. It's not every one who has the opportunity to visit a faraway, foreign empire."

"If visitin' a foreign empire means sittin' around with nothin' t'do fer a million years, then count me out."

She smothered a laugh into her sleeve. "Just because you can't run around getting into fights and footraces doesn't mean there isn't anything to do. Tsuchi-kun and Mizu-chan just finished a game of _go_, Hataku-sama's been reading this morning, and Setsuka-sama—"

"My goodness, I'm bored!" Both Elements whirled around to see the Lady of Takkan glide up behind them, stifling a yawn into her long sleeve. "We _really_ must find something to do, don't you agree?"

Kaze stuck his tongue out at Sora, who rolled her eyes before turning to bow to her mistress. "Kaze was just saying the same thing, my Lady. What did you have in mind?"

"Hm…" she glanced across the deck to the two youngest Elements, leaning over the rail just a short distance away. "Tsuchi-kun! Mizu-chan! Come here, won't you? I've just thought of a marvelous way to spend the afternoon!"

The two trotted over to the rest of their companions. They offered their lady a pair of brief bows. "What is it, Setsuka-sama?"

"Listen, would you all be interested in having a poetry competition? It's been ages since I've been in one of those, and they always make slow afternoons like this go by so much faster. We'll have the cooks make us something cool to drink, and maybe a few manjuu buns to munch on as well. How does that sound?"

Mizu and Tsuchi exchanged excited glanced, clenching their fists and nodding their agreement. Sora smiled and asked, "What'll be the rules, Setsuka-sama?"

"Let's make the first one a ten-syllable, four-line stanza in couplets. As for our subject…" The Lady of Takkan swept out her arms. "Why not the sea? Oh, and," she turned, cupping a hand around her mouth and calling out, "Hataku!"

He glanced up from his conversation with one of the many sailors that roamed the deck of their expansive ship, unable to stop a smile from sneaking across his face as Setsuka waved excitedly towards him. He excused himself from the sailor and strode towards the little group, waving off the bows from the Elements and offering a brief one to his lady. "Did you need something?"

"The five of us are going to have a poetry competition! You'll judge for us, won't you? Oh, and you'll have to think up a good prize for the winner! I'll buy it if I lose, but if I win then the rest of you all have to pitch in to get it for me! And be warned, you are facing a formidable opponent! I used to write the most marvelously horrible poetry when I was younger, didn't I, Hataku?"

"It was splendidly bad."

She laughed, striding forward and taking a seat near the bow of the ship. She bade the others to do the same and one by one they followed, Kaze dragging far behind the rest. Setsuka noticed his reluctance and frowned. "Is something the matter?"

"Huh?" the young Element flushed. "Oh, n-no, my Lady, it's just… er…"

Sora guessed at his troubles and leaned over, whispering in her Lady's ear. Setsuka's eyes widened and she smiled, brushing away the girl's statement and waving Kaze forward. "Oh, you needn't fret about your writing abilities! The point is to enjoy yourself, not worry about whether your poetry is any good or not! Now, just take a seat between Sora-chan and Hataku, and any time you have a question about how to write a particular character you just ask one of them and they'll help you. How does that sound? And who knows? You might find that you have a poetic soul."

"Pffft…!" Sora had to clap her hands over her mouth to keep from laughing out loud.

Kaze scowled. "Heeeey, don't laugh! Maybe she's right! Maybe I'm a scholar who just ain't been scholared!" Sora just laughed even harder, so Kaze plunked down between her and Hataku, signaling to one of their attendants to bring him a brush and a paper. "We'll see how much yer laughin' after I beat yer poem all across this boat! I'll be so poetic you'll wanna sell my work t'the public, an' the price of paper'll have t'go up, it'll be so popular! Now, er… what does 'ten silly bull, four line standers' mean?"

vVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVv

"Yes," Sora said, keeping her gaze on her work. "I remember."

Mizu smiled. "We had a lot of fun that afternoon. Kaze struggled so hard that Setsuka-sama felt sorry for him and started whispering suggestions. But Setsuka-sama's own poetry was so _awful_, and Hataku-sama was teasing her, saying that she was making Kaze's even worse. And yours were so lovely, Sora-san, and Tsuchi-kun's were _really_ amazing. And we all laughed so hard at the third one of mine, because I couldn't think of anything to rhyme with 'crane' except 'pain and 'brain,' and so my poem was about getting pecked on the head…"

"I remember, Mizu-chan," Sora said again, a little more forcefully this time.

"I think… I think it's important that we remember those times, Sora-san," Mizu whispered, reaching down to fiddle with her sash. "To remember what it was like before the war. And I think that, if we work hard… even though there aren't as many of us, when this war is over, maybe… maybe Setsuka-sama will forgive Tsuchi-kun and, and the three of us, at least, could start to build that happiness again. Because—"

Sora whirled on the younger Element and smacked her across the face.

"Eh?" Mizu heard the confused squeak, though she didn't remembering actually saying it. Her hand wobbled upwards uncertainly, as if she couldn't quite believe what had just happened, her fingers brushing against her reddened cheek. She stared up into the older girl's eyes, searching for the fury, the frustration, maybe even the sadness that would explain what had just happened, but all she could find was a cold blankness that revealed nothing – that _was_ nothing, even. A whimper snuck out of Mizu's throat. "S…Sora…san…?"

"You're disgusting," she said, her voice a dull, emotionless thud that seemed to kick Mizu right in the chest. "I used to find Tsuchi-kun's naïveté a little endearing, but this is just repulsive. You've spent more time with Setsuka-sama than any of us. You of all people should know that we can't ever go back to those days, because they never existed in the first place. But instead, you keep up this pretense of optimism, as if someone is going to clap their hands and suddenly Hataku-sama and Kaze won't have died, and Tsuchi-kun won't have betrayed us, and Setsuka-sama…" She shook her head, sliding her bag over her shoulder and facing Mizu with an expression devoid of even scorn, which somehow made it so, so much worse. "You know what we are, what we've always been, what we'll _ever _be to our Lady, yet you sit there and you speak of happiness, as if we even have the _ability _to feel happiness. You're _willfully_ naïve, Mizu-chan, and it's the most disgusting thing I think I've ever witnessed."

Mizu, eyes filled to overflowing with tears, opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but the effort was too much and she clapped her hands to her face, whirling on her heel and running out of the room. Her sobs echoed down the stairwell, but Sora just shook her head and looped her satchel over her shoulder. She turned to leave, but her eyes caught sight of the two empty beds across from hers, untouched since their occupants' departures. A book lying on Tsuchi's old pillow; Kaze's bed unmade, a bag of _go_ stones spilled out across the comforter. Sora bent over to scoop the stones back up into the sack, then seemed to think better of it and pulled her hands away again.

"But you know, Kiba-kun," she whispered to nobody, brushing the string of water droplets away from her eyelashes as if she were hardly aware of them, or perhaps just too used to them to notice anymore, "that forced innocence of hers… I think I'm a little envious of it, sometimes."

oOo

"'_The sky Element stared down at her dead friend's bed for another long moment_, _then turned her head back towards the room where Tsuchi lay, then shook it softly and walked to the doorway, her steps smooth and composed and betraying nothing, not even the hands trembling at her sides.'_" Yui glanced up to give the book over to one of her friends, but they waved her forward around mouthfuls of pretzels and pocky, so she flipped the page and moved on. "End Chapter Twenty-Five."

--

Kiori: Our new arrival's given us some valuable information, but he's not finished just yet. Tasuki's still trying to find out as much as he can about the Elements, and he's not afraid to keep Hataku up all night to hear it! That's good luck for me, though. At least it means I won't have to wake him once I get that medicine put together… oh, and I'll have to have the cooks boil me a pot of Oolong tea while I'm at it. Actually, Hataku-san, as long as I'm here, would you mind if I asked you a few questions as well…?

Past and present meld into one another, old emotions mix with new, and the mysteries behind the Takkan Lady and her Elements at last begin to come together. And, as the moon rises high in the sky, I find myself questioning nearly everything I've believed about our enemy in the north.

The Next Episode of _Fushigi Yuugi: The Next Chapter_: "Over Oolong – Weaving Patterns of Dark and Light."

I'm sure I'm just over-thinking things, but… well, what do you think, Hataku-san?

--

* * *

**End Notes  
**(1) _Tochuu_ is the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese _du zhong_, which is the Chinese pronunciation of the classification _Eucommia ulmoides_ – which is an incredibly fancy way of saying "rubber tree bark." That, along with myrrh and teasel (which I decided to just keep in English) is an herb used in traditional Chinese medicine to reduce pain, strengthen joints, and increase mobility. In short, Kiori's Miracle Elixir for Hataku.

_**Ye Olde Author's Note: May 7**__**th**__**, 2008; 6:36 PM  
**_Ni-hao, minna-san!  
Kind of an awkward ending for the episode, I know, but what happened was that this and Ep26 were originally one chapter, and I wound up adding a bunch of scenes and decided to split it more-or-less in half. So there'll be tons more plot advancement and flashback-o-ramas in the next episode as well. But hey! Good news for those seeking romance – the next chapter is a _doozy_! Why, I dare say someone might even get (_sings_) phy-si-cal! Phy-si-cal! (_dances around, hoping that her readers will catch the obscure 80s song reference_)

Like I did in the last free talk, I'm going to talk about the imaginary seiyuu of my cast. This time: the Takkan Version, Part One!

**Setsuka – **played by Inoue Kikuko – best known as Belldandy (Ah! My Goddess), Kasumi Tendo (Ranma ½), and Uraha (Air). If you've only heard her in her "sweet girl" roles (like Belldandy) she comes across as kind of a strange choice, but she has a tougher side in roles such as Miria (Claymore) or Sephiria (Black Cat). I first heard her as Panther (Saber Marionette J), and I was so impressed by her combination of sweetness and malice that I knew she had to be my Setsuka. When I hear her, it's in her "normal voice," the one that she uses to sing in (check out Setsuka's Image Song on my blog for more details!).  
**Hataku** – played by Ryoutarou Okiayu – best known as Shigure (Fruits Basket), Dark (DN Angel), Scar (Fullmetal Alchemist), Treize (Gundam Wing), and… you know what? This list could go on for _years_. Okiayu-san is something of an acting god. He is also the most perfect voice for Hataku. When I hear him, it's in his more serious, slightly deeper adult voice.  
**Mizu – **played by Hayashibara Megumi – best known as Lina (Slayers), Rei (Evangelion), Momiji (Blue Seed), Faye Valentine (Cowboy Bebop), Musashi (Pokemon), and… well, like Okiayu, the list could go on. She was one of the first seiyuu I knew by name, so I had to get her in my cast. When I hear Mizu, it's in Hayashibara-san's shy little-kid voice.  
I'll hit up the rest of the Elements at the end of the next episode, and then we'll slide back into character profiles after that. Sound like a plan?

One last bit of silliness to add to this chapter. It's almost like a _Fushigi Akugi_, except it's really more shameful than funny. _(sweatdrop)_ I bring you a new – and probably never-to-be-seen again – feature in the Free Talk entited:

**Why You Should Never, Ever, **_**Ever**_** Edit Your Work at 1am…  
**(READING TO SELF) "…The seishi's sword lay limp and unused across his lap." (JUMPS UP, POINTING AT SCREEN TRIUMPHANTLY) "That's what _she_ said!"  
(And it took every last ounce of writing integrity that I possessed not to add that into the fanfic itself, which is really the saddest part of this adventure. Instead, I edited out the "limp" part, because otherwise I'd giggle every time I read the stupid line.)

(READING TO SELF) "Some of the soldiers' boys were teasing me again…" (ANNOUNCES TO NO ONE) "And from what I hear, they also tried to superman that ho."  
(This one, thankfully, was followed by a lot of head-grabbing and groaning, and the painful realization that it was at last time to go to sleep. Midnight editing is a dangerous, dangerous thing)

Thanks to Halogazer, Draconis, MagicAnimeGirl, RK9, Ayriel, NikkiNikNaks, Ane-san, and roku kyu for reviewing! I hope to see you again this time around!

Till next time! – Dee ;)


	26. Episode Twenty Six: Over Oolong

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_**Disclaimer**_**:** I still don't own Konan, Suzaku and all characters and seishi pertaining to them. Kiori and Ritsuka are and shall forever be mine, and that holds for all the other "originals" (you'll know 'em when they appear, trust me). Obviously the story is mine as well.

_**Rating:**_PG-13, for moderate language and violence.

**Musical Selection: **"Belladonna's Snare" for the flashback that begins with _"How dare they?"_ and the one that begins with _"The pavilion…"_ For the last bit of flashbacks (the ones that begin right after Kiori leaves) I can't recommend "Kokyuu Yasoukyoku 1&2" from _Saiunkoku Monogatari _enough.

**Culture Note: **I make a lot of references to bound and unbound hair in this episode, so just so you know: No, I haven't suddenly developed a love of describing hair styles. The flashback scenes jump around the timeline a bit, and bound/unbound hair is one of the fastest, smoothest ways for me to give you a general estimate of how old characters are supposed to be. The exact age for hair-binding tends to shift between time periods, but in my Konan universe it falls at fourteen.

_Normally I would say something witty here... but it's Independence Day, and there are things to be exploded. Tamaya! Kagiya!_

* * *

**--Episode Twenty-Six: Over Oolong--  
Weaving Patterns of Dark and Light**

"Are you guys sure that you don't want a turn?" Yui asked, waving the book temptingly in front of them.

Keisuke had to fight a mouthful of junk food before he could answer. "Nah, it's fine. From the sound of it this one's kind of connected to the last one, so you might as well just read them both."

"Besides, if I take a break now, he'll steal my beer," both of the young men said at once, jerking their thumbs at one another.

Yui rolled her eyes. "You're both hopeless. Not that I'm complaining, of course – I'm curious to hear more about all this Takkan mess myself. So… _'Under flickering lamplight and a half-full moon, seishi and former shogun sat at a table, the first sharing his sake, and the other his memories…'_"

oOo

"So, those gems are…"

"There's one for each," Hataku explained. "From what I've seen, she can use them to manipulate her Elements, calm them, or even cause them physical pain. She can draw their life forces out through the jewels, I think."

Tasuki gritted his teeth. "So how do ya get free of her? Like, completely free? 'Cause I think she c'n still do that 'physical pain' thing t'me, judgin' from what happened after I told her t'piss off last time." He didn't give Hataku a chance to answer, but instead asked, "What if we got a hold-a that necklace and jus' burned it down t'nothing? Or smashed the jewels 'r somethin'? Would that do it?"

"Destroying the jewel of the Element will kill that Element," he said. Tasuki's eyes widened and Hataku frowned, waving a dismissive hand. "No, no, it won't kill you. _You_ were never under the influence of her power, so her connection to you is almost nonexistent. I imagine it'd injure you pretty badly, though, so I wouldn't recommend it. Besides, the more jewels you destroy, the more you're helping her." Tasuki quirked an eyebrow. "From what I've seen, when her Elements die the jewels shatter, and _she_ gains her dead servant's abilities. You and the rest of the Konan Warriors are turning her into a very dangerous woman, you know."

The seishi swore and set his chin in his hands. "I'm all fer _not_ killin' kids, but th' way yer sayin' it sounds like we're gonna have t'risk our own lives jus' t'make sure we don't take _theirs_."

"Or defeat that woman before she has a chance to send all of her Elements to their deaths. Personally, I think you're better off with the first option. The remaining three are reasonable, at least, which is more than I could say for some of them. One of them, the boy Tsuchi, isn't even fighting for her anymore. As for the ones that still remain loyal to her: if you can defeat them, you should be able to capture them."

"Hm…" Tasuki grumbled into his palms, but before he could say anything else someone knocked on the door and a head of brown hair poked around the frame.

"Oh, should I come back later?"

"Nah, it's fine Kiori. I need t'get t'bed anyway," Tasuki said. He stood and nodded towards the former shogun, thanking him for his help. "Try not t'keep him up too late past his bedtime," he told Kiori with a grin, then disappeared down the walkway.

Kiori smiled, closing the door behind her and turning towards the man sitting at the far side of the room. She held up a satchel of supplies in one hand and a tray with tea and cups in the other. "I brought some stuff that I thought might help you out. Do you mind if I come in, Watanabe-san?"

"Not at all. And just Hataku, please. Watanabe's such a common name where I come from that even my men – former men, I should say – called me Hataku." He waved her into the room, stifling a yawn in the process. "Please try to make this brief, though, uh…"

"My name's Sakamoto Kiori." She plopped herself down at the table across from him, opening her bag and pulling out a small bottle as well as a larger, oval-shaped container. "And _these_," she said, patting the supplies, "are my magic potions! More specifically, they're for you. I saw that you were having trouble with that leg, so I thought I'd try to put some medicines together to help you out."

Hataku blinked, surprised by the unexpected act of kindness. "Ah… Thank you, Sakamoto-san."

"Oh, just call me Kiori," she told him. "Sakamoto is such a common name where _I_ come from." He gave her a half-smile and she pushed the two containers across the table towards him, pointing first to the bottle. "Now! _This_ is an herbal blend that I want you to drink with Oolong tea twice a day. It's made of… er, well, you're tired, so I'll keep this brief, but it should relieve the pain and help increase your mobility. Also, Yukeda-sensei says you need to go to the infirmary twice a week for – well I don't really understand it, but I think it involves a cute serving girl giving you a massage, so you should give it a try." Hataku sweatdropped and Kiori giggled. "Now this," she said, clapping a hand to the lid of the cylindrical carton, "is Konan's patented Mitsubalm! It helps with pretty much everything, especially relaxing muscles and healing scars, so I thought you might want some. Use it once a day for best results. Now," she said, clapping her hands together. "Let's give the tea blend a try and see if I screwed up the ingredients or not."

"And what happens if you _did_ screw up the ingredients?" Hataku asked warily.

Kiori's smile dripped innocence. "Nothing… or an explosion." He stared at her blankly and she laughed. "I'm just kidding. I'm sure I didn't mess it up, but even if I did the worst that could happen is you'd get a little bit of a stomachache."

She stood from her seat and got to work mixing the herbal blend into the tea, making little remarks about how to stir it as she went. Hataku watched her wordlessly until she handed him the cup of tea, that hopeful smile still spreading from cheek to cheek. He looked into the cup for a moment, turning it this way and that, before finally asking, "Why are you doing this for me? I was your enemy a short time ago, practically Setsuka's right-hand man."

"Well, you aren't now, right?" Kiori said, taking her seat again. "You decided to join us, and risked an awful lot to do it, so no matter the circumstances that makes you a friend."

"But how can you prove that I'm not still working for her? That this isn't all a trap?" he pressed.

"Hm..." Kiori paused for a moment, stroking her chin as if in deep thought. She looked up, smiling cheerfully. "Well I suppose... I can't!"

Hataku sweatdropped. "Ah, now it makes perfect sense."

Kiori giggled. "I never figured that you had a sense of humor, even a dry one." She set her arms on the table, drumming out a thoughtful little rhythm with her fingers. "I just trust you, is all. Because… oh, I don't know, I guess because I can tell that you've got a good heart. I know that sounds kind of odd."

"Not as odd as you might think," Hataku assured her. "Though I must admit, you're one of the few people who has ever said something like that to me."

"I wouldn't say it if I didn't think it was true. You've been through some pretty dark days, but you seemed to come out okay. Unlike that woman you worked for… ugh, I only met her once, but once was enough..." She scratched at her arm, hesitant in her next words, then glanced back up at the former shogun through her bangs. "Um, Hataku-san, may I ask you something? You don't have to answer if you don't want to. It's about Setsuka, sort of."

"I told you before that I'd answer anything about her that I could," Hataku reminded her.

Kiori bit her lip. "It's kind of a strange question, but... from what you told us before, it sounds like Setsuka used to be a decent person – maybe not perfect or anything, but not too bad, either." He nodded. "So what _happened_? What could've changed her into what she is now?"

"I'm… not really sure," he said warily. "She was always stubborn and spoiled. Maybe those traits just worsened as she got older."

"Well, _maybe_," Kiori said, but she sounded skeptical. "Only that wouldn't explain how sadistic she seems to be! I mean, she captured our friend when he was injured to the point of death, she's sending out _kids_ to battle and doesn't really seem to care if they die or not..." His single eye flicked up to hers and she waved her arms, saying in a hurry, "Oh, not to mention what she did to you, Hataku-san."

The former shogun said nothing for a long while, then rubbed at the bridge of his nose and muttered, more to himself than Kiori. "No. I promised to tell you whatever I knew. I need to keep to that." He dropped his hand and met her eyes again. "It's that necklace. It has to be. I don't know much about sorcery, but there's… something wrong with it. I hadn't noticed it right away, but the longer she wore it the more it felt like it was – I don't know how to explain it. Like darkness itself was pulsing out of it. Recently it's felt more like that darkness has been coming off of _her_, not just the jewelry, but… She started to change after she got it. I'm sure it has something to do with that."

"Change? How so?"

"I first noticed it six months after Toushi-sama died – her mother's religion demands half a year of fasting, solitude and silence from the eldest child of the deceased, so it was the first time that the two of us had spoken since the funeral…"

vVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVv

Hataku, a tray balanced in one hand, knocked once on the door of Setsuka's chamber. He waited half a moment, then turned the handle and let himself in, opening it just far enough so that he could slip into the darkened chamber. His eyes fell on the profile of the new Lady of Takkan, her back turned towards him as she knelt before her father's memorial altar. The light from a single candle glowed weakly around her bowed head, illuminating the unbound hair streaming across her back and neck.

"Setsuka?" he called softly. "I brought you some dinner." There was no response, but he hadn't really expected one. He stepped across the chamber, practically on tiptoe, and set the tray down on the nearby table. "I'll just... leave it here, and you can eat when you're ready." Silence again, and this time Hataku, hesitating for only a moment, walked to her side, placing a timid hand against her shoulder. "Setsuka, please. It's been six months today. You've completed the rituals. Your mother would be proud of you, but… but don't you think your father would want you to move on, now? I just don't think he'd—"

"I can feel them," she whispered, her body trembling beneath his hand.

He stiffened. "Beg pardon?"

"I can _feel_ them, Hataku," she repeated in a rasping quaver, almost as if she were in pain. Her hand snaked up to the jewels at her neck. "Ever since I secluded myself for the mourning period, they haven't given me a moment's rest. I've felt their pain meshed with mine, their sorrow and mine joined, their anger strengthening the frustration building in my own chest... and their joy, which still cannot ease my own heart." Setsuka's arms fell to her waist and she hugged herself, bowing her head almost until it touched the shrine. "It was horrible, but... I've finally learned how to control it, a bit. Their emotions, as well as my own."

She pressed her hands to the ground and rose to her feet, moving slowly to the windows draped with heavy black curtains. Hataku watched as she at last pulled back the darkness, flooding the room once again with light and color. Despite her cryptic words, he couldn't help the note of hope that crept into his voice. "Does that mean you'll be out and about again?"

"Yes," she agreed. "I have no choice. They're calling for their Lady, they must be."

"'They' are?" he repeated.

She nodded, at last turning to face him, her features sallow and pale but still lovely even in their weakness. "I have to fulfill my father's last wish. I have to find these seven servants of mine. Some of them are still quiet, and far away, but one is quite close." Her fingers brushed the light-blue gem at her neck, and for the first time in months a faint smile touched her lips. "We'll begin with that one. From there, I might be able to get a feeling for where the other Elements are."

Hataku's face was a picture of bewildered confusion. "I don't—"

"I'll explain everything later, I promise," Setsuka assured him. "I'll be leaving tomorrow, though, so there isn't much time to pack and prepare. I'm going to need your help, Hataku." She strode across the room, grabbing his hands in her own, her eyes fairly dancing with excitement. "Come with me, be my bodyguard again. It'll be just like old times – together, we'll find those Elements and make Takkan a proper nation, an empire even!"

"I don't understand. Elements… And what does Takkan need them for?"

Setsuka laughed. "Why, to help us conquer Konan, of course!" Hataku's eyes widened and his betrothed laughed even harder. "Oh, there really is _too_ much to explain. Only please believe that I've been dreaming a great deal about this, and Haha-ue, she's been guiding me, I think, and someone else too though I've never quite seen him. Konan is going to fall, you see. It's what they deserve after sending my poor father to his death, and _He's_ going to make it happen. Now don't worry, we might not have to attack it ourselves, but they _are_ going to fall, and then it will be just a matter of moving in, beating out any opponents, and turning Takkan into a real empire! And from there, why, perhaps we'll have a go at Kutou and the other empires as well. It's really so hard to tell at this point, it all depends on how _He_ fares, but… Oh, I can't explain all of it, but we're going to need those Elements. They're the key to everything. So we really _must_ leave just as soon as possible, you see."

She at last dropped his hands and Hataku shifted nervously, rubbing a hand against his arm. "Ah… Permission to speak freely, my Lady?"

"_Ara_! 'My Lady,' is it?" She stifled another giggle. "Well I suppose I _am_ now, aren't I? But really, Hataku, if it's you then it's quite silly to have all these rules of propriety. So _I_ will remain 'Setsuka,' and _you_ will always have the permission to 'speak freely.' Now, what did you need to tell me?"

He relaxed his stance a fraction of an inch. "I understand that you want to find these, er, Elements, but you're the Lady of Takkan now. You can't just get up and leave."

Setsuka frowned, crossing her arms hard over her chest. "Oh, damn. I forgot about all that." She paced the room, chewing on her lip and staring out the window at the courtyards below. After a moment she clapped her hands and smiled. "How simple! I'll put Minister Miyano in charge while I'm gone! He was going to be my Regent anyway, if Chichi-ue had passed away before I was of age. I'm sure he'll be able to handle everything."

"I still don't think you should—"

Setsuka set a finger to his lips. "No arguing, now. I'm really not in the mood to talk about it. If I say it's okay, then it is. I _am_ the Lady of Takkan, aren't I?"

"H-hai," Hataku said, startled by the commanding, dangerous light in her eyes. "That's true, but… Do you have to leave tomorrow?"

"Why? Is there a banquet or something?"

"No, I just thought… well, now that the period of mourning is over, I thought that, perhaps the two of us..."

"Right, right, all that," Setsuka said with an unconcerned shrug. "Listen, how about if we forget all about that ridiculous engagement?" Hataku's eyes widened and he struggled to mask his surprise, but Setsuka paid him not the slightest bit of attention. Rather, she'd begun circling the room again, blowing out the incense sticks and tidying a few wrinkled corners of her bed sheets. "I mean after all, the entire thing is just for convenience, you must know that as well as I do. It's all for my father's peace of mind and your family's welfare. It's so silly. People should get married because they want to, not because they have to, and _I_ do not intend to share the governing of Takkan with anyone, at least not for the moment."

"But Setsuka—"

She waved a hand to silence him, grabbing a brush from her dresser and combing her hair out in long, quick strokes. "Oh, don't worry about your family. I had a better idea anyway. How does this sound, Hataku: I will make you my shogun. Takatsuki-sama is getting old anyway, and you're by far the most qualified for the job. As shogun, you'll get paid more than you do now, which will help your family out."

"But Setsuka, I—"

She frowned, setting her brush down again and turning to face him, hands on her hips. "It isn't _much _more, I know, but after we've taken Konan I'll need someone to rule over the Takkan region for me. I think the position would suit you well, _Shogun_-sama." Setsuka watched him expectantly, almost as if waiting for praise, but all she received was a small, puzzled frown. "Oh, don't look so sad! Your family will live in the palace with you, once the war is over, and I will rule over Konan as your close ally. This way, we both win."

Hataku clasped his hands behind his back. "That's true, but... well, I guess I was kind of... I mean... I thought that, you and I..."

"Oh, for heaven's sake!" Setsuka leaned in on tiptoe, grabbing Hataku's chin in one hand and pressing her lips to his. The new shogun's eyes widened at the sudden gesture, and he almost instinctively returned it, but just as he attempted to wrap his arms around her waist she pulled away again, pressing her hands to her hips. "And you're welcome in my bedchamber for the rest at any time. Does _that _make you feel better? Really, the things a girl has to do get a man to listen to her. _Now_ can we start packing for our trip, please?"

She smiled as she said it, but she couldn't quite hide the hint of disgust and exasperation on the edge of her words. Hataku took a couple of steps back, ducking his head in a quick bow so that she wouldn't see his grimace of surprise and pain. "Of course, Setsuka. I'll just… begin the preparations, then."

vVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVv

"It wasn't, was it?" Kiori asked suddenly.

Hataku's head snapped up. "Wasn't what?"

"A marriage of convenience," she said. "You were in love with her, and she with you, at some point. Weren't you?"

"I fail to see the relevance of that question. It's far into the past, so it really doesn't matter."

"But it does matter!" Kiori cried, surprised by the anxiety in her voice. "Because you loved Setsuka, right? And she loved you, too... didn't she? And… and if someone could love a person, then they could never be _all_ bad. If Setsuka really did love you, then there must be _some_ good in her!" She blinked, suddenly remembering with whom she was talking and what she was talking about. She flushed, staring down at her hands. "Er… that's what I think, anyway."

Hataku sat in silence for a long moment, eyes on the teacup still grasped in his hands. Kiori had just opened her mouth to change the subject when the former shogun said in that same blank, rehearsed voice that he'd used so often that night, "I was concerned about my family's welfare. Toushi-sama was concerned about his daughter's safety. That's all there was to it. The two of us were friends at one time, but that soon ended as well."

She frowned in disbelief, but didn't press the subject. Even so, she couldn't leave Hataku alone, not yet anyway. "But what... why did the two of you wind up on such poor terms? To make her do... what she did to you..." Hataku stiffened and Kiori winced. "S-sorry, I shouldn't have brought all this up. You're tired – I'll just—"

Hataku shook his head. "It's fine. I've gotten this far, so you may as well hear the rest. Besides, it might help you realize exactly what you're up against."

Kiori nodded, watching as the former shogun once again sank into a world of distant days. "During our journey gathering the Elements, I noticed that Setsuka seemed to grow more commanding, and more ruthless. It wasn't constant, and it was so gradual that I don't think anyone else really noticed it, to be honest, but… Well, for example, some of the Elements were reluctant to come with us, so she had to convince them that they were doing some great favor to the world. I think that at some point she realized that she had an incredible persuasive power over all of them, and she used it whenever she felt it necessary. Even so, she was still herself. She was still _trying_ to do what was best, I think.

"But then… do you remember that illness I mentioned earlier, the one from about a year ago?" Kiori nodded and he went on. "It struck her out of nowhere – one moment she was fine, and the next she had collapsed in a dead faint. She was so weak she could barely sit up in bed, but she would break into fits of rage and start screaming… We all feared that she'd lost her mind…"

vVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVv

"How dare they? How _dare_ they! After everything… after all my preparations…!"

"Setsuka-sama, please calm down," Tsuchi whispered, pressing a wet towel to her forehead and rubbing a hand along her sweat-slicked arm. "If you don't relax, you're never going to get better, so please—"

Her gaze flicked over to him, wide-eyed and enraged. "Who are you?" she snarled, arm flinging outwards and slamming hard into the boy's midriff. Tsuchi took a step back, gasping for air as Mizu rushed to his side. Sora and Taiyou crowded closer, reaching for their mistress, but she struggled against them, spitting curses as she attempted to rise from her bed. "Get the _hell_ away from me! I've got to… I've got to…" Her face contorted and she arched her back, hands snaking up towards her throat. "Ooooh, oh gods...!"

Setsuka's fingers wrapped around her necklace, tangling themselves into the jewels as she tugged frantically, the thin gold chain slicing into her skin. She tried to scream and choked on the attempt, gasping for air but never once stopping her struggle.

"Hataku-sama! She's—"

But the shogun was already moving across the floor, pushing frightened Elements out of his way. He all but threw himself onto the bed, straddling the flailing Lady of Takkan and looping his hands under hers, trying to pry her fingers from their vice-grip on her throat. "Setsuka, let go! You're going to kill yourself!"

"Oh gods, it hurts! It hurts and it won't come off and it won't go away, and it _hurts_, oh it hurts so much…!"

His hand came into contact with the necklace and he hissed, surprised to find the gold hot to the touch. Hataku gritted his teeth and barreled through the pain, at last untangling Setsuka's scrabbling fingers and holding them tightly in one hand, pressing his other palm to her breastbone to hold her arching body back to the bed. "Setsuka, listen to me! It's me, it's Hataku! There's nothing on you, there's nothing hurting you! You've got to come back to yourself!"

"Hataku?" she whispered, and her eyes flickered recognition, and desperation, and something so hopelessly hopeful that Hataku knew it couldn't be anything but love. "Hataku! Oh gods, oh Hataku, please save me, he's _dying_ and he's _killing_ me with him and I don't know what to do, I don't know what I'm supposed to do! I don't want to die, Hataku, please, please, _please_ don't let me die here!"

"I won't," he promised her. "Nothing's going to happen to you. Now here, hold still, I'm going to get that necklace off of you…"

He dropped his hold, but as soon as he moved towards her throat she screamed and lashed out at him, nails digging into his hands, drawing blood and forcing him to pull away. "_Don't touch it!_" she screeched. "You don't _have that right_! And _they_ didn't either, those… those... Ooooh, they're going to pay for this… they're going to _suffer_ for this…!"

"Hataku-sama!"

The shogun looked up just in time to see Tsuchi shove a hand into his face. He didn't even ask what it contained, just allowed the boy to drop a small, round ball into his palm. He slammed his elbow into Setsuka's struggling shoulder, holding her steady with one arm and forcing the pill into her throat with the other. She tried to snap down on his fingers but he never wavered, pressing his palm over her mouth and pinching her nose until she was forced to swallow the tablet. Her silver eyes stared up at him for a long, frantic moment, wild and entirely foreign even to the man she had known for years. Then she blinked, and those alien eyes became familiar again, and they softened, and they filled with tears—

"I'm so sorry."

—Then they flickered closed and she collapsed back onto the bed, pale and sweaty and as frail as a porcelain doll. Hataku pressed his forehead to hers, breath heaving out in short, ragged huffs. "Please, gods…" he rasped around a throat tight with tears. "Please…please…"

vVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVv

Hataku shook his head, and the sharp crease of worry that had settled on his features fell away again, rendering him impassive once more. "That went on for about a week. She recovered, but things became much worse after that. She was crueler, and more determined, demanding that we make preparations to go to war with Konan as soon as possible. It was the beginning of a very long, very miserable year for a lot of people, myself included."

"Was that when the RAFT was formed?" Kiori asked.

His eyebrows shot up his forehead. "You know about the RAFT?"

Kiori giggled. "It's, er… a long story. But was it during that last year that they got together? When things got really bad?"

"Protests and other minor forms of rebellion had started up before that. The economy was poor, partly because of a dry summer and partly because of that woman's preoccupation with her Elements. In a farming nation like Takkan, a bad year can mean a lot of hungry mouths – and those hungry mouths weren't afraid to tell Setsuka exactly what they thought of the situation. She ignored them until she couldn't anymore, and then she ordered their arrests. Naturally, it was my job to root the protesters out – and it may have been the most miserable job I've ever had. When I'd finally arrested some of the more vocal ones, just a couple weeks after her illness, I went to speak with her about them. I think that was when I really understood just how much she had changed…"

vVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVv

The pavilion stood at the center of the palace's expansive garden, draped in peonies and weeping willows. A tiny stream curled its way beside the pearly white structure, carrying a pair of cranes along with it. They floated along silently, beaks bumping as if they were sharing a private conversation with one another. All was peace and tranquility, a paradise among politics, just as the gardeners had intended. Yet on this afternoon, as the sunlight stroked through the tree branches and alighted on Setsuka, her long hair bound to her head and the back of her dress whispering in the soft spring breeze, Hataku could feel nothing but exhaustion and anxiety as he entered the pavilion, treading lightly on the wooden boards. "I—"

"Hataku, come here," she demanded, though she didn't turn to face him as she said it.

The shogun obeyed, looking over her shoulder and blinking in surprise at the bloody, beat-up body of a bird cupped in Setsuka's hands. The Lady of Takkan spoke before Hataku had the chance. "I watched this fellow fight with another member of his species. The two of them were about the same size and strength, and there was nothing particularly notable about the other one. So tell me, why did this one lose?"

"Ano—"

"I'll tell you why, Hataku. It is because the other one was fiercer, more ruthless... even cruel, perhaps. In this world, the ruthless fighter will always prevail. To be a _true_ victor, you must be willing to step on everyone and everything that falls in your path, no matter what or who it may be, and you cannot afford to hesitate. To show mercy, kindness, _trust_ to anyone is utter foolishness. A person like that can never hope to _truly_ succeed. Just like this pathetic bird..."

Hataku winced as Setsuka carelessly snapped the neck of the small animal, dropping it over the edge of the pavilion and into the water below. "We will attack Konan in a year. We will show them what happens to a nation built on such weak principles. We will tear down everything that disgusting empire stands for – raze its shrines, enslave its monks, slaughter its seishi – and we will spit on whatever remains. We will show them how a _real_ nation goes to war, led by one who at last understands the true path to victory."

There was so much he could say, and he struggled to find the proper words. But in the end, all he could manage to ask was, "A year, you said?"

"Yes. That is how long I expect it will take you to properly prepare the army. Intensify your training with Sora and the other Elements as well."

"But… but they're all so young, doesn't that seem a bit _soon_? If you're really so determined to take Konan, then we should wait until they've have matured, or the army should just attack on its own, or—"

"_Don't_ question me, Hataku," Setsuka snapped, whirling to face him with fire in her eyes. "As the Lady of Takkan, I demand more respect than that. My Elements _will_ fight, and die if I so desire. Just as you and your men will, my dear shogun. That is what it _means_ to serve me."

"I…" Her eyes narrowed and her lip curled upwards into a challenging sneer, and for the first time in his life Hataku felt fear towards his Lady. His shoulders slumped and he glanced away. "Of course, Setsuka," he muttered reluctantly.

Quicker than he could follow, Setsuka's hand lashed out, her palm connecting solidly with his cheek. The strike came so unexpectedly that Hataku felt his entire neck snap backwards. He clapped a hand to his smarting face, whirling back to face her, eyes wide, confused, angry – and more hurt than they'd been in years.

He opened his mouth to demand an explanation, but Setsuka cut him off. "Am I, or am I not, the Lady of Takkan?" she ground out between gritted teeth.

"You are, but—"

"Then I expect to be addressed as such, _Shogun-sama_."

Too shocked to curb his speech, Hataku stumbled out, "But, but before, when you first ascended the throne, you told me – you said that we were friends, equals, even. That I shouldn't call you by the terms of nobility—"

"Times change," she said briskly, crossing her arms beneath her breasts. "I have no need of 'friends' – only servants and soldiers. Is that clear, or do I need to make it clearer?"

Hataku saw her nails dig into her arm and he swallowed hard, looking away once more. "It's clear... my Lady."

"That's more like it," Setsuka said. "And, now that you see where we stand…" She glared at him expectantly, and Hataku knew what she wanted. Face burning in embarrassment, the shogun touched his forehead to the ground for the first time since they had met, all those years ago. He felt more than saw the smirk on her lips. "You catch on fast. What did you have to report?"

"We caught a few of those rebels, Setsuka… sama," Hataku explained, forcing composure into his voice. "They're to be put on trial, and—"

"Don't bother," she said icily, studying the blood-red gem of the one Element that hadn't been revealed. "Just torture them for information about the others, and once you squeeze out of them whatever you can, have them executed. Publicly."

Hataku's head jerked upwards, but he somehow remembered his manners. "M-my Lady?"

"You heard me. Let it be a demonstration to those other maggots. None shall oppose me and live – they will learn that lesson, or they will die."

"But Setsuka-sama, law says that a trial is—"

"_None_ shall oppose me and live, Hataku," she said in a voice dripping anger and contempt. "That includes citizens, soldiers, _and_ shoguns. Don't think for a single instant that you are indispensable. My orders are to be followed at all costs, without question or complaint. If you disapprove, then I will deal with you as I would deal with any other traitor in this nation. And then, perhaps…" her lips curled upwards into a malicious smirk, "I would have a little 'chat' with your family as well."

Hataku's eyes widened. "You wouldn't."

"Wouldn't I?" She smiled at him again, with less venom but with certainly no more warmth. "Oh, but I doubt that I shall have to worry about all of that. You have been loyal to me thus far, and that is something that will, over time, be rewarded well." She leaned down just far enough to pat at his cheek. Coldly. Condescendingly. As if the last sixteen years had never happened at all. "Everything is understood, then?"

Her shogun could think of no words – none, that is, but the ones he would find himself uttering more and more over the long months ahead. "Hai... my Lady."

vVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVv

Kiori frowned. "How awful! You know, the more I hear you talk, the more I think that maybe Setsuka's more of a _victim_ than a villain in this whole mess!"

Hataku barked out one short, humorless laugh. "Don't waste your pity on _her_, Kiori-san. Believe me, I tried to sympathize with her, tried to rationalize her behavior, but no matter what I did it didn't make any difference. What it comes down to is, some good children grow into bad adults. And regardless of _how_ it happened, it doesn't change the fact that she's committed countless atrocities. She doesn't deserve your pity. She…" He hesitated, then set his jaw and finished, "she deserves to die, for everything she's done."

"But if you really think that, then what made you stay with her for so long?" Kiori asked.

"Fear," he answered automatically. "For my family."

"And that's all?"

"Of course." Hataku set his empty teacup down on the table and glanced towards the doorway. "It's late. You should probably get to bed."

"Ah…" Kiori caught the warning glare in her host's eyes and decided not to wear out her welcome. "Mm. You're right. Here, I'll take this back with me." She gathered up the teapot and cups and headed for the doorway. Kiori paused in the frame, glancing back the somber man at the table. She opened her mouth twice to say something else, but decided against it both times. She frowned softly and shook her head. "Don't forget to take that medicine, okay? Oyasuminasai, Hataku-san."

"Oyasuminasai, Kiori-san."

The door closed behind her with a quiet click. The former shogun staggered to his feet and limped towards the nearby bed. He unlaced both jacket and undershirt, tossing them over the back of his chair before plopping onto the edge of the soft comforter. One hand rubbed at his sore knee, the other at the bridge of his nose, as if he were trying to shake away an oncoming headache, or the remnants of a bad dream—

vVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVv

—"Setsuka-sama! What in the gods' names are you _doing_ up there?"

The little heir to Takkan waved down at him from high above, her legs swinging back and forth from over the edge of a thick tree branch and her unbound hair flapping in the breeze. "Ohayoooou, Hataku! Sato-kun bet me a whole tael of silver that I couldn't get to the top, but I showed him a thing or two!"

"You don't have time to be playing with the servants' boys," he said with a scowl. "You've got your lessons this afternoon, remember?"

She stuck her tongue out at him. "That's not nearly as fun." She shaded her eyes, looking out over the vast expanses of the Takkan palace. "Wooow! You can see _everything_ from here! Oh, come on up and see, Hataku! I promise to come down right after if you do!"

He sighed and shook his head, but looped both hands around the nearest tree branch and swung himself up, making his careful way towards his mistress. "Mattaku. How can the future Lady of Takkan be so carefree? You've got to start taking things more seriously, you know."

"But you're serious enough for the _both_ of us, Hataku-_kun_!" she teased, closing her eyes and holding up her index finger. "That's why I've _got_ to be so carefree. It balances us out, you see." A stiff breeze blew across the courtyard, shaking the branches and blowing Setsuka's skirt up over her head. She squealed and pressed a hand to the flapping material. "_Ara_, Hataku! No peeking!"

He rolled his eyes, situating himself so that he was perched on a branch next to her. He squinted against the sunlight and let his eyes trail from one end of the palace to the other. "Wow… it really is beautiful up here."

"Mm-hm!" she agreed. "And it'll be even more beautiful once Chichi-ue is finished repairing everything! Aaaah, I can't believe we're living in a _real_, proper palace! Isn't it wonderf—wah!"

Another gust of wind shot through the trees, knocking Setsuka off-balance and sending her staggering. Hataku cried out and shot forward without even thinking, catching her in his arms just as they both lost their balance and tumbled head over heels out of the tree, shouting and cursing the entire way.

"Itetetetete…" Hataku hissed when they finally hit ground. "I think I slammed into about every branch on the way down…" He heard a giggle and opened his eyes, blinking when he found Setsuka's face just inches from his own. He flushed and tried to pull away, but she just drew closer, plunking a kiss right on his forehead. "S-Setsuka…sama…"

"Thanks for being my pillow, Ha-ta-ku!"—

--

—The pearly-white pavilion stood draped in shadows, Hataku standing amongst them. Too old to be a boy and too young to be a man, his long-limbed form leaned against the railing, a cup of sake in one hand as he enjoyed the tranquil scenery. He straightened at the sound of laughter, turning just in time to see Setsuka flounce up to the pavilion with a pair of girl friends and a flock of female maids. She stopped when she saw him, and the others all smiled knowingly and walked on ahead, modestly shielding their faces from the male presence, their bound hair bobbing in time with their steps. As they vanished among the peonies Hataku opened his mouth to greet his mistress, but she took three steps across the pavilion and silenced him with a kiss.

Their silhouettes mingled in the evening darkness, nearly hidden by the swaying willow branches. Setsuka pulled back after a moment, studying his wide, puzzled eyes. Her lips moved in a whisper, so quiet that the honking geese nearly drowned her out.

"Come to my chamber after nightfall."

"Is… is that an order?" he asked, surprised by his own husky murmur.

She took two steps away from him, hands clasped behind her back and a smile, soft, and nervous, and perhaps a little sad, playing across her face. "I don't think I'll be able to order you to do anything again, Hataku." Then she turned and disappeared back into the garden, calling out for the others to wait up for her, and her young guardian was left to stand, and stare, and wonder…—

--

—"Where is everyone?" Hataku asked, stepping into her softly lit room and glancing about for the usual entourage of maids and attendants.

"I sent them away for the night," she said with a wave of her hand, closing the door behind him before fluttering back to the nearby table. "Come on in. I've got sake. Do you want some sake?" She bounced up and down on the balls of her feet, all nervous excitement.

Hataku swallowed, feeling as if a rock had gotten caught in his throat – or perhaps his stomach – or perhaps both, even. "N-no, that's all right. What did you want to see me abou—"

And again she cut him off, wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing her lips to his own. He was ready for it this time and pulled back, slowly untangling her hands. He couldn't seem to quite let her go, though, and so stood there for a long moment, his own palms cupped around hers, knowing that even those he would soon have to release. "I can't."

"You _won't_."

"You're the future Lady of Takkan. You're going to have to marry someone who's right for you. Another nation's prince, or at least an official's son. I've barely got a ryo to my name, for heaven's sake."

"I _know_ that," she snapped. "I _know_ there's no future for us! Why does there _have_ to be? What does it _matter_?"

"Because if word got out that you'd been… sullied," she snorted at the word, "it could ruin your chances at a good marriage, as well as your respectability as a ruler."

"_Male _rulers take consorts all the time. Why should it be any different for me?"

"It just is."

"That's stupid."

"It's how things are," he pressed, squeezing her hands. "Please, Setsuka. You can't take this risk."

"I'm getting _really_ sick," she hissed, tearing herself out of his hold as tears welled up in her eyes, "of that excuse. You told me – you _told_ me, but… And you just expect me to pretend like nothing happened? Like I don't… gods _damn_ it, Hataku, if you don't want to then just _say _so, but don't keep letting me kiss you and then kissing me back, don't come to my room when you know _damn _well why I asked you in the first place." She sniffed hard, voice quavering more and more with every word. "And don't tell me… so many things… if you're just going to throw them away later…"

"I," he began, but he never got past that. He just leaned down and kissed her. She growled in her throat and made as if to break away, but he reached up to hold at her shoulders. Setsuka struggled for another moment, and looked as if she really might get away, but then his lips parted and it wasn't a second later that hers parted as well, and Hataku felt all the fury drain out of her. She wrapped her arms around his waist and he wrapped his around her lower back, his feet moving of their own accord, guiding them both towards the bed. He felt her break away for a moment, whispering, "Do you know what you're doing?" heard himself mutter back, "Not especially," thought that she might have laughed, and that he might have, too, and then she had her back pressed to the comforter and she was kissing him everywhere, and he was certain that he was doing the same, and the lamp on the nightstand flickered, flickered, casting softness and shadows on the little room and the lovers within it.—

--

—Setsuka giggled.

"What?" he asked, running a finger sleepily across her bare stomach.

"You made silly faces," she told him with another giggle.

"_I_ did?" he repeated. "I should get a mirror next time, _then_ you'd see a silly face."

"Silly, nothing," she said with a little sniff. "I was scared to death is what I was."

"I hope it wasn't that bad."

"Oh, hush, as if you couldn't _tell_! Of course I _enjoyed _it, once I was used to it, but I wasn't so sure at first. I've never done anythinglikethat before, you know. At least _you've_ had some practice."

"One courtesan forced onto me by Kawamura-taii doesn't count. I was too nervous to do much of anything that time, anyway."

"Still, I bet she was _much_ better than me..."

"Not a chance. This may have been your first time, but it sure seemed to _me_ that you knew what you were doing."

"Oh, well, I've been studying," she replied airily.

"Studying?"

"Mm! I stole some erotic albums from Nurse Hien – she has quite the stash of them, you know. I took to memorizing the pictures, for research." She met his eyes with a determined frown. "Some of the positions are terribly confusing, but I think I could manage 'Dousing the Prone Candle' if you'd like." He burst out laughing and Setsuka scowled. "What? I'm serious! Hey, what're you laughing at, huh? You don't think I can do it or something?" (1)

"I wouldn't know if you can do it or not," he told her between chuckles, "because I don't even know what it _is_!"

She glared at him for a moment, then finally broke into a fit of giggles as well. "In that case," she said, snuggling up against him and smiling impishly. "I'll just have to show you next time, won't I?"—

--

—"Mm?" Setsuka glanced up from her newest piece of jewelry as the door behind her creaked open. She smiled when she saw Hataku standing in the frame. "You were gone a while. What did Chichi-ue want to talk to you about?"

Hataku stared across the room at the young woman, his lover for over six years and his betrothed for the last five minutes. He felt a tiny, bemused smile cross his face. "Your father… he just asked me… if I…"

He knew he said the rest, but he didn't really hear it. All his attention was focused on Setsuka's face, as her sparkling eyes widened, lit up, and then slowly glossed over with tears. "Oh, Hataku…"

She fairly flew across the room, jumping the last bit of the distance and throwing herself into his arms, alternating between sobs and laughter as she squeezed his neck as hard as she could, kissing him again and again, for once unconcerned by the servants standing in the wings. His arms reached up automatically to hold her, but he remained tense and motionless beyond that, unable to even return her kisses. She pulled away, pressing her palms to his cheeks and staring up at him. "Wh-what is it? Isn't this—" she choked on the rest of her question as she noticed the faint sheen of water across his eyes. "_Ara_! You're… I don't think I've ever actually _seen_ you… I-is everything…?"

He swallowed back a lump in his throat and smiled weakly. "I just… I think I'm going to wake up, pretty soon, and find out that this has all been a dream, and the two of us… and none of this will have ever actually…"

She laughed and reached up with the edge of her sleeve to wipe away the teardrops that threatened to escape the corners of her beloved's eyes. "If you _are_ dreaming," she told him softly, "then promise me that you'll never wake up. Because I don't want this moment to ever, ever go away… oh, Hataku, I don't think I've ever been so happy…!"—

vVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVv

—But then the flickering light shifted from the soft, creamy hues of the old chamber to the darker, brown tones of the new. Hataku drew his fingers away from his nose, staring hard at the little lamp on his nightstand. "Too many damned memories for one night," he grumbled to no one, and blew out the flame, throwing it all into darkness.

oOo

"_'And so, with that last puff of smoke, the long night of the newcomer's arrival at last came to a restless end.'_" Yui looked up from the book, raising her eyebrows wonderingly at Tetsuya, who sat in rapt attention beside her. "End Chapter Twenty-Six."

--  
Tasuki: Well, it looks like Hataku's here for a while, an' fer better or fer worse I've got myself a rival t' deal with. Ah well, he seems t'know what he's doin' when it comes t' fightin', so maybe havin' him around won't be too bad.  
…Then again, maybe bringin' him to the palace _wasn't_ such a good idea. C'mon Akai, don't act like Hataku's still an enemy – at least _try_ t'be friendly... uh, Akai? Akai? …Aah, ferget it. Like talkin' to a stone wall.

The Next Episode of _Fushigi Yuugi: The Next Chapter_: "Crimson Tension! Forces Dwindle, Pressure Rises!"

Who ever knew askin' fer a little tolerance'd be askin' fer so much...?  
--

* * *

**End Notes:**  
(1) "Dousing the Prone Candle" – I couldn't make this up if I tried. This is a _real_ name for a sexual position. The Chinese were stunningly good at naming sex in such a way that it never really sounded like sex. And yes, while we're on the subject, erotic albums also existed – sometimes legally, sometimes not so much – in China, many of them painted very beautifully. The most famous is the _Art of the Bedchamber_, which functions as a sort of a Chinese _Kama Sutra._ Don't you just love the things you learn in college?

_**Ye Olde Author's Note: July 4**__**th**__**, 2008; 10:57 PM**_

Ni-hao, minna-san!  
And might I wish everyone a very happy End of the Second Season of _FY:NC_! I thought the arrival of Hataku and the unveiling of Setsuka's past would be a nice place to switch gears and end the up-and-down ride that was season two. The third and final season will be another thirteen episodes long, and will feature even more epic battles, madcap misadventures, and of course fuzzy love-love. And speaking of love-love…

I told you things were going to get physical in this episode, didn't I? Sure, it wasn't between the characters everyone probably _wanted_, but hey, at least _someone_ in this fic finally got their groove on! (…I'm mean, aren't I?) And another curious milestone for this chapter: It's the only one where Chichiri _never_ makes an appearance. Interestingly enough, I think that at this point Tasuki is the only character who has shown up in every single episode in some way, shape or form (even in "On Enemy Ground" he appears briefly, passed out on the back of a horse). That little spotlight-stealer.

I had a lot of fun with random, subtle Chinese literary allusions in the last couple of episodes, so for the few East Asian majors out there: Setsuka being born with the gold in her hand is an allusion to _Story of the Stone _(also called _Dream of the Red Chamber_), the peony-covered pavilion that shows up twice is an allusion to _The Peony Pavilion _(where two young lovers meet outside of their parents' knowledge), and the "Dousing the Prone Candle" bit is a very roundabout sort of allusion to Li Yu's _The_ _Carnal Prayer Mat_, because that's where I first heard about it. (Have I mentioned how much I love college?) So, yes – as always, I am having far too much fun.

Switching gears slightly, but still staying in the "Hardcore Nerd" Territory – As promised, the rest of the Takkan imaginary voice cast:

**Tsuchi **– played by Ogata Megumi – best known as Yukito (Cardcaptor Sakura), Izumi (Full Moon), Eagle (Rayearth), Shinji (Evangelion), and Kurama (Yu Yu Hakusho). Because darn it, if I'm going to create a fantasy cast I may as well get every ridiculously talented seiyuu into it! (Hehe) Tsuchi talks in Ogata's typical young male voice. Very Shinji-ish, I s'pose.  
**Kaze –** played by Suzumura Kenichi – best known as Hikaru (Ouran High Host Club), Shinichirou Isumi (Hikaru no Go), Shinn Asuka (Gundam SEED), and Kamui (X TV). A newer but no less amazing seiyuu; I heard him get irritated as Hikaru in _Ouran High_ and I practically shouted out loud, "That's my Kaze!" Needless to say, I hear him in his Hikaru voice.  
**Sora **– played by Kuwashima Houko – best known as Kagura (Azumanga Daioh), Clare (Claymore), Sango (InuYasha), and Shuurei (Saiunkoku Monogatari). Kuwashima-san has a really fantastic range of voices, but when she gets into her middle range she hits me as being just perfect for Sora.  
**Taiyou & Tsuki** – So… fun story, I never gave them seiyuu. Because I don't… y'know… like them._ (sweatdrop)_ But you know who _did_ get a seiyuu? That's right…  
**Aji, the flirtatious male leader of the RAFT**! – played by Miyano Mamoru – best known as Tamaki (Ouran High Host Club), Light (Death Note), Kiba (Wolf's Rain), and Zero (VampireKnight). He's a phenomenal seiyuu, but he gets this part because Tamaki _is_ Aji, and the only real shame is that I can't sue Bisco Hatori for stealing my character (haha, I kid).

Thanks to antyem13, RK9, MagicAnimeGirl, inuphantom13, xXDraconsisXx, Ayriel, Halogazer, Ane-san, Amekoryuu, and k-girl20 for reviewing! Have I mentioned how awesome you guys are? Because seriously: you're all awesome. I'm so glad to see you all through the end of the second season, and I hope to continue hearing from you as _FY:NC_ makes its march to the finish line!

Happy Independence Day! _Tamaya! Kagiya!_ — Dee ;)


	27. Episode Twenty Seven: Crimson Tension!

_**Disclaimer**_**:** I still don't own Konan, Suzaku and all characters and seishi pertaining to them. Kiori and Ritsuka are and shall forever be mine, and that holds for all the other "originals" (you'll know 'em when they appear, trust me). Obviously the story is mine as well.

_**Rating:**_ PG-13, for moderate language and violence.

**Musical Selection: **Check it out, everyone! The new season gets **new** **opening & ending themes**: "Beautiful World" by Utada Hikaru serves as the opening, and "Jikuu Kakurenbo (Space-Time Hide & Seek)" by Bump of Chicken is your new ending theme! Excited? Oh, I know you are. :)

As far as chapter music goes: "Tsuchita Usuba Ashi (Piano Ver.)" (from _Saiunkoku_) for anything with Akai in the training rings, "Duelists" (from _Utena_) for the scene that begins "Aoi crouched into a fighter's stance," and "Sunflower" (from _Spirited Away_) for the scene by the lake. They're posted, as always, on **me blog**… so enjoy! XD

_We interrupt this witty comment to bring you a Public Service Announcement._

_There's an election coming up. Maybe you've heard about it? Hugely important decision regarding the leadership of our nation for the next four years? Something about managing a messy war, fixing a gasping economy, dealing with an energy problem, handling civil liberties? This beginning to ring any bells for you? Well if it is, and you're over 18, and you're an American, then don't forget to get your butt down to a Poll Near You on November 4th and make your voice heard! Because democracy's important! (insert cheesy grin and thumbs-up here)_

_We now return you to your regularly scheduled fanfic.  
_

* * *

**--Episode Twenty-Seven: Crimson Tension!--  
Forces Dwindle, Pressure Rises**

Keisuke sat up with a start, blinking sleepily. "Wha? Hm? We on the next chapter?"

Yui sweatdropped. "Dummy. Really, falling asleep in the middle of a chapter, and after you refused my suggestion about going to bed."

Keisuke waved a hand at her. "Hai, hai, of course Yui-sama. Your wisdom far surpasses my own. Please accept this humble apology, O Great One..."

She thwapped him over the head with the book before shoving it into his hands. "Oh, give it a rest and put that mouth of yours to better use: this chapter's yours."

oOo

The sun rose and dawn slowly became morning, yet the familiar sounds of squabbling Konan Warriors remained absent from the palace corridors.

"My, Kiori-san's late this morning, isn't she?" one doctor said to another.

"That's strange, Chichiri-sama and Tasuki-sama normally stop by in the morning to discuss the military situation," the Minister of the Left remarked to one of his pages. "I wonder where they could be?"

"Akai hasn't arrived yet?" a soldier asked a friend. "Man, I was really hoping she'd spar with me today."

"_Ara_! You _hear_ those snores?" a maid giggled to her partner. "Sounds like our lady soldier is all tuckered out, doesn't it? Well, I suppose we won't be cleaning _these_ rooms until later…"

The whispers and wonderings continued, and still the warriors slept on, oblivious to everything but their own exhaustion as they recovered from the previous long, late night. Even Hataku, usually one to rise with the sun, was still sleeping restlessly when someone knocked on his door. The former shogun briefly debated ignoring it, but when it persisted he opened his single eye halfway and grumbled towards the entryway, "Do you think you could come back later? I haven't slept much in a while."

The door opened a crack and a head of purple hair poked around the door. "Oh, I apologize for waking you. Would it be better if I came back in a few hours?"

"D-Dowager Empress!" he yelped, sitting up with a start. "Oh, no, Majesty, it's quite all right. My sincerest apologies for… I was just, that is..." He glanced down and hurriedly tucked the blankets tighter around his waist. "Would you give me a minute to put on some clothes, please?"

Houki blushed, glancing modestly away from his bare chest. "Ah, my apologies once again. I shall wait here for a moment." She closed the door quickly, hiding a smile behind her hand. _'Goodness, I never thought to see him so very flustered – at least, not within the first thirty seconds of the morning!'_

Hataku was still buttoning his overcoat when he opened the door a few moments later, composed once again. He bowed low to Houki. "Dowager Empress, it is a pleasure to see you. Might I ask why you have condescended to grace my humble self with your honorable presence this morning?" (1)

Houki stifled a chuckle. "There is no reason for such formalities, Hataku. I think a simple 'I' and 'you' shall suffice instead of all this 'humble' and 'honorable' nonsense. Besides," she added, allowing him to see her smile this time, "it takes considerably less time that way, do you not agree?"

"I… suppose that's true, Highness."

If Houki noticed his puzzled expression, she didn't let it show. "And in answer to your question, I came here to give you a tour of the palace grounds."

"A tour?" Hataku repeated.

The Empress nodded. "Seeing as how you will be staying here for a time, I thought it seemed necessary. We shall circle the central quarters, then if you would like I could guide you to the training rings – the other soldiers are usually there at this time of the day." He stared at her for a moment, almost as if he were trying to decipher a foreign language. Houki fought back another giggle as she waved a hand in front of his face. "Is that... all right with you, Hataku-san?"

He shook his head to clear it, then nodded, dipping another short bow in the process. "H-hai. It's... it's perfectly fine." He followed her down the walkway, a puzzled frown on his lips. "Ah... permission to speak freely, Dowager Empress?"

Houki sighed. She turned on him, hands on hips and lips pursed in a disapproving frown. "Now what did I say about formalities like that? As long as you do not intend to insult anyone, permission to speak freely is _always_ granted. And please, this 'Highness' this and 'Dowager Empress' that is really quite disconcerting. It is bad enough from the ministers, but when an imperial guest uses such language I must confess that I find it _very_ uncomfortable. If you must use a term of respect, then Houki-sama will do just fine."

"Hai, Dow – Houki-sama," Hataku replied, and once again Houki thought that she had flustered him a little bit. She had to admit it was a little entertaining.

"Now, what is it you wish to know?" she asked, continuing down the walkway.

The former shogun caught up with her, limping along just a step or two behind. "I just... I wanted to know why you were doing this for me. You could have easily had one of the servants or soldiers help me become acquainted with the palace."

"I suppose I could have," she agreed with a shrug, "but when it comes to new guests I prefer to spend a bit of time with them myself – it gives me a chance to meet them, you see." His eyebrows rose a little, but he didn't interrupt. "You seem like an interesting person, Hataku-san, and I would like for us to become better acquainted."

"Is that so…?" he murmured to no one in particular.

Houki chanced a glance back at him and was surprised to see him frowning down at the ground in confusion, and maybe with a little bit of skepticism. She turned her eyes forward again, biting her lip thoughtfully. _'How foolish of me. I mustn't forget what he went through with his former lady. No doubt he is used to suspecting even the tiniest gesture as a possible trap. I imagine it shall be some time before he can trust anyone in the palace, particularly me.'_ Houki straightened her chin resolutely. _'Well, I shall simply have to hurry that along as best as I can – and I certainly cannot do that by walking in silence.'_

"Hataku-san, may I ask a question?"

"'May you'?" He jerked his head up at the absurd request. "You are the Empress…" He trailed off as his eyes met her face and noticed the little smile playing on her lips. He realized with a start that she was teasing him. Hataku actually returned her smile with a faint one of his own. "Ah, point taken. Go ahead, Houki-sama."

"I was thinking about this last night, but Tasuki seemed so curious about the Elements that I decided not to ask." She paused for a moment, then spoke with careful deliberation, making sure each word was the proper one. "Hataku-san... why exactly _did_ you decide to join the army at so young an age?"

"My family needed—"

Houki nodded. "Yes, I recall that you said that before, but what I do not understand is why _you_ would be so desperate to enlist. Surely your mother – or at least your male relatives and other siblings would—"

Hataku's smile fell and he turned his head away, gazing out across the veranda and into the swaying branches of the palace gardens. "I have no living male relatives to speak of, Houki-sama, and only one sibling: a sister, eight years younger than myself. She lost her eyesight to the same illness that claimed my father. My mother had to take care of her, at least in the beginning, so… At any rate, I had to keep us alive somehow."

Houki watched him carefully, surprised to find a glimmer of protective fire in his normally expressionless eye. "You care very deeply for your family, deshou?" He nodded, gaze still focused northward, on the palace gardens and – far away – on Takkan. Houki's eyes curled upwards into a small, sad smile. _'He really is a kind person, underneath it all,'_ she thought, though she knew she could never tell him such a thing. So instead she just said, "I am sure they are quite grateful for that."

"I suppose," he agreed. "But even so, being so far away from them, I wonder sometimes if what I'm doing is the right thing."

"Defeating Setsuka would help the Takkan people, would it not?"

"Well yes, I suppose it would…"

"Then your family must surely be bursting with pride," Houki assured him. Hataku glanced at her, surprised once more by her unwarranted kindness, but by the time his eyes fell on her she had already turned away with a swish of her skirts, setting off down the walkway again. "We should be off," she announced. "There is still much for me to show you, and, if you are willing, still a great deal that I should like to tell you about life in the Konan palace."

Hataku watched her for a moment, then shook his head and followed behind, hop-skipping along to meet her pace. "I would be greatly honored to hear it."

"Yareyare! You slipped into that formal speech again, Hataku-san! This shall never do at all!"

"S-sumimasen…"

oOo

"…So he just comes in here, sits himself down and expects us to welcome him in, like he didn't used to work for that awful woman! And then, to make matters worse, we do _exactly_ what he wants!" Akai snapped across the training ring, venting her frustrations simultaneously to Aoi and to the soldier whose sword strikes she continued to block with perfect ease. "And the _others_, acting like he's totally trustworthy – pah! Trustworthy, my eye! He's nothing but a traitor!"

Aoi sweatdropped. "Um, Akai, remind me again how this guy is a traitor?"

Akai disarmed her opponent in one swift move, then whirled on her friend with her sword waving in the air. "How? _How? _He _turned on his own empire_! He's a double-dealer, Aoi-kun, a real snake in the grass, and I don't trust him one little bit."

Aoi's sweatdrop only grew bigger. "Well, Setsuka _did_ sentence him to death. I doubt I'd stay loyal to someone after that, too."

"Whose side are you on?" Akai demanded hotly, facing her next opponent and neatly sidestepping his first swipe. "You know as well as I do that a soldier is supposed to live by a code of honor and loyalty—"

"—And this man has neither," Ritsuka finished, strolling up beside Aoi and leaning against the railing. "You've told us this like _a million times_ this morning."

Tasuki followed suit, draping his arms across the wooden banister and waving a dismissive hand at the young girl. "We get th' idea already, Akai: ya don't like th' guy."

The Palace Champion took out her opponent with a quick upwards slash, whipping around to face the two newcomers. "I don't know _how_ the two of you can live with yourselves right now, voting to let that traitor into the palace!"

Tasuki rubbed at his temples. "Hataku ain't a traitor, okay? He was the one who got thrown outta the Takkan army. It ain't like he deserted 'r nothin'."

Akai shoved her wooden practice sword so tightly into its slot that she nearly broke the wall. "First of all, how do we even know if he's telling the truth? All we know is what _he's_ said, and I don't buy it for a second! Setsuka saw him as a _possible_ threat, so she just ups and orders him killed? That woman may be cruel but she's not stupid, and getting rid of the shogun is a _huge_ decision! It doesn't make any _sense_. I bet he did something to get her on his bad side. I bet he really _was_ a traitor."

"But aren't _you_ ready to sentence him to death just because he's a 'possible threat'?" Ritsuka grumbled into her palms. Akai glared at her and she spread her hands wide. "Sorry, but you don't have any evidence to back your theory up. At least Hataku's got all those nice scars and limps to prove _his_ story."

"Even if he _was_ telling the truth, I _still_ wouldn't trust him!" Akai snapped back.

"Why not?" they all asked.

"Ugh... how can you all be so oblivious?" she demanded. "That guy not only turned on the person who tried to kill him, he turned on _all of Takkan._ He's _fighting_ with us, remember? That means he'll be killing some of the very people he fought side-by-side with only a short time ago! Doesn't that seem underhanded to you?"

"Mm, you have a point there," Aoi said with a serious nod.

Tasuki held up a finger. "Actually, he never said he'd be fightin' with us – Hataku said he'd offer his skills t'help train th' soldiers. I don't remember nothin' about fightin'."

"Mm, you have a point there," Ritsuka said, mimicking Aoi's nod perfectly. She grinned, patting the younger girl on the head. "See? No grudges necessary. He's not fighting, he's not killing old allies, so there's no problem. Right?" Akai growled beneath the patting hand and Ritsuka cocked her head to the side. "Wrong?"

"He's still _helping _us!" she spat, whipping her head up to stare a challenge into the other woman's eyes. "He's still helping us bring down his allies and defeat his nation – the same allies that he swore to die with, and the same nation that he swore to protect with his life! A warrior lives by a code of service and loyalty! _Service and loyalty_, Ritsuka-san!"

Aoi stepped up behind her, holding up his hands in a peace offering. "Akai, please calm down..."

She whirled to face Aoi, grabbing him by the shirt collar and shaking him back and forth. "Calm down? Calm _down_! How can I possibly calm down when there's a slimy Takkan traitor running loose in the palace! Isn't it just absolutely _disgraceful_?"

"I-i-i-f I a-a-a-gre-e-e-e with you-u-u-u, w-will you ple-e-e-ease stop stra-a-angling me-e-e?"

Akai looked down at her hands, still gripped around his collar, and blushed. "Oh. Oops." She released her hold, clapping her hands to her mouth as the blue-faced Aoi promptly slid to the ground. "Ah! Gomen, Aoi-kun! Daijoubu?"

"Fine... in moment... thanks for worrying..."

Ritsuka shook her head at Akai's behavior, but stopped short when she caught sight of a familiar figure out of the corner of her eye. She glanced to her left just in time to see Kiori turn the corner, her eyes on the ground and her lips pressed together in a puzzled frown. She sighed, setting her hands to her hips and shaking her head once more. "Oh, boy. Five mon says Chichiri gave her the cold shoulder again."

"Huh?" Tasuki followed her gaze. "Chichiri's been givin' her th' cold shoulder?"

"Well, not _intentionally_, but, uh..." She trailed off as Kiori drew closer. Ritsuka forced on a wide grin. "Gooood morning, sunshine! And my, aren't you looking cheerful on this fine day!"

Kiori leaned against the wooden railing that lined the ring, her eyes still turned to the ground. "Ohayou, Ritsuka, everyone."

"What happened t'you?" Tasuki asked. "Y'look like yer thinkin' some pretty deep thoughts over there."

"Hmph!" Akai sniffed, leaning against the railing from the other side. "I bet she's as disgusted by what happened last night as I am." Her fellow fighters couldn't help but sweatdrop again.

The brunette sighed, waving a dismissive hand at the others. "Oh, it's nothing you guys need to worry about. I just... well, it's not really important. Forget it."

Ritsuka rolled her eyes. "Not really important, she says as she brings on the rain." She glared at Kiori, drawing in until she was nearly nose to nose with her friend. "Spill it, Kiori!"

"Ritsuka, it's not—"

"My ass, now let's hear the story, or I'll run through the palace screaming, 'Kiori loves Chichiri' – not that everyone doesn't know that already."

The corner of Kiori's mouth just barely managed a sarcastic smile. "You always know just how to talk a person into something, don't you?" She sighed again. "Oh, it's so stupid. I don't even know why it's bothering me… But see, after breakfast this morning, I was heading down to the pond. Chichiri and I were going the same way, and I asked him what he was up to this afternoon. He was really vague about his answer, but when I asked him if it was anything I could help out with, he sort of, er..."

"_Noit'sfinejustsomeworkfortheEmpresswellI'llseeyoulaternoda!"_

Little blue lines appeared under Kiori's eyes. "Mumbled something totally incoherent and ran off."

Ritsuka gritted her teeth. "He _ditched_ you?"

"I wouldn't call it that..."

"Then what would you call it, Little Miss I-Love-Him-He-Can-Do-No-Wrong?"

Kiori flushed, whirling on her friend. "You know that isn't true!" The two stared one another down for a moment, but before long Kiori closed her eyes and pressed her fingers to the bridge of her nose. "Oh, fine. He ditched me. But you know, it doesn't even upset me so much as it just _confuses_ me. I can't figure out why he'd do something like that."

Ritsuka cracked her knuckles, and the others could have sworn they saw miniature fires burning in her eyes. "Don't you worry Kiori, I'll soon have the answer beaten out of him – I just gotta find him first!"

The redhead jogged three joyful steps away before Kiori threw herself atop the other woman, tackling her to the ground. "RITSUKA! He only _just _got all healed up from his battle with Taiyou – I don't want you putting him back in a sling because of something silly like this!" She paused again, setting a finger to her chin. "Well, maybe you can rough him up, but just a little bit..."

"Woohoo! One Ritsuka Special, coming right up!"

Tasuki sighed, bringing down both fists and bonking the two girls on the head. "Calm down, th' both of ya." He stood in front of them, blocking Ritsuka's escape route. "Look, I know 'Chiri better'n you, an' I know he wouldn't jus' go runnin' off without a good reason." The other redhead glared at him, unrelenting, and he found himself mirroring Kiori as he pressed thumb and forefinger to the bridge of his nose. "Ah fer th' love of… Fine! I'll get involved in yer stupid girl-stuff an' talk to him later t'day, all right? Will _that_ satisfy th' both of ya?"

"Arigatou, Tasuki," Kiori said with a smile, scrambling off of her redheaded friend. "But all joking aside, I'd rather handle this myself. I appreciate _both_ of your offers, but if I have a problem then I should be the one to take care of it."

"That's real mature of you, I'm sure, but..." Ritsuka punched her fist into her open palm. "Do I still get to knock him around?" Kiori shook her head and her friend snapped her fingers. "Damn! I was kinda excited about beating up on someone other than Tasuki-chan."

Akai frowned. "This has to be some kind of misunderstanding. Chichiri-sama is a seishi. He would never act so rudely to anyone."

"What's that got to do with anything? Tasuki's a seishi and he's about as rude as they get," Ritsuka remarked. The bandit growled, whacking her over the head with a chibi fist. "See what I mean? Violent, grumpy, totally immature... some role-model _he_ is."

Akai smothered a laugh. "Oh Ritsuka-san, Tasuki-sama only acts that way with you because he likes you, and I personally think that's a little sweet—"

Tasuki spluttered. "Because I WHAT?" Ritsuka fluttered her eyelashes teasingly at him. The seishi choked and face-vaulted.

"—But for Chichiri-sama to simply run off on Kiori-san?" Akai finished. "I can't believe he'd do that."

"Who would do what, Akai?"

The four Konan Warriors turned at the sound of the Empress' voice. A slightly winded, smiling Houki walked up to them a moment later, the former Takkan shogun limping along just a step or two behind her. Akai bowed to the Empress, but never even glanced at her companion. Kiori, Ritsuka, Tasuki, and Aoi all smiled at the pair.

"Ohayou gozaimasu Houki-sama, Hataku-san," Kiori said, meeting her patient's gaze. "Hataku-san, feeling better today?"

He managed a small smile. "Very much so, thank you... Kiori-san, wasn't it?" She nodded. "Konan's medicines really are as excellent as the stories say."

"I'm glad to hear I didn't screw anything up."

Tasuki looked over his shoulder at the glowering Palace Champion. "Oi Akai, ain't'cha gonna say 'hello' or somethin'?"

She growled low in her throat, then grumbled into the floor, "'Morning, Houki-sama. 'Morning, traitor."

Hataku's eye narrowed. "Excuse me?"

"I _said_—"

"Ah, Akai," Houki said, stepping between the two with a nervous little smile, "just as I was entering the facilities I heard you say that you could not believe something. Are there troubles among the Konan Warriors?"

"Not really," Kiori assured her. "It's just some stupid thing between Chichiri and me."

The Empress nodded seriously. "Ah, I see. A lover's spat, is it?"

Kiori face-vaulted. "I wouldn't call it that exactly!"

"He ditched her, Houki-sama," Ritsuka explained. "Kiori was only trying to be friendly, and he just up and ran off on her." She jumped forward, cupping the Empress' hands hopefully. "Don't you think it's _despicable_, Houki-sama? Don't you think he should be _punished_, Houki-sama?"

"Ah…"

"But it has to be a mistake of some kind!" Akai interjected, shoving Ritsuka out of the way. "I just don't see how Chichiri-sama, a noble _seishi_, could ever do something like that."

"He's human, isn't he? Surely he isn't perfect," Hataku muttered out of the corner of his mouth.

Akai's neck snapped around so she could glare at him. "Of course he isn't _perfect_, but seishi are on a much higher level than you or me – _especially _you, Hataku." The lack of a suffix was not missed by Hataku, who felt his eyebrow twitch irritably, nor by the other Warriors, who all blushed at their companions' disrespectful behavior. "They live by a code of loyalty, honor and chivalry – not that _you_ would understand any of that."

"Akai!" Houki cried, stepping between the girl and her enemy. "I understand that you are not fond of Hataku-san, but regardless of your personal feelings he is a _guest_ in our _home_, and I will not tolerate such rude behavior to an imperial visitor, _particularly_ from my Palace Champion!"

She hung her head, feeling her cheeks flush with embarrassment. "H-hai, Houki-sama."

The Empress turned to her guest, a slight blush present on her own pale cheeks. "I apologize for her behavior."

He shrugged. "It's really not a problem, Houki-sama. If I allowed childish insults to bother me, I doubt I would've lasted as the shogun of Takkan for as long as I did." Akai glowered at him over Houki's shoulder for the 'childish insults' remark, but he just stared right back at her and added, expressionless as usual, "I apologize for my own comments as well. I didn't mean to offend. It's simply that hero-worshippers have always irritated me."

Akai spluttered, but quickly masked her fury when Houki turned to her again, a strained smile on her face. "I have some business to attend to, so I would like very much for you and the others to give Hataku-san a tour of the training facilities. I expect that you will be a proper hostess, Akai?"

"But I…" Akai trailed off under her Empress' no-nonsense stare. "H-hai, Houki-sama."

The Empress gathered up her skirts and turned to leave. She nodded to Ritsuka and Tasuki as she passed them. "Do _try_ to keep them from killing each other, please?"

The two redheads smiled winningly. "Our pleasure, Houki-sama!" they cried as one, but as soon as she disappeared around the corner their smiles dropped and their shoulders slumped. Ritsuka set her hands to her hips, scowling after the Empress. "Damn, so what are we? Hall monitors or something?"

Tasuki glanced at Akai, who had promptly gone back to glaring daggers at Hataku. The shogun, for his part, gazed right back at her, cool and calm and never once blanching even as the young soldier attempted to banish him with her eyes alone. He sighed. "Y'know, keepin' th' peace doesn't sound _nearly_ as entertainin' as watching _this_ pair-a iron wills go at it." His eyes snaked back to Ritsuka. "So, if there _is_ a fight..."

"I won't tell if you won't."

"Deal!"

Akai whirled, snapping her fingers and pointing off towards the soldier barracks. She marched off at a breakneck pace, and Hataku was hard-pressed to keep up. Kiori shook her head at the display. "Something tells me sticking around here is a migraine waiting to happen," she drawled, throwing her medicine bag over one shoulder. "I'm off to help Yukeda-sensei. I guess I'll swing by Chichiri's room after that. Where will you guys be?"

She sweatdropped, watching as both seishi and woman took seats in the ring, Ritsuka pulling a box of popcorn and a cup of soda out of thin air. "Where else? Here, watching the show."

"We'll see ya around dinner," Tasuki mumbled around a mouthful of popcorn. "Knock 'em dead, Akai!"

Kiori face-vaulted.

oOo

"... And these are the archery rings," Akai said in a monotone, waving a hand towards the soldiers setting arrows to bows. She kept her back to the former shogun, not even turning to look at him as she crossed her arms over her chest and nodded to an open archway in the side of the building. "And there you have it, the full tour. Look around, try your hand at some weapons, whatever. I'm going back to work on my swordsmanship."

Hataku watched the soldiers with a critical eye, wrinkling his nose at their lack of discipline and – in some cases – downright poor archery skills. "Not much to them, is there?"

"Excuse me?" Akai growled.

He nodded towards a group of archers, all of whom seemed too busy trading jokes with Tasuki and Ritsuka to pay much attention to their training. "They don't seem to take this very seriously. Look at them, playing around in the middle of a war. It's bad enough when an experienced army does that," he paused to nod to the faraway targets, where the majority of the arrows had fallen far outside of the bulls-eye, "but it's far worse when a _bad_ army does that."

The Palace Champion wilted a little under his assessment. "I… suppose you're right."

"It's a good thing I came along when I did," he remarked more to himself than to her. "Where is your shogun, by the way?"

"Er, Ran-shogun's not very experienced himself, and he has to sit in on a lot of meetings, so…"

Hataku tightened his lips disapprovingly but didn't let her reply discourage him. "Well, then who _leads_ these men? I'd like to have a word with him about his training program."

"We don't really _have_ a leader." Akai looked to her feet, feeling a lump sneak up into her throat. "Not anymore, anyway."

"It's a good thing you fired him – he obviously didn't know what he was doing."

Akai's thin tolerance finally snapped and she whirled on the former shogun, jabbing a finger at him. "What would you know, huh? Koji-san knew exactly what he was doing, and he was wonderful at it!" Her voice quivered with pent-up emotion as she jammed her finger even harder into his chest. "But before he had a chance to make any real progress with the men, one of _your Lady's_ Elements killed him!"

Hataku's face softened. He held up his hands, taking a step away from the furious warrior. "I'm sorry, Akai-kun," he said quietly. "I had no idea."

"Then you shouldn't just assume that you do!" she snapped back, jerking her hand away and crossing her arms back over her chest. "Idiot."

If Hataku had been planning to make peace with the young warrior, all those plans vanished after her insult. "Look, I _am_ sorry about the misunderstanding, and I sympathize with your loss, but how was I supposed to know? News about Konan casualties doesn't reach the Takkan peasant class. It isn't really my fault."

"Can't you take responsibility for any of your actions?" Akai demanded. She shook her head, answering her own question. "No, of course not! After all, in the end you're just a traitor and nothing more, you, you..." And out came the finger again, pointing at his face as if she hoped to strike him down with hatred alone. "You scumbag!"

Hataku sweatdropped. "Was that supposed to hurt my feelings? I've been called worse names by my subordinates."

"I'm not surprised," she shot back. "A cowardly traitor who can't even admit when he's wrong? If _I_ had to work under someone like that, _I'd_ be insulting them, too!"

"Cowardly?" he repeated, and Akai smirked when she saw his eye narrow just slightly.

"Oh, of course!" she said with a sharp nod. "Don't think I didn't see you! When we used to fight you, you'd always stand in the background, just out of arrow range."

"Don't you know _anything_ about war?" he retorted. "A shogun is _supposed_ to stay out of the front lines – if he gets shot, then who's going to issue orders?"

"A likely story!" Akai scoffed. "I bet you don't even know how to _hold_ a sword, much less use one!"

Although none of the three spectators of the exchange could sense life forces, they all instinctively winced when Hataku whirled on Akai, every muscle in his body tightening as he did. Aoi shivered as a palpable chill crept upon them, seeming to emanate straight from the outraged shogun. Ritsuka and Tasuki exchanged looks, both raising they eyebrows in understanding and surprise.

"Oo, I think she struck a ner-r-rve," Ritsuka half-sang. "Looks like there might be a swordfight."

"With Hataku as beat up as he is, I'm puttin' five mon on Akai," Tasuki announced. "Any takers?"

Aoi frowned. "I don't really want them to fight at_ all_, to be honest…"

"Very noble, Aoi-kun. What about you, Red?"

"Make it ten and I'm in."

As the pair haggled over betting odds, Hataku glared down at the Palace Champion. Akai quailed under the intimidating gaze, but held her ground, turning her chin up in defiance. When Hataku finally spoke, it was through gritted teeth. "I was training with a sword before you were born. While you were learning how to walk, I was killing my first opponent. You can make as many petty remarks about me as you like, Akai-kun, but I will_ not_ stand here and allow a _child_ to insult my abilities as a swordsman."

Akai's eyes blazed as soon as the word 'child' left his lips. "If you're so confident, then why don't you prove it?"

"Fine. Point out my opponent."

She whirled on the ball of her foot, marching to the nearby fencing ring and explaining as she went. "You'll be fighting the best swordsman in the army. If you're really as good as you think you are, then that shouldn't be a problem."

"Fair enough. Who is it?"

Akai snatched a blunt-tipped sword from the wall, eyes flashing dangerously as she leveled the weapon at Hataku. "Me."

"You?" She nodded once. The former shogun blinked a few times, cocking an incredulous eyebrow at the girl. _'It's hard to believe that _this_ is the best in the Konan military,'_ he thought. _'However she _is_ a Konan Warrior, which must count for something. She holds the weapon like she knows how to use it. I suppose it won't hurt to accept her challenge.'_ He mirrored her nod. "All right, then – but I have to tell you, I'd prefer _not_ to fight a child."

"That's good then, because _I'm_ no child," Akai assured him. She stepped into the ring, nodding towards the other weapons. "Take your pick, and hurry up about it. I'm in a hurry to embarrass you."

The former shogun ignored her snide comment and turned his attention to the wall of wooden practice swords. His gaze trailed from one to another before he reached forward and retrieved a long broadsword. He didn't even have to test any of the others, but merely nodded once and limped into the training ring, holding the weapon relaxed at his side as if he were carrying a sheathed sword. Akai noted all of his practiced movements and narrowed her eyes, regarding him with a shade more respect than before. But before she could offer a sarcastic compliment – or a veiled insult – the three spectators chimed in:

"Give me an 'Ah'!" Ritsuka chanted.

"Ah!" Tasuki and Aoi shouted back.

"Give me a 'Ka'!' she continued.

"Ka!" they echoed.

"Give me an 'I'!"

"I!"

"What's that spell?"

"AKAI!"

They all erupted into screams and hollers, and Ritsuka even waved a little pendant with Akai's picture on it.

Hataku sweatdropped. "You have a fan squad?"

Akai couldn't help but sweatdrop as well. "Guess so." She turned back to Hataku, readying her sword. "Tasuki-sama, would you mind calling the beginning of this match?"

The seishi obliged, and Akai launched herself at her opponent with a snarl. Hataku didn't even bat an eye, but instead took one hop-skip step to the side and slid his own sword forward. Akai's lunge went sliding past him, her wooden blade scratching against his own until the hilts locked against each other. Hataku took another small step to the side, wedging his sword hilt under her own. He twisted. She squeaked. And, before either could so much as blink, Hataku's sword was at Akai's neck, and Akai's sword was on the ground, and all the Palace Champion could do was stare down the wooden blade at the man who had disarmed her in a single move.

The wind rattled around the training ring, sweeping up the dust and ruffling the hair of the two opponents. Akai's eyes widened. Hataku's lips twitched in the tiniest hint of a confident smirk. And, from the sidelines, three mouths dropped to the ground.

"Akai… lost?" Aoi whispered. "But – but Akai _doesn't_ lose..."

Tasuki shook his head to clear his own surprise, shouting dazedly across the ring, "Oh, yeah, match over! Hataku… uh, Hataku wins."

The former shogun lowered his weapon, and the confident twitch at the corner of his mouth turned into a small smile. "Your technique is exceptional, especially considering your age. In a few years you'll be as good as most swordsmen who spend their entire lives training." He turned away from the young soldier and limped to the wall, setting his practice sword back into its slot. "That trick I used was a simple disarming maneuver I developed a few years ago. I can teach it to you, and show you how to counter it as well, if you'd like..."

Hataku glanced over his shoulder and trailed off. Akai was standing stock still at the center of the ring, literally quivering with rage as she glared back at the former shogun. She spluttered for several seconds, at a total loss for words, and then finally squared her feet and spat, "I wouldn't accept training from you if you were the last man on earth!"

Aoi jumped up from his spot on the sidelines, hastening to his friend's side. "Hey, Akai, relax okay? He's been doing this a lot longer than you have, so it's no big deal that you lost..."

"I didn't lose because he was better!" she snapped. "I lost because he used a dirty trick!" She turned her back on the former shogun. "Not that I should have expected any less from _you_!"

Hataku frowned, but didn't lose his temper again. "It isn't a dirty trick; it's a skill that could one day save your life. And nobody's forcing you to learn anything from me."

"Good!" Akai crossed her arms over her chest, keeping her back turned as she stuck her nose into the air. "I don't think you'll be getting many students anyway."

"Um, Akai?" Aoi said quietly.

"Nobody would _ever_ trust a traitor."

"Akai?"

"Especially one that came from the very land we're _fighting_, no less."

"Akai?"

Her hands snapped back down to her sides. "Oh, what _is it_, Aoi-kun?"

He pointed back over her shoulder. Akai turned – and thought she felt her heart stop in her chest. There, right before her disbelieving eyes, Tasuki and Ritsuka stood poised before Hataku, their faces flushed and their eyes aglow.

"I've never seen _anyone_ beat Akai before! You must be the real deal!" Ritsuka gushed.

Tasuki clenched a fist. "I gotta learn that strike, an' every other one ya know! If Setsuka's as powerful as ya say she is, then I'm gonna need t'know every trick in th' book if I wanna take her down!"

The two bowed low, clapping their hands above their heads. "Shishou, teach us everything you know!" (2)

Akai face-vaulted, twin streams of tears trailing from her chibi eyes. "I can't _believe_ those two!" Aoi opened his mouth to make peace, but before he could get out so much as a single word Akai sprang to her feet again, flying over to the pair and pointing her favorite accusing finger at the both of them. "How can you _live_ with yourselves?"

Ritsuka rubbed the back of her head. "Well, if I ever get back to my world, it'd be an awful lot easier to win kendo trophies if I learned some moves like that one..."

Tasuki held up his hands. "Akai, I do understand where yer comin' from, really I do, but right now my number one priority is t'get revenge fer Koji, so..."

"Please forgive us but we're too weak to resist!"

Akai hung her head, and darkness itself seemed to emanate from her slim form. Aoi watched as the former shogun held up Ritsuka's practice sword, demonstrating the simple sword trick. He patted his friend comfortingly on the back. "You really can't blame them, Akai. He _does_ know what he's doing, and that maneuver didn't seem like a cheater's trick to me."

"You too, huh, Aoi-kun?" Akai sighed, turning away from him and dragging her feet towards the edge of the ring. Darkness trailed behind her like a cloak of dejection. "You know what? It's really… stuffy in here. Yeah. Stuffy. I'm going to go get some air. I'll be back later... after _he's_ left, so... I'll see you… later…"

"Akai, wait, I—"

"Let her go, Aoi-kun." The young fighter felt a hand clap down on his shoulder. He glanced up, looking into a pair of golden eyes. "I like Akai as much as you do – well, maybe not as much as _you_ do," Aoi blushed, "but right now I don't think there's much we c'n do fer her, y'know? She'll get used ta Hataku eventually. She's just bein' stubborn right now." He grinned a little. "Reminds me of me, in a way. Did I ever tell you how Tama 'n' me met?"

Aoi shook his head. "No you didn't, Tasuki-sama, but I'd love to hear about it whenever you have time."

Tasuki chuckled, surprised to find that he was actually enjoying himself. It was one of the few times he had since Koji's death. "Why not now? Red's got th' first lesson with th' new 'Shishou' anyway."

oOo

"B-but Setsuka-sama said—"

"_Bugger_ Setsuka's orders! Attackin' now isn't gonna get us anywhere! What we gotta do is sit down and lay siege on that city! Starve 'em out, I say!"

"Starve 'em out? Huh! We're likely to starve _ourselves_ out first! Or haven't you noticed the way the rice rations're gettin' smaller 'n' smaller?"

"So we just batter ourselves against those damned walls agin and agin 'till all th' men get tired of dyin' an' desert?"

"N-now listen here, I'm the shogun, and Setsuka-sama _said_—"

"We got ourselves a neverendin' echo in this room, don't we, boys? Oi, Furosaki, where th' hell're you off to?"

The young captain glanced over his shoulder at the squabbling military leaders, rubbing bashfully at his nose. "Well, I'm not very experienced with this sort of thing, being such a young officer and all, so I thought that I would check to make sure everyone was performing their daily duties. I'd hate to see the other men slacking off while you are all working so tirelessly in here."

Shogun Kawahito nodded, trying to sound officious. "Er, er, good thinkin', Furosaki! See, now _there's_ a taii worth his weight, unlike you clods!"

"Clods, eh?" Asakawa snapped back. "Hey Furosaki, who d'you think is right here? Me, or Bakahito-shogun?"

"Bakahito…!"

"Ah, well, you see… the both of you, I think…" The room erupted into argument again, and Furosaki Yuki took the moment to slip out of the doors of Kawahito's tent, shaking his head sadly. "…are complete fools," he muttered, completing his thought from before. "If we attack, the men grow disheartened. If we lay siege, the men grow hungry. The only _real_ solution is to raise the white flag and march ourselves back to Takkan, and let Setsuka and her pets fight their stupid war." He sighed, raising both eyes and palms to the sky in a gesture of helplessness. "Not that anyone would listen to _me_, of course. After all, I'm just—"

"Goin' crazy, judgin' by all that mutterin' you're doin'!"

Yuki's eyes slid towards a nearby cluster of trees. "Or perhaps I was merely complaining to my hidden companion. Honestly, I could hear you from a mile away. You really don't know how to do _anything_ quietly, do you, Tori-kun?"

The mousy-haired head of the Takkan army's most impudent soldier poked out from behind a tree, scowling at his superior. "Bah, whadda you know 'bout trackin' anyway? Yer too busy shovin' yer nose up Kawahito-shogun's bum ta learn nothin' 'bout – yowch!"

Yuki released his hold on his friend's ear so that he could use it to pinch the bridge of his nose. "Charming as usual, Tori-kun. Regardless, I'm glad you're here. I wanted you to relay a message to our other brothers – and sister – in arms, if you wouldn't mind."

"I think I c'n manage somethin' like _that_. What's up?"

The young taii smiled slightly. "Tell them that, if the situation gets any worse, we may find ourselves back home soon. I'm tired of starving myself for a cause I don't even believe in."

Tori's face lit up. "Home, Yuki – er, Taii-sama?"

He smiled and winked, setting a finger to his lips. "Not a word to anyone outside of the alliance, mind you. I'm not interested in being beheaded – can you _imagine_ what my aniki would say to that?"

"Prob'ly somethin' long-winded an' flowery. Ramblin' runs in yer family, doncha kno – ow!"

oOo

Kiori stood outside of Chichiri's door, one hand on the kesa-sash at her waist and the other on her hip. _'Oh…'_ She gritted her teeth and grabbed her head in her hands. _'Why does this have to be so _difficult_? All I have to do is knock, and then he'll answer, and then I'll shake my fist and at him demand an apology.' _She sighed, dropping her hands back down to her sides. _'Yeah, right. Ritsuka hasn't rubbed off on me _that _much. I'll probably end up apologizing _myself_. Plus what if he's doing something important, and I interrupt him, and…'_

Her fingers curled into fists. "Stop thinking, Kiori. What's the worst that can happen? He gets mad? Ha! I should be the one who's mad at him!"She sweatdropped. _'Great. I'm talking to myself, and I sound like Ritsuka. Oh, this is so…' _Yet even as she scolded herself, one of her hands reached out slowly and rapped against the door, timidly at first, and then with more force. "Chichiri? Can I talk to you please?"She frowned as silence greeted her. "Chichiri, c'mon. Look, I'm not mad at you about this morning, okay?" _'Not too much, anyway,'_ she added privately.

And still there was no response

'_Okay, now I'm just worried,'_ she thought, biting at her lip. _'He's not the type to flat-out _ignore_ someone.'_ Kiori set her hand to the door handle. "Chichiri? I'm coming in, okay?"

She opened the door, peering into the dim room. "Chi—" she stopped short as her eyes caught sight of a figure curled up in the middle of the floor atop the familiar blue-and-white kesa. She breathed a short sigh of relief. "Mattaku! Here I am getting all worked up, and _he's_ taking a nap. Well, he probably wouldn't want to sleep on the job, so…" She knelt beside him and tugged on his sleeve. "Chichiri? Hey, Chichiri, wake up, okay?"

After a moment he stirred, and slowly turned his head up to meet her gaze. "Kiori?"

She nodded. Her eyebrows bunched together for a moment, as if she were attempting to be as angry as she'd intended, but she gave up almost as soon as she began. "Yeah, it's me. I was walking by and thought I might see what you were up to. You were asleep, and I thought…"

He sat up, smoothing out his bangs and glancing around the room. "Oh, that's right. I was working on the barrier no da. After I finished up I was a little worn out, so I thought I'd rest up for the afternoon."

"You were finished?" He nodded and Kiori blushed. "Oops. I figured you drifted off halfway through your work. That's why I woke you up. Gomen." _'And there's my apology, right on cue,' _she thought with an inner sigh, and it actually made her a little irritated this time. "So is that why you ran off this morning?"

"Mm. I wanted to finish before the afternoon, so I was in a hurry no da."

Her shoulders rose and fell in a sigh. "Mattaku! Is that all? You could've just _told_ me. I thought you were running off on a date with a hot courtesan or something."

He smiled weakly, raising his hands in defense. "S-sonna koto ja nai na no da! It's just…" He frowned, rubbing at his nose. "I knew if I told you then you'd want to help out, and you already had a lot of work to do this morning no da. I was able to do it on my own, so I did."

Kiori returned his weak smile with a cheerful one. "If _that's_ what you were thinking, then you didn't need to worry. I _like_ spending time with you, Chichiri, and helping to build a barrier is a pretty constructive way to do it, don't you think?"

He nodded, but glanced away when he did it. "That's true, it's just… well, last night you told me that I'd been distant recently no da." _'And I _have_ been,'_ he added silently. "So it didn't seem fair for me to ask something of _you_."

Kiori frowned. "When you say it like that, it sounds like we're a pair of corporations trading with each other."

"Eh?"

"Talking about what's fair and what isn't. You act like there's an IOU on things we do for each other," she explained. "But when it comes to the people you care about, you don't have to keep an account, you know." He blinked, eyebrows curling together in a look that was halfway puzzled and halfway admiring, but before he could say anything she tilted her head to the side, grinning in embarrassment. "Or something like that! Ritsuka yelled at me about that when we met. I guess it stuck with me."

Chichiri's face relaxed into a smile. "Sometimes Ritsuka's surprisingly wise no da. At any rate, I _am_ sorry if I was rude this morning. I didn't mean to be no da."

"Oh, it's fine. I was sort of mad at first, but it wound up just being a misunderstanding."

That wasn't the whole truth, and Chichiri knew it, but it seemed simpler to make peace than to try to explain the whole mess. "Even so, do you mind if I make it up to you no da?"

"Make it up to me?"

"Mm." He patted his stomach. "I'm starved no da! Why don't I pick us up something from the kitchens and we eat lunch out by the pond?"

Kiori jumped back, pressing a dramatic hand to her mouth. "Chichiri, do you mean to say you're ditching your hot courtesan girl for _me_?" He stared at her blankly and Kiori had to fight to hide her laughter behind her hand. "Sorry – I couldn't resist." He chuckled along with her, though his seemed considerably more confused, and Kiori didn't miss the way a tiny hint of a blush crept onto his cheeks. "But yes, I'd love to. I'll meet you there, okay? And afterwards, if you're not busy, d'you think you can help me get some stuff for Yukeda-sensei? I don't know all the names of the plants and herbs around here quite yet."

Chichiri nodded, wishing the blush that had seeped through his mask would hurry up and disappear. "Sure. No problem at all no da."

oOo

Mizu stepped into her lady's chamber, though with a bit more reluctance than usual. Even so, she bowed as custom demanded, and managed to keep her voice respectfully void of emotion as she greeted Setsuka with a quiet, "Kon'nichi wa, my Lady."

The Lady of Takkan offered her Element a small, vicious smile. "Mizu-chan, please have a seat."

She did as she was told. "What is it you'd like from me, Setsuka-sama?"

Setsuka fingered the red gem around her neck, almost as if debating with her own malicious desires. After a moment, though, her smile widened and she said, "Please go to the Konan Palace, and find the rogue Element Kaji, if you would."

Mizu's crystals hummed at her sides as she wrinkled her brow, concentrating hard. "Houjun – I mean, Chichiri must have put the barrier back up, Setsuka-sama. It's a lot harder breaking through... Just give me a minute, please..."

oOo

Hataku wiped a line of sweat from his forehead, waving away Ritsuka and Tasuki as they trotted after him towards the sidelines. "No, stay where you are. I've been going nonstop since this morning. I need to take a break." He slipped his practice sword back into its slot on the wall. "I suggest you both do the same. Rest up and get yourselves something to eat. I'll come back around the Hour of the Monkey – if you want, I can show you a few more techniques before dinner." (3)

"Hai, Shishou!" Ritsuka cried, and for a moment both Hataku and Tasuki could've sworn they saw a little puppy tail wag cheerfully behind her. Hataku shook his head at her behavior and disappeared from the training ring. After he had left, Ritsuka turned back to Tasuki. "You know, he's kind of grumpy, but he really isn't such a bad guy once you get to know him. He even has something resembling a sense of humor, though it's about as dry as the Sahara Desert."

The seishi nodded. "Too bad Akai didn't stick around. Oh well, guess there's always t'morrow." He nodded towards the young soldier standing on the sideline. "Oi, Aoi-kun, how 'bout a quick match b'fore we get outta here, na? I ain't ready t'eat just yet."

oOo

Mizu broke through just as Hataku departed. The Lady of Takkan watched as Tasuki squared off against Aoi. She chuckled to herself, pinching the red gem between her fingers. "I reached him during a sparring match? This will be even more entertaining than I thought."

oOo

Aoi crouched into a fighter's stance. "Okay Tasuki-sama, but please take it easy on me. I haven't learned as many of those new tricks just yet."

"Fine, fine, no new tricks," he agreed with a smile. "Just promise the same..." Tasuki trailed off and frowned, surprised to find himself a little irritated at the boy's request. _'Ain't got no reason t'be annoyed with him… though it _is_ kinda cheap that he's makin' me go easy on him…'_

"Tasuki-sama? You okay?"

He shook his head, almost forcing a smile as he looked back up at Aoi. "I'm fine," he said, and both Aoi and Ritsuka blinked at the harsh edge in his voice. "We gonna fight or what?"

The young soldier brushed away his friend's tone and tossed him a teasing grin. "Only if you aren't afraid of getting beaten."

"I ain't afraid of nobody!" he barked right back. "Let's do this!"

Tasuki lunged at Aoi with a ferocity he usually reserved for a life-and-death fight, and the boy was hard-pressed to defend himself. Aoi backed out of the ring as the sword strikes hailed down on him, just barely managing to bring up his own blade to block the flurry of attacks. "Tasuki-sama," he hissed through gritted teeth, wincing as the seishi's blade sent shockwaves up his arms, "please – calm down – okay?"

"Just shut up and fight," he growled back.

"Take it easy, Tasuki-chan! It isn't a _real_ battle after all!" Ritsuka called from the sidelines.

"You shut up, too!" he snarled. "How'm I s'posed to beat Setsuka if I hold back durin' trainin'?"

He struck down hard, and Aoi only just managed to block this one, eyes widening as he felt his feet begin to slide out from beneath him. "Tasuki…sama...!"

"Would you fight back already?"

Ritsuka bit her lip and raced across the ring, reaching forward to grab at Tasuki's arm. "Tasuki-chan!" she snapped, bracing her feet as she attempted to drag him away from the struggling boy. "You're freaking out over nothing! The match is over, okay? So just chill out and take a break already!"

He shook her off, turning around just long enough to snap, "Would you leave me alone already? Dammit, Red, yer such a little pest sometimes!"

Ritsuka's eyes widened at his words, and she fumbled, losing her grip on his sleeve. He whipped around to face Aoi, and for one terrible second she could do nothing but stare at his back – and wonder why it felt like the back of a stranger. _'It's like last night all over again,'_ she thought with rising horror, taking a tiny step away from the person who had replaced her friend. _'He really _is_ losing it...'_

The seishi raised his sword again and Ritsuka sprang back into action. Without even thinking she tensed and sprung, ducking under Tasuki's arm and pivoting around so that she stood spread between Tasuki and Aoi. "Stop acting like an idiot, Tasuki-chan!"

Tasuki's eyes widened as Ritsuka jumped in front of his swinging sword. He hissed and stiffened his arms, but couldn't stop the momentum of his blade, and the wooden weapon crashed into Ritsuka's shoulder with an audible _whump!_

oOo

Setsuka released the red gem and clapped her hands together. "Look at that! This is about to get interesting, Mizu-chan!"

The young girl shuddered and looked away, biting hard at her lip. _'Oh, I hate this. Tasuki-san, please figure out what she's doing to you, and soon!'_

oOo

Tasuki froze, breathing hard. His wide eyes flicked to Ritsuka's shoulder, to his sword, over to Aoi – who didn't look so much afraid as just confused – and finally to Ritsuka's shoulder again. "Wha...?" The practice sword dropped from his nerveless hands with a clatter. "What... what'd I...?"

Ritsuka's eyes flashed hurt for only a fraction of a second, then her eyebrows pulled together and she drew her teeth back in a furious snarl. She brought her uninjured arm up hard, whipping the back of her hand across the seishi's cheek. "What do you _think_ you've done, huh? Completely gone nuts, that's what! Dammit, first Chichiri, now you! What the hell is this, Seishi PMS?"

Tasuki's trembling fingers brushed against his cheek, though his baffled gaze never once left hers. "Red... I don't..."

"You're such an asshole sometimes, you know that?" she snapped, surprised to find hot tears at the corners of her eyes. "It makes me wonder why I even..." Ritsuka clapped her free hand to her aching shoulder and whirled, turning her back on both seishi and soldier as she sprinted for the nearest exit. "Ugh, _men_! They're nothing but jerks! Koji was the only one who ever had any class around here... Ugh!"

Tasuki watched her in shocked silence. His legs shook beneath him, and as she turned the corner and disappeared he finally felt the strength leave them. He crumpled to the ground, hissing a curse out between his teeth. _'It's jus' like last night… only this time, I actually…'_

"Tasuki-sama…"

The seishi shook off Aoi's comforting hand, slumping to the ground and hitting it hard with a fist. "Dammit..." he hissed out between his teeth. _'What th' hell is _happening _t'me?'_

oOo

Dragonflies patrolled the top of the palace pond, pausing here and there to hover and glare at one another before zipping off again to another sector of their pond. One hummed briefly over a figure stretched out beside the water, but decided that the motionless mass wasn't something it needed to worry over and buzzed away again, off to find more dangerous intruders. Hataku watched it disappear through a half-closed eye. _'Make the rounds as much as you like,'_ he thought, a little surprised at his own contentment. _'_This_ workaholic is actually taking a break for once.'_

"Oh, so _this_ is where you went."

Hataku sat up with a start at the familiar imperial tone, glancing over his shoulder and offering a half-bow to the Empress standing behind him. "Houki-sama, I didn't expect to see you out here. For what reason does my humble self…?" She pursed her lips and he switched to casual speech in a hurry. "I mean, what brings you out here?"

She smiled, tugging on the hand of the small boy who was trailing behind her. "I had a few moments to spare, so I decided to introduce you to my son."

Boshin waved to the former shogun, his mouth parted in a wide smile. "Hiya! Who're you?"

Hataku couldn't help but smile at the friendly little boy. "Watanabe Hataku, but you can just call me Hataku. And what's your name, Your Highness?"

"Nope, it's not 'Your Highness,' it's 'Boshin,'" he explained. "An' this is my Mama." Boshin plopped down on the ground beside Hataku, and after a moment Houki followed suit. "It's a nice day, huh?"

The former shogun nodded, eye flicking up towards the sky. "Yes, it is. Not a cloud in the sky. Do you get days like this often?"

"Uh-huh, in the summer a lot. Nurse Tai says Konan's got th' bestest weather 'cause it's so far, um..." he wrinkled his forehead. "East? South? Um…"

"South, I'm pretty sure," Hataku assured him. "Where I'm from, it rains a lot more. Good for the crops, but not as nice for the people."

"Oh? Where're you from?"

"Takkan. It's," Hataku pointed northeast to give the boy a visual, "that way."

"Oh, Takkan, yeah!" Boshin nodded vigorously. "That's the country we're poundin' the shit out of!"

"Boshin-chan!" Houki gasped. She scooped her son into her arms. "_Where_ did you hear a phrase like that?"

He smiled up at her. "Uncle Scaryface told Auntie Ritsuka that!" He cocked his head to one side. "Why? What's it mean?"

Houki tried and failed to keep the smile off her face. "Oh, nothing important, dear, but please do not say it anymore. It's a very naughty word." She shook her head. "I really should talk to Tasuki about keeping that language of his to a minimum, particularly when he is around my son…"

The Empress trailed off as an unusual sound caught her attention. Houki glanced to her side, and her eyes snapped open at the sight of Hataku, head in one hand and shoulders shaking with laughter. The former shogun wiped a tear from his eye, forcing back his chuckles so that he could speak to the startled Empress. "Houki-sama, your son is quite the entertainer. I don't suppose Tasuki taught him any other useful words?"

"Let us hope not," she said with a sniff, but couldn't stop herself from giggling at the end. She held Boshin in her lap, glancing around at the peaceful scenery. "Hataku-san, why did you come to this side of the pond? It is quite a long walk from the training facilities."

He flashed her a wry smile. "Unfortunately, the other side was already claimed." He waved a hand across the water. "See for yourself."

Houki peered over to the far shore, just making out the figures of a familiar monk and college student sitting halfway cloaked beneath the branches of a willow tree. The Empress watched as Kiori said something that made Chichiri laugh; the monk responded with what must have been a teasing remark, because Kiori shoved at his shoulder, laughing along with him. Houki smiled at the sight. "I _am_ glad to see those two getting along again," she said. "And it is always nice to see the other warriors having a bit of fun.

"Oh! And speaking of enjoying ourselves." She turned back to Hataku. "Would you care to join the other Konan Warriors and me for dinner tonight? I know that you have not had much time to become acquainted with any of the palace residents, so I thought you might like the company."

Hataku blinked at the – once again – unexpected gesture of kindness from Konan's leader. "A-are you sure Akai-kun'll be all right with that?"

"Akai is not the one who asked you – _I_ did. You seem lonely, Hataku-san, and I suppose I understand how that feels. Besides," she added with a small smile, "I enjoy your company, and should like to get to know you better."

He hesitated for a moment, watching her with a skeptic eye, but when her face revealed no signs of malice or hidden motives he couldn't help but return her smile, bowing his head in acquiescence. "In that case, I'd love to come, Houki-sama."

Boshin grinned as well, grabbing at the former shogun's sleeve. "I like him, Mama! Can he be my new Uncle Koji, huh can he?"

Houki's smile fell at the mention of the fallen Konan Warrior. "…No, Boshin-chan," she whispered, running her fingers gently through his hair. "No one can ever replace Koji." She forced the smile back to her face. "Though Uncle Hataku has a certain ring to it – providing the 'uncle' in question does not mind."

Hataku looked at the young boy, then at his mother. "You are a very strange ruler, Houki-sama," he murmured to no one. He turned towards Boshin, poking him on the nose. "Very well, then. Uncle Hataku it is, Boshin-chan."

oOo

"Wow, Chichiri! I'm impressed! You set Omi-san's arm perfectly!"

He smiled and rubbed the back of his head. "Doumo, but it's really nothing. I helped out during the Kutou War, so I remember a little from that no da." He glanced out a nearby window at the sun slipping beneath the Konan wall. "Um... Kiori, exactly how much longer do we keep this up?"

She followed his gaze. "Oh! Is it this late already? Time always seems to fly around here." Kiori stood, dusting off her skirt and shouting across the room, "Yukeda-sensei, I think my shift is over."

The head doctor wiped his forehead with a cloth, flashing a tired smile and waving his sweat-drenched handkerchief at the young woman. "Off with you, then. Excellent work today – you too, Chichiri-sama. And thanks for getting those herbs from the garden."

"Our pleasure (no da)!" they replied as one.

Kiori grabbed Chichiri's hand and practically dragged him from the infirmary, rubbing her growling stomach as she went. "Man, has it really been that long since we had lunch? I'm starving!"

Chichiri glanced down at his hand clasped in hers and had to fight to keep his mind on nice, monk-like thoughts. "Mm, but it was an afternoon well spent no da. You were right when you said it was a rewarding job." He covered a yawn with his free hand. "But I _am_ tired no da. After building the barrier and everything else, I could sleep for hours. Maybe I'll skip dinner—"

"No way!" she said, whirling and pointing a finger at him in mock seriousness. "Don't you know that going to bed on an empty stomach is the worst way to sleep? You'll have all sorts of weird dreams!" She snatched up his wrist again and pulled him the few extra steps to the dining hall doorway. "You don't have to stay long, just pop in and get a good meal and say 'hi' to all the nice friends you've been ignoring all day."

"Okay, okay, you don't have to pull off my arm no da!" Chichiri said with a laugh. He shook himself out of her hold, then pressed both hands to the double doors and pushed them inwards. "Konban wa, min…"

He trailed off, glancing around the hushed dining room. Houki sat at the head of the table with Boshin and Hataku – sitting in the seat previously reserved for Koji – flanking her on either side. Ritsuka had claimed her usual spot, but instead of devouring everything in sight she was rubbing at her shoulder and staring hard at the table. Aoi sat across from her, his face almost mirroring hers in confusion if not in anger. Tasuki and Akai were nowhere to be seen.

"Da...?" Chichiri muttered. "Why all the long faces no da?"

"A question I myself was about to ask," Houki said, nodding to Kiori and Chichiri to take their seats. "And while we are on the subject of questions: where ever are Akai and Tasuki?"

"The two questions go about hand-in-hand, Majesty." Aoi poked at some noodles on his plate. "Akai should be along in a minute, but Tasuki-sama says he won't be coming to dinner tonight."

Ritsuka growled as she stuffed rice into her mouth. "That's 'cause he knows what I'm gonna do to him the next time I see him, the jerk."

"I understand why you're upset, Ritsuka-sama, but in Tasuki-sama's defense I don't think he understands what happened either," Aoi said.

She glared at him. "Who're _you_ to take his side? _You're_ the one her practically attacked, after all."

Aoi winced under her wrathful stare. "B-but he apologized for it a thousand times – you really should have heard him. And he was really confused about what happened… I feel kind of sorry for him, actually."

Ritsuka scowled, staring into her teacup. "Yeah. Maybe I do, too. But he pulled something like this last night too, you know. It makes me wonder if he really _is_ losing it, just like he thought..."

Chichiri and Kiori both glanced back and forth between Ritsuka and Aoi.

"Huh? Tasuki? Attacking Aoi?"

"Last night? Am I missing something no da?"

Ritsuka sighed, setting her chin in her hand. "Well kids, it's one hell of a weird story, but basically..." She trailed off as the dining room doors creaked open again, this time bringing a bouncing Palace Champion with them. "Oh, good to see you again, Akai."

"Yep!" she said, eyes closed in a cheerful smile. "I took my frustrations out on some of the other soldiers and I feel _tons_ better now! So lead me to the—" Her eyes fell on Hataku and her happiness fell away like an unfastened cloak. Without so much as pausing for breath, she shrieked, "What in the _gods' names _is _he_ doing here?"

Kiori blinked at her. "Uh… What is _who_ doing here?"

"You know exactly who! That... that..." Akai spluttered, pointing a quivering finger at Hataku. "_Man_!"

"Don't you know it's rude to point?" Hataku asked coolly, barely glancing at the warrior girl as he blew some steam off of his soup. "By the way, Houki-sama, this meal is delicious. My compliments to your cooks."

Akai stormed across the room. "Don't treat me like some little bug!" she snapped, standing over him and glaring down at her hated enemy. "You've got a lot of nerve eating in here!"

"Akai," Houki murmured.

"Did you think you could just waltz into Konan and instantly earn imperial favor?"

"Akai."

"What kind of a low-life, scummy, invite-yourself-to-dinner kind of person are you?"

"_Akai_!"

Four chibi heads ducked under the table at the surprising sharpness in Houki's voice. Hataku glanced at the Empress but remained composed as usual. Akai's head snapped around, the anger draining from her form as quickly as the happiness had before. "Ho... Houki-sama?"

The Empress stood slowly, and Akai quailed beneath her reproachful gaze. "Akai, Hataku-san did not invite himself to dinner, and you have no right to accuse him of doing so." She glanced towards the former shogun, a flicker of a smile on her face. "_I_ asked him to join us. If you have any objections to that then you may take them up with me later. Until then," she turned back to Akai, all sternness again, "I suggest you learn to be polite to our guest. If you cannot accomplish that, then you may take your meal someplace else."

Akai's lower lip trembled. Her cheeks flushed and she opened her mouth as if to apologize, but at the last second her lips snapped shut again. She tightened her jaw into a disapproving scowl, whirling on her heel so she could face the table of allies. "How can you all live with yourselves?" she demanded, voice strong even as her eyes filled with tears. "Did Koji-san really mean so little to you that you can replace him, just like that?" She brushed a sleeve across her face, dashing out of the room at breakneck speed. "I can't _stand _this!"

Aoi and Chichiri stood as one. "Akai—"

The doors slammed so hard behind her that they bounced against the frame, ending the conversation with a decisive crash. Silence reigned on the small dining room for many long seconds. Hataku finally broke it as he set down his teacup and rose from the table. "I should go."

"Hataku-san, please do not think you are responsible for this—"

He limped to the door, only pausing for a moment to glance over his shoulder at the Empress. "With all due respect, I _do_ feel responsible for this. Akai-kun is right, anyway – I was intruding on your lives, as if I belonged here." He bowed from the waist. "I sincerely apologize if my unworthy actions have inconvenienced your honorable self in any way, Dowager Empress. This humble servant shall not waste any more of your time."

Houki wilted under the barrage of formal speech, and could do nothing but watch helplessly as the door once more opened and shut, taking another friend with it. Aoi at last broke the silence this time, shooting an anxious glance at the doorway. "Do you think Akai will be all right? She seemed so shaken up... m-maybe I should go talk to her."

Chichiri shook his head. "I think she'd just bite your head off if you tried no da. Give her a night to cool down and then see what happens." He frowned, glancing to the empty seat beside the Empress. "Truth is, Houki-sama, I think she was more upset at the fact that someone had taken Koji's seat than at the fact that you invited Hataku to dinner no da."

"Yes… And perhaps she was right," Houki murmured into her hands. "Perhaps I _was_ trying to fill that empty seat, though I never intentionally meant to _replace_ Koji."

Ritsuka shook her head, rubbing her bandaged shoulder once more. "Don't you go all mopey on us too, Houki-sama. You just wanted to make Hataku feel welcome, and there's no crime in hospitality. You know damn well this had nothing to do with replacing Koji – huh, as if anyone _could_ replace him, anyway." She sighed and drooped against the table. "Man, I wish he was still alive. Maybe _he_ could beat some sense into Tasuki-chan's thick, revenge-driven skull."

Chichiri straightened at her words. "Speaking of Tasuki, what exactly happened this afternoon no da? And yesterday evening, too?"

The redhead sighed, watching as the others leaned in closer to hear the story. "All right, calm down everyone, and I'll try to explain everything..."

oOo

Akai rubbed at her eyes as she dashed away from the dining hall, seeking a refuge – _any_ refuge.

'_How could they... How _could_ they? Allowing that traitorous scum into the palace was bad enough, but then inviting him to dinner, like he was one of us... like he was Koji-san's _replacement_! How _could_ they? Houki-sama… and Kiori-san and Ritsuka-san… and Tasuki-sama and Chichiri-sama most of all! How _could_ they? They're _seishi!_ Seishi couldn't _possibly _trust someone like that…'_

The warrior girl skidded to a halt as she reached the edge of the palace pond. She stared at her own tear-streaked reflection for a long, furious moment, then crumpled to her knees, pounding at the ground with her fists. _'To think that my heroes, the people I'm striving to be like in every way, could actually…'_

"Oi, Akai, ya look about as angry as I feel."

The Palace Champion's head shot up, looking about wildly for the owner of the familiar kansai accent. Her gaze at last fell to the base of a short plum tree, its branches spreading out above the moon-soaked ground and cloaking her fellow warrior in shadows. Save for the flash of his golden eyes, he was nearly invisible. "Oh. Hello, Tasuki-sama," she murmured through her tears. "What are you doing out here?"

"Thinkin' about what else I gotta do t'win th' World's Biggest Ass Award. You?"

"Wondering why everyone has lost their minds," she answered, sniffling into her sleeves. "I just don't understand them... Houki-sama invited that jerk to dinner, like he belonged there..." She squeezed her eyes shut, holding back another rain of tears. "And the others didn't mind, not one little bit! They didn't even care that he was there, that he was sitting in _Koji-san's seat_..."

"It ain't Koji's seat anymore," Tasuki told her, his voice barely above a whisper. "Because Koji's..." He took a deep breath, then released it slowly and continued. "Because Koji's dead, Akai."

She whipped her head up again, staring at him through the evening shadows. "Tasuki-sama, don't tell me _you're_ forgetting him, too! How can you all just—"

"I ain't forgettin' him," the seishi said with a defensive snap. "But we can't keep pretendin' it didn't happen, either. Red told me that, an' she was right." He managed a small, guilty smile and added, "Fer once."

"Maybe so..." Akai relented. "B-but that doesn't mean they could do… _that_!"

"I'm sure they didn't really _mean_ fer it t'be like Hataku was Koji's replacement. Maybe it jus' sorta came out that way t'you 'cause you don't wanna accept 'em both."

"'Them both' what?"

"That Koji ain't comin' back, an' that Hataku's here t'stay."

Akai's eyes narrowed at the second part. "I still don't get that. You've all been accepting him so easily, treating him as if he's been in Konan for years. We barely know him, and what we do know about him involves him _attacking_ us! It doesn't make any _sense_, Tasuki-sama!"

"Sometimes…" Tasuki hesitated, searching for the right words. "Sometimes you sorta have ta look deeper 'n what you know, y'know?" He grimaced, scratching at his head. "Ah hell, that came out all weird. I really suck at this kinda thing, huh?" Akai giggled and Tasuki glanced back up at her. "What I'm tryin' t'say is, we gave him a chance and found out he was all right. Maybe if you did th' same, you'd think so, too."

"Hmph! I doubt that."

Tasuki shrugged. "Jus' a thought."

Akai smiled softly. "Thank you, Tasuki-sama. For not trying to make me agree with you, I mean."

He flashed her a weak grin. "Well, it'd be kinda dumb fer the High Lord of Stubborn t'yell at someone _else_ fer that, doncha think?"

She managed a tiny laugh, but it died as she shifted her eyes back out to the pond. The pair sat in silence for a moment, each with their own thoughts. Akai sniffled, her mind returning to the dining room, and to her horror at seeing Hataku sitting beside the Empress. _'It hurt so much when that seat was empty, but… but it hurt so, so much more when it was filled by the wrong person. Oh, Koji-san, if you'd only lived, then all of this…'_

"Tasuki-sama..." She choked around the lump in her throat. "Why did it happen?"

"Eh? Why'd what happen?"

"Why did Koji... wh-why did he have to...?" She rubbed her sleeve across her eyes again. "I just can't understand it, how everything happened the way it did, and he wound up..." But she still couldn't say it, and so she fell into silence again, waiting hopelessly for an answer that she knew would never be enough.

Tasuki rubbed at the back of his head again. "T'be honest, Akai, I been askin' myself that same question about a _lotta_ my fallen friends fer a while now." He leaned back on his elbows, looking up at the constellations. "Things like, 'How come they had t'die?' 'How come I got t'be lucky enough t'live?' 'What'd I do t'get off that _they_ didn't do?' Same thing fer you, huh?"

She nodded. "I can't find an answer... Koji-san never did anything wrong, not really. So why...?"

"I'm not really sure if anyone knows th' answer, t'be honest. Fer what it's worth, though, I guess I c'n tell ya what Chichiri told me." Tasuki leaned back on his elbows, staring up at the sky through the tree branches. "_Tathatha_."

"It is the way it is?" she repeated.

"I think it's a really fancy way-a sayin' 'shit happens,'" he told her with a crooked grin. "But 'Chiri said I could call it 'fate' too, if I wanted."

Akai frowned. "Fate? As in 'the will of the gods,' or something? That it all had to happen, and there was nothing we could've done about it?"

"Yeah, it didn't help me much, either," he admitted with a short bark of a laugh. "But it's somethin' worth thinkin' about, anyway. Plus it gives me a reason t'try even harder."

"'Try even harder'?"

"T'beat fate," he explained with a thumbs-up. "'Cause I'll be damned if I let another one-a my pals get 'repercussioned' by this stupid legend."

The young soldier felt a soft smile touch her face. "Tasuki-sama…"

"Well!" he said, pushing himself to his feet. "I think I'm all outta pearls-a wisdom fer th' night."

"Oh? Where're you off to now?"

"Bed," he said. "I gotta start plannin' out what I'm gonna have t'do t'keep Red from hatin' me ferever, an' chances are I'm gonna need t'be well-rested for th' job."

Akai had to laugh at that. "Best of luck. Oyasumi, Tasuki-sama."

"Oyasumi, Akai."

Akai stayed by the pond long after her seishi friend had left. She kept her gaze turned skywards, watching as the small wisps of clouds played among the stars. "The will of the gods… huh…?"

oOo

"_'The Palace Champion shook her head, eyes flitting back down to the shimmering surface of the palace pond. Konan Warriors, fate, Takkan, the seishi... she simply did not know _what_ to believe anymore.'_" Keisuke stretched, tossing the book in Tetsuya's direction. "End Chapter Twenty-Seven."

--  
Ritsuka: I just don't get what's going on in the palace these days! Akai's biting Hataku's head off, Tasuki-chan's freaking out, Chichiri's having bad dreams ... am I the only person who hasn't gone completely insane?

The battle continues, both from outside the walls and from within, as Takkan launches an attack on Konan, Setsuka launches an attack on Tasuki – and we _all_ try to keep Akai and Hataku from launching attacks on each other. _Mou_, could life get any _more_ frustrating?

The Next Episode of _Fushigi Yuugi: The Next Chapter_: "Changes of Heart – The Enemy is a Friend?"

Everyone just needs to loosen up for a change...  
--

* * *

**End Notes:**  
(1) The "'humble' and 'honorable' nonsense" – Whenever Hataku starts speaking like this, in my head he's using hardcore _keigo_, the Japanese super-formal speaking style. _Keigo_ is basically divided into two branches: (a) referring to your superiors with nouns and verbs of respect and honor, and (b) referring to yourself with nouns and verbs of humility. This is really difficult to get across in English – so much so that a lot of translators just ignore it completely – but I did my very best, and I think I conveyed the atmosphere of _keigo_ fairly well.  
(2) Shishou – Basically translates to "Master." It's used almost exclusively on teachers of the martial arts (hand-to-hand, swordplay, etc.), so if you've watched many subtitled Japanese action movies, there's a good chance you're already familiar with the term. Incidentally, I _think_ this is what Tamahome calls Tokaki, but it's been a while since I've seen the 2nd season of _FY_, so I could be wrong.  
(3) Hour of the Monkey - Traditional Chinese (and Japanese) time was told in "Hours," each named after an animal from the zodiac. Since there were twelve animals and thus twelve Hours in a day, each "Hour" was actually 120 minutes, or the length of two modern hours. The Hour of the Monkey runs from 3pm-5pm.

_**Ye Olde Author's Note: 10/5/08  
**_Ni-hao, minna-san!  
I know, I know, I know! This episode is approximately one month late, thereby throwing _Broken Wings_ off schedule as well. But, you see, I'm quite busy. In fact, I hate to say it, but I think the episodes will be coming out significantly slower from now on. But wait! Before you kill me, I have a good excuse: I'm working on a shiny original novel, and it's taking up a lot of my time. So, you know, you get less fanfiction, but in the long run, maybe you'll actually be able to pick me up in a bookstore because of it! Isn't that exciting? I think it is, anyway. So please give me your support, and I'll do my very best to stay connected with all of you as well!

One of the reasons this episode took so long was because I wound up hacking and slashing at it a lot. I wasn't terribly pleased with the original, so I was working to fix that with the edit. (Yeah… remember how I said at the beginning that this was an "edit" and not a "rewrite"? Turns out I'm a _huge_ liar.) At any rate, I think I did a pretty good job making the episode enjoyable… but really, what do I know? Please tell me know what _you_ all thought! _(smile)_

As promised, the remaining character profiles are back for Season Three! So let's get started with the side character that's been sneaking onto center stage for the past few episodes…

**Character Profile – Watanabe Hataku**  
Age: 31  
Height: 6'2"  
Weight: 171 lbs  
Birthplace: Shoutei, the capital city of Takkan  
Birthday: December 29th (Capricorn)  
Blood Type: O  
Hair: Brown. When he was Takkan's shogun, it fell past his shoulders and was always kept up in a topknot. After Setsuka has it cut off (Episode 19) Hataku keeps it short: cropped to his neck in the back, with bangs that fall just above his eyebrows.  
Eyes: Brown; the left one gets blinded at the end of Episode 18, so these days he wears an eye patch  
Likes: Swordplay, Xianqi (Chinese chess), hard workers; he also has a soft spot for kids (as you saw in this chapter, hehe)  
Dislikes: Slackers, word games, and hypocrites  
Favorite Food: Hot pot with lamb. He also really enjoys cinnamon Oolong tea.  
Least Favorite Food: He's not a big fan of shellfish, but he'll still eat them if offered.

So I started re-watching _Slayers_ the other day, and may I say that I'd forgotten just how heavily I had originally based Hataku off of Zelgadis. _(laughs)_ It's not as noticeable in the edit because I fleshed out his personality more, but when he coolly tells Akai "Don't you know it's rude to point?" in this chapter… yeah, that's a line directly swiped from the _Slayers_ series. (So does that make Akai the Amelia in the story? _(sweat)_) Well, that's okay, right? Because Zelgadis is awesome, thereby making Hataku awesome as well.  
And he is. Ridiculously awesome. He's my favorite original character, in fact, to the point that my beta and I agreed that if _FY:NC_ were an actual anime, we'd both be fangirling over Hataku. (haha) He's also the character I feel sorriest for in the series… I mean, he's been to hell and back already, and you sort of get the feeling a happy ending isn't even _possible_ for him, you know? But he'll keep on working to achieve his goals – and I, as his author (and fan), will do my best to lead him to a fitting conclusion. Please give him your support and your wuv! He could definitely use it!

And, before I say "jaa"for the day, I'd like to give you all a dose of my new ongoing segment that I like to call – **Why You Should Never, Ever, **_**Ever**_** Edit Your Work at 1am…  
**(READING TO SELF) "Even Hataku, usually one to rise with the sun, was still sleeping restlessly when someone rapped upon his chamber door." (TO SELF) "Rapping, rapping, rapping on my chamber door! Quoth the Empress, 'Nevermore!'" (Being a huge literary nerd is wonderful. I wound up changing the line to just "knocked on his door," because I knew I'd giggle every time I read the original.)

(_After Akai loses to Hataku_) (OUT LOUD) "Oh, snap!"

(READING TO SELF) The seishi nodded. "Too bad Akai didn't stick around. Oh well, guess there's always t'morrow." (SINGS TO SELF) "For dreams to come true… Tomorrow is not far away…!" (Hopefully the _Rudolph_ reference isn't lost on my audience)

**And this episode's "That's What She Said" Moment:  
**The former shogun blinked a few times, cocking an incredulous eyebrow at the girl. _'It's hard to swallow…' _(AHAHAHA…!)  
(Yeah… I changed it to "believe" because my brain is a 13-year old boy _(sweat)_)

Haha… I love editing. Thanks to RK9, k-girl20, MagicAnimeGirl, D.D.Z, Halogazer, and Warrior-of-Flames for reviewing! I hope the long wait didn't scare you off, and that I will hear from all of you again!

Your Authoress – Dee


	28. Episode Twenty Eight: Changes of Heart

_**Disclaimer**_**:** I still don't own Konan, Suzaku and all characters and seishi pertaining to them. Kiori and Ritsuka are and shall forever be mine, and that holds for all the other "originals" (you'll know 'em when they appear, trust me). Obviously the story is mine as well.

_**Rating:**_ PG-13, for moderate language and violence.

**Musical Selection: **"Shuurei's Theme" for the scenes with Aoi, then Chichiri and Kiori, and "Belladonna's Snare" for the part after "Tasuki barreled down the walkway." They're oldies, so they're already posted on the blog.

_You ever have one of those months where everything breaks down? Netbook – check. Cell phone – check. Car – check. Laptop – creaking slowly towards the grave. At this point, I just hope I can keep all my bones in one piece until February. _

_--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

**--Episode Twenty-Eight: Changes of Heart--  
The Enemy is a Friend?**

Tetsuya flipped open the book to the beginning of the next chapter, stifling a yawn and staring mournfully at the stack of unread pages. "Man, we're at chapter twenty-eight and we've still got a ways to go."

Keisuke stood, stretching his stiff arms and legs. "Ah well, if the girls can brave Elements, enemy soldiers, and," he pressed his palms to his cheeks dramatically, cooing his next word, "_mo-o-o-oe_, then I'm sure we can handle a little late-night reading."

"I can handle it fine as long as you never say the word '_moe_' like that again," Yui said.

Keisuke just laughed, batting his eyelashes at her as he strolled towards the kitchen. "Hey, I'm gonna make some instant coffee. Everyone want some?" Two "Yes please!"s chorused out behind him, followed immediately by a pair of yawns. Keisuke chuckled and disappeared, waving them both on to the next chapter.

"And with dreams of caffeine dancing in my head..." Tetsuya straightened his sunglasses again, putting a finger to the page and beginning. "_'The next morning dawned cloudy but scorching, a sure sign of another stifling summer day in the Konan Empire...'_"

oOo

Ritsuka awoke in the late morning, sitting up in bed and stretching her arms to the ceiling. Her relaxed awakening ended in a hurry, however, as her shoulder thumped with pain, forcing her to pull her arms back down to her sides. She rubbed at her sore shoulder, wincing and then frowning as she remembered Tasuki's accidental attack in the training rings. Her eyes narrowed and her lips pulled back into a snarl, but after a moment her fists loosened and she slumped against the bed, rubbing a hand against the bridge of her nose. _'Tasuki-chan... what the heck is _happening_ to you?' _She shook her head hard and forced on another scowl. _'Humph! What do I care, anyway? He's just an idiot.' _

"Say Kiori," she said aloud, "don't you think Tasuki-chan is an idi..." Ritsuka trailed off as she glanced around the room and finally noticed that Kiori was nowhere in sight. "Huh," she thought aloud. "Must've had some doctor-work to do. That girl's always busy." Ritsuka leaned back in bed and yawned. _'I'm sure there's something I should do today, but screw it, I'm staying right here until I feel like getting up. I _am_ injured, after all, and—'_

_knock... knock._

Her ears perked up as something struck her door. A moment later, the rapping came again, louder and more confident this time. Ritsuka cocked an eyebrow. "Uh, come in?"

The door creaked open so slowly that Ritsuka half-expected to see a turtle shoving at it from the other side. Instead, a chibi, orange-haired head poked around the frame, looking thoroughly contrite. "Mornin', Red. Mind if I come in?"

She glared at Tasuki, then jerked her head to the side and sniffed. "Do whatever you want. You always do."

Tasuki disappeared from view again. Ritsuka's eyes widened as the door opened all the way and the seishi entered, towing a cart filled with dishes behind him. He kept his eyes on the ground as he inched the cart towards her bed, pulling up right beside her and then standing to the side like a butler awaiting orders. Ritsuka's eyes roved hungrily across the smorgasbord of breakfast treats, from traditional Konan meals to a few more westernized, modern recipes that Ritsuka had added to the palace's menu. She paused as her gaze landed on a covered dish. "So," she said, feigning disinterest. "What's all this?"

Tasuki stubbed his toe into the ground. "Er, Kiori 'n' the cooks kinda helped me with this one. They said you gave 'em the recipe, somethin' about how it's yer fav'rite 'n' all..."

He lifted the cover. Two fried eggs sat at the top of the plate, with a slab of bacon curving along the bottom to form a crooked smiley face. Ritsuka had to bite her tongue to keep from laughing, and _still _couldn't hold back the giggle that slipped between her pursed lips. To make matters worse, she even felt her mouth beginning to water. _'No, Ritsuka,' _she reminded herself as she forced on a scowl. _'Don't you dare let yourself be swayed this easily. You are _still _mad at him, and that won't change just because of one stupid, enormous, mouth-watering, delicious...' _She ran a hand hurriedly across her salivating lips, then glanced back up at Tasuki with eyes filled with ice. "Well, it'd better be good."

She took an experimental taste, then – biting back a squeal of delight – dove into the food with a will. She felt Tasuki's eyes watching her the entire time, though she didn't bother looking up to meet his gaze. "So," he began after she'd gorged herself for a few minutes, "you like it?"

"It'll do," she mumbled around a mouthful of bacon.

Tasuki poked his index fingers together, waiting for her to finish up the last of the main dish. "Um, Red?"

"What now?" she growled, licking grease off her fingers.

"Listen, about yesterday..." He tugged at the collar of his jacket, shifted from foot to foot, and opened and closed his mouth several times before trying to continue. "Look, about all that... I'm... I mean, y'know, I dunno what happened, but whatever_ did_ happen, I just sorta, er..." He gulped, ducking his head and clapping his hands together. "I'm sorry."

The corner of Ritsuka's mouth twitched into a smile, but thankfully Tasuki was too busy staring at the floorboards to notice. She quickly pulled it back down into a frown. "Hmmmmm..." She drew the thoughtful noise out for as long as possible, then let the room fill with silence for another tense moment. Once the hush had become as thick as the egg yoke on her plate, Ritsuka continued, speaking in a voice heavy with gracious mercy. "Oh-_kay_, I _suppose _I can forgive you." His head jerked up, but Ritsuka threw up her index finger just as quickly. "_After _you let me do one thing."

"One... thing?" he repeated.

"Yep. That's fair, isn't it?"

"Uh, yeah, I mean I guess so..."

"Good." She hopped out of bed, facing her fellow redhead. Her teeth flashed in a smile that was far from comforting. "Stand right here, facing me." Tasuki did as she said, though he looked rather skeptical by this point, and his skepticism turned with lightning speed into flushed embarrassment as she drew within inches of his face.

"Er, Red, what exactly are ya plannin' on... I-I mean, it's jus', doncha think this is kinda—?"

"D'you want me to forgive you or not?" she demanded in a sultry snap. Tasuki gulped and turned his head away, but Ritsuka caught his chin in one hand, jerking her face forward until they were nearly nose to nose. "Now, just close your eyes and stand very, very still..."

"Uh, well, okay, if you say s—"

_WHAM!_

Ritsuka sent Tasuki careening into a nearby wall with one swift uppercut. She stomped over to his plastered form, standing on tip-toe so that she could shake her fist at his smooshed face. "Don't you ever, ever, _ever_ do something that stupid and awful again, or you'll find yourself stuck to the bottom of the palace _pond_ next time!" Ritsuka grabbed his chin, though this time with a force that suggested she just might try snapping it off. She pulled herself forward so that they were nose to nose again. "Is that _clear_, Tasuki-chan?"

"Clear as a bell," he groaned.

"Good." Ritsuka released her hold on his chin, allowing him to slide chibily down the wall and land in a heap of limbs beside the front door. She grinned at him. "I forgive you now." She thought that maybe he flashed a crooked grin back, but it could have easily been a grimace of pain. Ritsuka cracked her knuckles and turned away from the pile of seishi, prancing to her wardrobe – despite her injury – and rummaging around for the day's clothing. After a moment's hesitation she grabbed a blue top and charcoal-gray trousers, tugging them free and laying them on her bed. She glanced back at Tasuki – in the process of recovering from his meeting with the wall – and opened her mouth to ask him to leave, but stopped at the last second. _'Yeah. I'm still just a _little _bit mad at him, aren't I?'_

"Ta...suki...chan..."

The seishi turned at the sound of his name, eyes widening as Ritsuka stared at him meaningfully before slowly lowering the sleeve of her robe to reveal her unhurt shoulder and just a tiny hint of her chest. "GACK!" He turned away in a hurry, though he couldn't resist sneaking another peak over his shoulder as he snapped, "Damn it, Red! Don't do _that _while I'm _here_!"

She gazed at him from under her lashes. "Oh, you're screaming in agony on the outside, but you're screaming in joy on the inside." She slowly dropped the robe, keeping it closed in the front but allowing more and more of her back to show—

And almost fell over laughing as Tasuki bolted for the door, nearly slamming into the wall _again _in his haste to flee from his stripping friend. She collapsed against her bed after he'd left, staring at her door swinging crazily on its hinges. And, at last, Ritsuka let herself smile. "Now _there's _my Tasuki-chan."

oOo

While Ritsuka was only just beginning her day, the Takkan soldiers had been up for some time, arming themselves in preparation for their first attack against Konan in nearly three weeks. Men rushed to and fro across the camp as the army's reluctant leaders shuffled them into formation. Shogun Kawahito dashed about, muttering incoherent orders that half the captains ignored and the other half mocked, only worsening the chaos. Amidst the tired, hungry, and altogether unruly mass of soldiers, it was easy to overlook the disappearance of a few men – easy for all the soldiers, that is, but the ever-observant taii, Furosaki Yuki.

"Kawahito-shogun," he said, bowing low to his superior. "I believe a foraging party is missing from the ranks. Seven men, as well as that female cook. They may simply be late returning to camp, but it's possible they are trying to skip the battle. Permission to locate the missing men, Shogun-sama?"

"Huh?" Kawahito stared at Yuki for a full five seconds before finally waving him away with an absent-minded flap of his hand. "Oh, er, of course. But hurry up about it! Setsuka-sama wants us attackin' today, you know!"

"I hadn't noticed," Yuki replied pleasantly – so pleasantly, in fact, that Kawahito didn't even _recognize _the sarcasm. Yuki sighed and strode towards the trees, breaking into an all-out run once he knew he was out of sight of the rest of the soldiers. He skidded to a halt just a few moments later in the middle of a clearing, flashing a winded smile at the seven soldiers and single cook that lazed about the open space.

"Attacking _again_, Yuki?" groaned one soldier by way of greeting.

"Shogun-sama's orders," he replied with a helpless shrug.

The little group groaned, the impudent soldier Tori moaning the loudest of all. He flopped over backwards in the grass, clutching at his abdomen with both hands. "Ya see my stomach, Yuki? No, 'course ya don't, 'cause my poor tummy don't exist anymore. It had t' eat itself jus' t' stay alive. An' now you want me t' _fight _like this? Oooooh, I think I'll just die right here an' spare those Konan blokes th' trouble."

Yuki strolled over to Tori with a lazy smile, taking a seat right on his friend's "nonexistent" tummy. "I don't like it anymore'n you do, Tori-kun, but I've little say in the matter. What Setsuka—"

"May she die a thousand deaths," chimed the others.

"—says is law, at least as far as our dear Shogun-sama is concerned."

"Bah!" Tori stuck out his tongue. "Ol' Bakahito c'n go fry his head. Prob'ly make him a whole lot smarter." He shoved forward with his hands, knocking Yuki into the grass. "An' no sittin' on th' vanishin' tummies, Taii-sama!"

"Can you believe it?" another young soldier mumbled to nobody in particular. "I actually miss Hataku. At least _he _knew how to keep his men fed." He sighed, pressing his fingers to his temples. "Times like these make me wonder why I didn't just go into hidin', 'stead of joinin' this stupid army."

"Doncha remember?" Tori snickered, setting a gallant hand to his heart. "We wanted t'boldly undertake the darin' mission of infiltratin' enemy territory, bravely strikin' out so we could further th' noble mission of the RAFT! Spoil th' food, screw up th' missions, even get one of us turned into a taii!" He cocked his head to the side as if listening to something far away. "Ah, ya hear that, boys? That's th' sound of th' gods praisin' our courage!"

Kirei, the female cook, flashed him a wry grin. "Is _that _how you remember it? Funny, I thought it had a lot more to do with that decree demanding one son from every family." Her grin turned into a frown. "Twelve boys called away, and here we are with seven left. I know we decided to do this for the good of the RAFT, but I can't see_ what _good we're doing way out here, just waiting to get shot at or starved to death._" _She tilted her head towards Yuki, watching the young taii hopefully. "Tori-kun said you mentioned something about going home. Were you serious, Yuki? Is that why you called us out here?"

"I called you out here to assure you that I am seriously _considering_ it," he said. "But I won't risk a desertion if I can't see everyone safely back to Takkan. So for now, keep your eyes open and your wits about you. Stay to the back during the battle; I don't care if you have to take a couple lashings from your taii, it's far better to leave the field bruised than to not leave it at all. I'll figure out an alternative just as soon as possible, I promise you that." He grinned at the others. "I don't particularly care to have _my _stomach devour itself either, you know."

oOo

Aoi wandered the training rings aimlessly, pausing every so often to look at an invisible person and rehearse a speech that never quite came out right. "Akai," he began, facing a pillar, "about last night, I wanted to apologize. See, I'm really sorry for... er... not taking your side." He groaned, shaking his head and running a hand through his hair. "But I'm _not_ sorry about that!" He glared at the pillar. "I mean, I can't agree with you about _everything_, right? So I'm sorry for... for not respecting your opinion." And again his hands grabbed at his hair. "No, that's not it _either_! I _do_ respect your opinion, I really do, it's just... uh..." He spread his arms helplessly, staring once more at the imagined image of his friend. "I'm sorry for... something? Aaaaaagh!" Aoi's head thumped into the pillar. "Great. I'm talking to a pillar, and I'm still messing it all up. I'm crazy _and _an idiot."

"I wouldn't say all that. At least you _know _that you're talking to a pillar no da."

Aoi yelped at the unexpected voice and jumped a full foot in the air. "Gyah!" He whirled, jerking his head up and finding himself staring into a familiar smiling mask. "Oh!" He bowed low to the seishi. "Ohayou gozaimasu, Chichiri-sama!"

The monk rubbed the back of his head. "Gomen, I didn't mean to scare you no da."

Aoi straightened again. "Oh, don't apologize. I just didn't know you were there. I wasn't really paying attention I guess, seeing as how I was..." He pointed back to the pillar and sweatdropped. "Er, anyway, I don't usually see you at the training rings. Is everything all right?"

Chichiri leaned against the railing next to Aoi, watching as a group of soldiers took turns practicing sword techniques. "I wanted to talk to Tasuki and Akai about last night. Could you point me towards either of them no da?"

"I'd love to, but they aren't here. The last I heard Tasuki-sama was attempting to fix Ritsuka-sama an 'I'm sorry' breakfast," Chichiri chuckled at the thought of his seishi friend in the kitchens, "and as for Akai..." He sighed. "I _wish_ I knew where she was, but I don't have a clue." He forced a smile. "But why do you need _my _help finding them? Can't you just locate their life forces?"

"I could, but I prefer to track people down the old-fashioned way if possible," Chichiri said. "Keeping myself constantly attuned to every ki in the area can be a little... well, imagine standing in a room shoulder-to-shoulder with everyone in the palace all day and night no da."

Aoi winced. "Sounds crowded."

"That's a good way to put it no da," he said. "Anyway, I've learned to suppress it so I can pick up any sudden, malevolent presences, but beyond that I can't sense much outside of a few _bù_. It's a little inconvenient, but I think things are a lot less cluttered that way no da."

"You prefer simplicity, don't you, Chichiri-sama?"

"I suppose so, though simplicity doesn't seem to prefer _me_," he admitted with a smile that was a bit strained. "So are you looking for Akai as well no da?"

"Oh..." Aoi sighed again, staring hard at his clasped hands. "Yes, actually. I need to talk to her about last night, too, though I'm not really sure what to say. I feel like I should apologize." He glanced up at the monk with wide eyes. "Chichiri-sama, what do you think I should apologize _for_?"

He couldn't help but chuckle. "Nothing no da. You have no reason to apologize, because you didn't do anything wrong. Akai knows that too, I think."

"I guess you're right," Aoi said. "But I still feel bad about yesterday, about how she ran out of the room practically in tears. I feel like I should've _done_ something... I don't know what exactly, but... _something_ to, to make her feel better, at least..."

Chichiri set a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Daijoubu no da. It's only natural that you'd be worried about someone you care about, even if it wasn't your _fault _that they were upset. But there's no need to beat yourself up about it no da. Just let Akai know you were worried about her. I think that would mean a lot to her. It might even cheer her up a little no da."

Aoi glanced up at the monk, surprised to find a smile sneaking onto a face that had been so anxious just moments ago. "Arigatou gozaimasu, Chichiri-sama. You really are as understanding as everyone says."

He rubbed self-consciously at his nose. "Well, I don't know who 'everyone' is, but I'm happy I could help no da. Oh!" His head jerked up as if someone had called his name. "We've got company no da."

"Akai?" Aoi asked hopefully, but Chichiri just shook his head, turning to meet the newcomer. Aoi didn't miss the way the edges of Chichiri's masked mouth seem to twitch up a little more, as if he were smiling with _both _faces this time. "So who—?"

But before he could finish his question a woman jogged around the corner, her skirts hitched up in one hand and her kesa-sash looped around the other. Both Chichiri and Aoi waved to her, though Aoi knew full well that when Kiori's flushed face lit up and her lips all but burst into a smile that she wasn't offering that smile to him. The pair waited as Kiori hurried over, dropping both sash and skirt so that she could fiddle with a pair of somethings stuffed into her waistband. "Chichiri, I'm so glad I found you, I had to use the sash because you weren't in your room, and I'm sorry to interrupt but I'm really excited about this! Oh, hello, Aoi-kun."

"Hello, Kiori-sama." he said, biting back a giggle as she pulled a scroll triumphantly from her waistband – only to drop it in her haste to show it to Chichiri. "You're in a good mood."

"Mm!" she agreed, stooping to snatch up the scroll again. "Because I'm on to something, or at least I think I am."

"On to something?" Aoi and Chichiri repeated, cocking their heads to the sides in perfect unison.

"Mm!" Kiori held the scroll out to Chichiri as if offering him a sacred relic. "About the legend, and those riddles, and the clues to the other Element battles! I was working in the infirmary, not even really thinking about it, when – _wham_! – the idea just came to me. So I excused myself right away so I could check the scrolls. And I think I'm right!"

Chichiri took the scroll from her outstretched hand. "That's great no da! I'd love to hear about it." He glanced around, but neither Akai nor Tasuki were anywhere in sight. "But I think it'll have to wait. I _did_ want to talk to Tasuki and Akai today no da..."

Kiori's eyes dimmed and her shoulders drooped, excitement dying as quickly as it had ignited. "Oh. Okay. Well." She smiled, though it held none of the enthusiasm of her previous one. "Um... later, then? I'll be out by the gardens, under the fruit trees. So, you know... just when you get a chance."

She turned away, but Chichiri's voice stopped her. "But on the other hand, _they're_ late and _you're _right on time no da." She glanced over her shoulder, the spark of excitement back in her face. That spark stamped out whatever uncertainties Chichiri might have still possessed. "Let's go down to the gardens and I'll hear this idea of yours. I can always catch up with Tasuki later no da."

"Oh, wonderful! Thanks a lot!" She bounced up and down on the balls of her feet, taking the scroll back from Chichiri's willing hands and turning it over and over between her own. "And anyway, I helped Tasuki with breakfast this morning and he seemed just fine to me. I think he felt bad about whatever happened at the ring with Ritsuka, but other than that…" She forced her feet to settle down. "So, shall we?"

"Mm, just one second." Chichiri's eyebrows scrunched together for a moment, then he glanced back at Aoi. "It looks like Akai is with Houki-sama right now no da. You might be waiting a while."

He shrugged. "Oh, I don't mind. Thanks for letting me know. I hope you didn't have to wade through too many people to find that out for me."

"No problem at all no da! The more time I spend around someone's ki, the easier it is for me to find it. Akai's like a little red lamp these days no da." Aoi chuckled and Chichiri turned back to Kiori. "Ready?"

"What was that all about?" she asked as they headed off down the walkway.

"Nothing important no da," he assured her. "So what's this about the riddles?"

"Oh, right!" Kiori shoved the scrolls back into her sash, pressing one hand against the bundle and grabbing at Chichiri's arm with the other. "It'll be easier if I show you. Come on, let's get comfortable somewhere and I'll tell you all about it!"

"Hai, hai…!"

Aoi couldn't help but chuckle as Kiori half-dragged Chichiri out of the training rings, speaking excitedly the entire way. He leaned back against the rail, turning his eyes up to the clouded sky and the few flitting sparrows. _'Simplicity _is_ nice,_ _Chichiri-sama… but you know, I think that sometimes complex can be a _lot_ more fun.'_

oOo

Kiori dropped the scrolls on the grass beneath a fruit tree, fidgeting from side to side as she waited for Chichiri to take a seat beside her. "Okay," he said once he'd made himself comfortable, "let's hear this idea no da."

"Well, truth be told, I don't have everything figured out just yet. But here's what I've got so far..." She spread out the scroll with the seven hints and the Element's names. "Here's the thing: You and I have thought all along that this was the scroll that had everything we needed to know in it, that somewhere there was a pattern to Element and Konan Warrior order." Chichiri nodded. "I still think we've got a good point there, but here's what we've been overlooking..."

The monk's eyebrows rose as Kiori spread another scroll out on the ground. This one had all the original poems for the assembly of the Konan Warriors. She tapped her finger against it triumphantly. "Not once have we tried putting _these_ together with the ones on the other scroll!"

"That's true no da!" Chichiri leaned forward so he could get a better look at the pair of prophesies. "So what's the pattern?"

"It's really pretty simple once you think about it." Kiori pointed at the Konan Warrior's scroll, then at the series of lines that provided hints for defeating the Elements. "It's all about the order of clues and names. See, watch: The first person described on the Konan scroll is you, right?" He nodded. "Now, read the first Element clue!"

Chichiri did as she said. "'_When the cold night strikes, selfless power is all that can win,' _no da."

"Now _tell_ me that doesn't sound like your battle with Tsuki!" Kiori said, smacking the paper triumphantly. "Go ahead, try it on the second and the seventh. You'll find descriptions to Tasuki's and Koji's battles."

Chichiri could already tell that the college girl's theory was right, but he obligingly did as she suggested. "'_Two: A fiery will can defeat the darkest light. Seven: When the chill gale blows, courage will be valued over power''_" His face lit up as he looked to Kiori again. "You're right, it's a perfect match no da!"

She blushed and stared at the ground, though she couldn't hide her smile. "I couldn't believe it when I figured it out. Oh, and see," her finger traced a line from the warrior riddles over to the Elements, "my name matches up with number three, the weird one that says _'__The frozen warms even as the warm freezes__.' _And Ritsuka's matches with number four, the one about two fighters, and Akai's with—"

But Chichiri dove forward before she could continue, blocking her view as he ran a hand down the list of Elements' names. "Wait, Kiori, this is so obvious no da! The Elements are listed in the order they'll attack!"

"Eh?" She shoved her head down next to his, too excited to notice that they were sitting cheek-to-cheek. "Tsuki… Taiyou… Kaze… You're right!"

They both sat up straight, slapping their own foreheads and crying, "How could I have _missed_ that?"

They stared at each other for a moment, then Kiori's face broke into a smile and Chichiri's followed suit, and before long they both had their heads bent, laughing quietly at their own foolishness. "This is too much," Kiori said between giggles. "We've been staring at these things for weeks, and now we get everything all in one go? I can't decide if we're that smart or that stupid."

"Maybe we just needed one spark to light all the candles no da," Chichiri suggested. He straightened so he could look her in the eye, and even his mask couldn't hide his admiration. "Great job, Kiori."

And again Kiori found herself staring at the ground and rubbing at her nose. "Oh, it wasn't anything... and anyway, don't start praising me yet. We still don't know how this all fits together." She fluttered a hand at the two scrolls. "I mean, we know that Sora will attack next, but we don't know which of the warriors will have to face her. Although…" She leaned down over the scrolls again, chewing her lip and tapping at the sixth clue. "This thing about lighting up a 'midnight sky' might be a good first clue. Say, Chichiri, d'you think that means that the next battle will be…"

Kiori looked up and trailed off, surprised to find Chichiri staring at the scrolls with unhidden surprise – surprise, and something that looked like horror. "Chichiri? Is everything okay?"

He blinked, but when he turned to meet her gaze his smile was back in place and he was as impenetrable as ever. "Shouldn't it be no da?"

She opened her mouth to respond, but her words were drowned out by the all-too-familiar beat of the war drums as they echoed through the palace. "A battle?" Kiori said the word like it was foreign. "It's been so long… I thought for sure that Takkan had just decided to lay siege on us. Well—"

Chichiri scooped up the scrolls before Kiori could say anything more, flashing another of his disarming 'daijoubu' smiles. "Sounds like you're going to be needed in the infirmaries no da. I'll take care of these before I head up to the wall."

"Oh…" Kiori hesitated, but the persistent drums refused to be ignored. "I guess you're right. We'll talk more about this later, okay? Stay safe during the fight."

"Don't worry about me no da," he assured her, too cheerfully.

She took two steps away before she turned back again, a pucker of a frown set between her eyebrows. "Um, Chichiri, if you figure out something else, you'll tell me, right?"

He opened his mouth and the drums rattled out around them again. "…should get going, right?"

"But—" _RUM-puh-puh-RUM!_ The battle call drowned out everything. "Oh, never mind, I'll tell you later!" Kiori groaned, throwing her arms up and whirling away from Chichiri. "I'm coming, I'm coming…!"

Chichiri waited until she had disappeared before allowing the smile to slip off his face. He turned his attention back to the scrolls, masked eye flicking down the list of Elements' names, then over to the Konan Warriors' riddles. He sighed, pressing thumb and forefinger to the bridge of his nose. _'It's a perfect match no da.' _He jerked up, eyebrows shooting up his forehead. _'But, if that's the case… then…!'_

He cut off that train of thought with a sharp jerk of his head. "No," he whispered aloud, as if to reassure himself. _'I've been wrong before no da. There's no reason to get worked up over another theory. I'll just have to keep a close eye on everyone, and make sure that those repercussions don't hurt anyone else… no da…'_

oOo

The Takkan army had nearly reached the city by the time Chichiri made it up the steps of the north wall. He crouched down between Ritsuka and Akai, nodding a greeting to both of them, as well as to the bandit seishi kneeling on the other side of Akai. "You all look cheerful this morning no da."

Akai giggled. "Ritsuka-san's still in rapture from her breakfast feast this morning. Apparently Tasuki-sama's a good cook when he puts his mind to it. Typical of a seishi, really."

Tasuki grinned, stretching his arms above his head. "Yeah, I'm kinda awesome like that."

Ritsuka rolled her eyes but couldn't help but smile. "So what's your excuse, Akai? Yesterday you looked about ready to run away and join the circus."

"Is it because you spoke to Aoi-kun?" Chichiri asked.

She blinked at him. "Um, no. Was I supposed to?"

"He was looking for you no da. I think he wanted to apologize."

"Apologize for what?"

Chichiri laughed. "That's the mystery no da." Akai tilted her head to the side. "I think he felt bad about what happened yesterday. He just wanted to cheer you up no da." She flushed and looked at her feet. "But if _that's_ not why you're feeling better, then I'm as stumped as Ritsuka no da. What's up?"

Akai looked to the sky, shrugging airily. "Oh, well, I _was_ upset, but I thought a lot about it last night, and I decided that it wasn't right for me to cause problems for all of _you _just because of that slimy traitor. So I've decided to be mature about this. I'm going to be polite to him, even if I _do _think he's scum." She flashed her teeth in a downright vicious grin. "It'll lure him into a false sense of security. That way, when he _does _betray us, _I'll _be able to stop him."

The others all sweatdropped. "If that's mature," Ritsuka grumbled, "then I hope I _never_ grow up."

"What's the situation?"

All eyes turned to the wall steps just in time to see Hataku come into view, his injured leg dragging just a shade behind the rest of him. "Ah-ha, you see!" Akai whisper-shrieked to Ritsuka, forgetting her earlier promise and pointing wildly at the former shogun. "He's up here to fight! I _told_ you he'd turned against his people! A soldier lives by a code of _honor and loyalty_, Ritsuka-san, and this man has—"

The redhead slapped a hand to Akai's mouth, smiling brightly at Hataku and answering his question. "Oh, you know, the usual. They're attacking, they're going to fail, we're going to laugh at their sorry attempts and get ourselves a well-earned lunch after they give up and slink back to camp. C'mon, _you_ oughta know the routine front-to-back, Former Shogun-san." Hataku limped over to the group, leaning his elbows against the ramparts. Since the others were all sitting, they had a perfect view of the new sword hanging at his waist. "Oo, snazzy blade you got there. Where'd you get it?"

"It was a welcoming gift from Houki-sama," he explained. "She said it was fitting for the new combat instructor to possess a weapon."

Akai's jaw nearly smacked against the stones. "She… gave… you… a…?" Black waves of gloom emanated from her body as she pressed her face into the ramparts, shaking it back and forth miserably. "It's all over," she moaned to no one. "We'll be murdered in our beds for certain…"

Hataku ignored her, waiting as the two seishi and the college woman all stood as well, looking out at the approaching Takkan forces. His eye shifted across the ranks, quickly tallying up the troops. He frowned. "Have they been attacking frequently?" The others all shook their heads. His eye narrowed. "Desertions, then, and plenty of them."

"How can you tell?"

"There's too few men," he explained. "Even _after _that massacre of yours," he nodded to Chichiri and Tasuki as he said it, "we – er, the Takkan army, I mean – still outnumbered the Konan forces. Now, though… now I'd say they're almost even." He scowled. "Gods, what idiot could lose so many men in such a short time?"

Tasuki pointed with his bow to the man hovering near the back of the forces. "_That_ idiot. Dunno his name, he never introduced himself. Know him?"

Now it was Hataku's turn to have his jaw drop. "Kawahito? You've got to be kidding me." He blinked a few times… then shook his head and laughed. "Oh, this is unbelievable."

"Is it really that funny no da?"

"That woman must be out of her mind," Hataku said, more to himself than the others. "Kawahito's a fine soldier, and he's a decent leader on the battlefield, but he could never lead an army as big as ours—" he had to check himself again, "er, as Takkan's. He doesn't have the leadership abilities _or _the brains for it."

"Maybe we should consider ourselves _lucky _that you got exiled," Akai grumbled. It almost sounded polite. "At any rate, they're almost in range. I guess Houki-sama gave you a bow, too, so you could help us kill your old friends today?"

"May I make a suggestion?" he asked, ignoring Akai once again and looking instead to the two seishi. Akai steamed, but the seishi just nodded and Hataku continued. "I'd like to speak with them, and give them a chance to surrender."

Ritsuka and Tasuki face-vaulted. "Are you nuts?!"

"Not at all," Hataku assured them. He turned his eye back to the soldiers, and even Akai couldn't miss his small, worried frown. "It's just that they're fighting a battle they're going to lose, and a pointless one at that. I'd like to give them a chance to save their families some grief, and the offer just might carry some weight, coming from me."

Tasuki shrugged. "I guess we c'd give it a try. Prob'ly won't do much good, but hey, it's yer call, 'Taku."

oOo

Yuki was the first to notice the white flag and the strangely familiar figure on the wall top. He touched a hand to Shogun Kawahito's shoulder, then pointed to the waving cloth. "It seems they want to speak with us."

"Whadda we have t'say t'them?" Utara-taii snarled from Kawahito's other side. "_I_ say we kill their little flag-waver an' get on with th' damn war."

Kawahito scowled at him. "Er, I'm th' one who gives orders around here, not you. An' I say we see what they want! Who knows, they might wanna work out some kinda peace treaty."

Utara spat contemptuously. "Uh-huh, an' I'm a pretty liddle girl. But y'can keep on dreamin', Shogun-sama."

oOo

Hataku watched as Kawahito Goro, flanked on either side by Furosaki Yuki and Utara Benji, rode up to the main gate. Tasuki nudged him in the ribs. "So how weird is this fer you, huh? Starin' down at yer old subordinates from th' top-a th' Konan Wall."

The former shogun shrugged, impassive as ever. "Nothing is permanent."

"That doesn't mean you can't miss the things you lost no da."

If Hataku heard Chichiri's murmured remark, he didn't let it show, but instead kept his attention on the approaching soldiers. Utara kicked his horse out in front of Kawahito, puffing up his chest and bellowing upwards. "Yeah, you wanted t'talk t' us?"

Hataku tried a smile, though he doubted any of the men could see it. "Ohayou, Utara-taii. Still as tactless as ever, I see. You're looking well, Furosaki-taii. And Goro, they say you're the shogun now. You've done quite well for yourself since I left, though it doesn't look like the army as a whole has had the same luck."

Kawahito scratched his head, squinting against the overcast light at the figure on the wall. "Er, how did you know all of that?"

Utara rolled his eyes. "It's Hataku-sama, you idiot, though he looks like he's been dragged through a tiger's lair 'r somethin'." He craned his neck upwards. "Hey... I thought you said he was kill't."

"He was!" Kawahito snapped. He looked up once more, scratching at his head. "Er... wasn't he?"

Yuki shook his head at the pair and swung down from his horse, stepping forward and sweeping out a short bow to the wall. "A pleasant morning to you as well, Shogun-sama. You're looking quite well for a dead man."

"The Watanabe family is well-known for its stubbornness. Apparently that tenacity applies to death as well," Hataku replied easily, as if he were talking to an old friend – which, in many ways, he was. "And it's not 'Shogun-sama' anymore, you know. Just Hataku, Konan soldier, if you will."

Kawahito nearly fell off his horse. "Konan soldier! What are you, some kinda traitor?"

Akai prodded Ritsuka. "You see, you see?" she hissed triumphantly. "_They_ think so, too, because—"

"I haven't turned my back on Takkan," Hataku said, interrupting Akai's outburst. His voice was quiet but firm, absolutely certain of itself. "My quarrel isn't with you, Goro. It's with the woman who has done so much to harm both my home and myself. That's all."

"But, but, Setsuka-sama said you were…"

"Oh, give it up, idiot," Utara hissed. He turned his gaze back to his former ally and shogun, but there was little friendliness in his tone. "All right then, Shogu – er, Hataku. You called us out. Whadda you an' yer new friends want?"

Kawahito thumped Utara over the head. "I'm the shogun here!" He glared at the wall, then flushed and repeated Utara's words. "Er... What d'you an' your new friends want?"

"Complete surrender."

Both shogun and taii slipped off their horses. "Are you nuts?!"

"There's nothing to be gained from this war, not anymore anyway," Hataku said. "Do you even know what you're fighting for? Do you even know why you're putting your men in danger, Kawahito-_shogun_?" He put extra emphasis on the title, as if he hoped to inspire some feeling of responsibility from the baffled soldier. "This is a losing war. You must see that. Even if your Lady does somehow manage to take Konan, she'll do it without the Takkan army. She never intended to use you as anything but a distraction, as 'something for Konan to kill' while her and her Elements fought the real battles." Hataku's voice lowered until it almost sounded contrite. "I realized that too late, and I apologize for it. You don't have to make the same mistake. You can do what's right for your men."

Kawahito hesitated, glancing back and forth between Utara and Furosaki. He scratched at his chin, then shrugged helplessly. "Setsuka-sama's word is law. As long as she orders us t'keep fightin', then it's my duty t'keep us fightin'. That's what a soldier does, right?"

"Blind loyalty is a dangerous thing," Hataku murmured, though not loud enough for anyone but the surrounding Konan Warriors to hear him. Akai frowned but said nothing. He sighed and raised his voice again, speaking to the Takkan soldiers this time. "Well, if that's your decision then there's nothing I can do. I hope you survive this war, Goro. I'd very much like to visit _The Turtle's Shell _with you again."

Utara spat and turned away. A moment later, Kawahito followed suit, though he was frowning as he did it. Furosaki Yuki ducked another short bow to his former shogun, then led his horse away from the wall and back to the other Takkan soldiers. Everyone was too busy talking about the reappearance of Hataku to notice as Yuki swept past the soldier Tori, murmuring into his ear as he walked by, "Gather the others after the battle. I've got an idea."

Back on the wall top, Hataku stood, waiting until Kawahito had resumed his position at the back of the army. "I suppose that's that," he said, turning away from the northern plains. "Best of luck, though I don't think you'll need it."

"Where're you goin'?" Tasuki asked, ducking behind the ramparts again.

"Back to the palace, of course."

Akai blinked. "But, but I thought you came up here to…"

"To fight?" Hataku finished. "Not a chance." He patted at his stiff leg. "Assuming I could even _crouch _behind the ramparts, I don't think I'd be able to get back up again." He turned his back on the Konan Warriors. "No, my days of sniping are over. It's just impractical now."

Chichiri smiled at him. "You're not a very good liar no da."

The former shogun grunted but didn't respond. Ritsuka grinned as he disappeared from view, back into the streets of Eiyou. "You know, I get the feeling he actually thought he could get those guys to surrender."

"Maybe not," Chichiri said, "but I do think he wanted it so badly that he _made_ himself believe it no da."

Ritsuka clapped her hands to her cheeks. "That's just too damn cute. He's a big, grouchy teddy bear at heart, isn't he?"

"He's _not_," Akai murmured, staring hard at the stones beneath her feet. "He _can't_ be. He's a traitor. A scumbag. So… so…"

"Oops, Takkan soldiers with bows at th' ready!" Tasuki called, risking a peek over the wall just in time to see the men pull back their arrows. "'Chiri, you on teleportation duty fer the wounded?"

"Of course no da."

He grinned. "Then get outta my way. I got me some Takkan soldiers t'turn inta little porcupines. Akai! Red! Flank me 'r I'm kickin' you off, too. This is th' first chance I've had in _weeks_ t'let out some-a my anger on th' real enemies, an' I plan on doin' jus' that."

"Yes sir, Tasuki-chan, sir!"

"Ah, hai, Tasuki-sama…" Akai turned, readying her bow and sighting down the shaft at the soldiers standing beyond the wall. She threw herself into her work, firing and reloading with practiced ease, forcing herself not to think about anything but the job at hand. But even so, she never stopped frowning, and she could never quite get herself to forget about that little flash of concern she'd seen on Hataku's face.

oOo

The stifling Konan heat kept the battle short, and before long Kawahito, mopping a near waterfall of sweat from his brow, called for a retreat. The men were too hot, exhausted, and occupied with the wounded to notice as seven soldiers and a cook one-by-one disappeared from the ranks. By the time Yuki had excused himself from the cluster of captains, slipping back into the trees and making his way to the arranged meeting place, there wasn't a soldier in the camp who could honestly say that those seven soldiers hadn't died on the battlefield, just more bodies on a long list of casualties.

And, in a way, they might have been right.

"Lady and gentlemen," Yuki called, stepping into the clearing with all the officiousness of a commanding officer, "there has been a small change in our plans."

Tori leaned forward, drumming his fingers against his knees. "We goin' home, Yuki?"

A muted cheer went up from the others, but Yuki held up a hand for silence. "Not exactly, Tori-kun, but it'll be the next best thing, I promise you." He paused to build the tension, then smiled secretively. "Have any of you ever wanted to see the inside of a palace?"

oOo

After the Takkan army beat its retreat, life in Eiyou and the palace quickly returned to normal. For Aoi, that meant an afternoon watch duty on the northern wall. He sat with his back straight and one hand on his bow, staring out at the horizon with all the intensity of a hungry hawk. He was so entranced in the surrounding countryside, in fact, that he didn't notice Akai until she spoke. "You're taking that really seriously, huh?"

"Oh…" He looked back at her with a weak smile. "Yeah. After what happened with Koji-san, I know I can't afford to slack off anymore." As if to prove his point, he immediately resumed staring off into the distance.

"Chichiri-sama said you wanted to talk to me."

"I just wanted to see how you were doing. You were really upset last night."

"Yeah." She took a seat next to him, following his gaze out to the horizon. "I'm okay now. Or at least, I'm not _upset_ anymore." She sighed. "To tell the truth, I'm sort of… confused." Aoi waited for more, but Akai just said, "Anyway, thanks for being worried about me. You're a great guy."

He shrugged. "Not really. I just…" He flushed, looking down and rubbing at his nose. "I just like you. A lot. So… so I don't like seeing you sad, is all."

Akai leaned forward and pecked him on the cheek. Aoi's eyes snapped open and all the blood seemed to rush straight to his face. The young soldier whipped around to face her, except that he wasn't so much facing _her_ as he was facing her feet, and stammered, searching for the right reply. But just when he thought he might have found it, Akai said, "Uh-oh. I think we've got company."

"Huh?" Aoi looked out over the fields, sharp eyes immediately spotting the cluster of people-shaped specks moving towards them. "Oh, well, they're still really far away. It might not be anything." He slipped sideways, one arm snaking out around Akai. "We could probably sit here, you know, talking about… things… for a long time, still."

She pursed her lips. "Maybe. But maybe not." Akai leaned forward, hands tight against the ramparts, and when she spoke again it was as the Palace Champion. "Get your bow ready, and keep it trained on them. If they're Konan-jin, fine. If they're not, you know what to do."

Defeated, Aoi let his arm fall back to his side. "Yeah, I know what to do." He sighed and reached down for his bow. "Stupid visitors," he grumbled under his breath.

oOo

Furosaki Yuki and his group of deserters arrived at the main gates of Eiyou to find two young soldiers already waiting for them, gazing down from the top of the wall. The boy kept his bow trained on them, but it was the girl, the one with the shock of violet hair, that seemed to exude command. Even from this distance, Yuki could tell _she_ was the one he needed to win over first. He swept a bow to the pair, keeping his gaze on the girl. "Ah, a welcoming committee. And here I thought Konan's famous hospitality was just a myth."

The female glared at him, barking out orders in true shogun fashion. "Names and business, Takkan-jin."

"My name is Furosaki Yuki, formerly Furosaki-taii of the dreaded Takkan army. These are my compatriots. And whom might I have the pleasure of addressing this fine afternoon, Soldier-sama?"

"I'm Akai, Konan Warrior, and this is Aoi, a fellow soldier."

Tori sniggered. "So where's Murasaki?" Kirei tweaked her friend's ear. "Yowch!"

Yuki sighed. "You'll have to forgive my friend, his tongue occasionally moves faster than his brain." He spread his arms, a gesture of friendship and a way to show her that he was unarmed. "We are, I suppose you could say, deserters from the Takkan army. We would greatly appreciate entrance to your city, and perhaps a chance to aid you in your war against our dastardly enemy."

Kirei shook her head in admiration of her friend's eloquence. "He and that brother of his could talk a starving wolf out of eating them," she murmured to Tori.

He snickered quietly. "An' if that didn't work, their scary faces'd do the trick." He earned a light cuff to the head for his impudent – and quite false – remark, courtesy of Yuki himself.

The former taii turned his attention back to Akai and Aoi. "We are harmless, if not a bit cheeky at times." Everyone glared at Tori, who whistled innocently in response. "And I can assure you beyond a shadow of a doubt that we shall fight by your side to the bitter end."

"Oh? And how can you promise that?"

Yuki chuckled. "Because we were never _against_ you to begin with!" Akai raised an eyebrow, though the former taii couldn't see it. "I will happily explain everything to you and your companions. But really, all this shouting back and forth is quite a strain on my throat, and my elder brother would simply kill me if something were to happen to my angelic singing voice."

Aoi and Akai held a whispered conference that was lost on the Takkan deserters, then both turned back to the cluster of soldiers. "All right," Akai agreed warily. "But don't try anything funny. The two of us may not look like much, but my friend here once killed a hundred Takkan soldiers single-handedly." Aoi blushed – did Akai still _remember_ that conversation?

Yuki chuckled. "But of course, O Nightmare Warriors."

A few moments later the small side door opened. Akai hustled the group into the city, with Aoi slamming and locking the gates behind them. "Now, I'm going to have to check you for wea—" Akai stopped short, staring in open-mouthed shock at the young taii. "Hey, I know you!"

"You do?" Aoi and Yuki asked as one.

Akai's head bobbed up and down. "Mm! You're that taii, the one who stopped Koji-san from burning down the last of the supply tents!"

Yuki's eyes lit up in recognition. "Oh, that's right! You're the friend of Bandit-Who-Never-Gave-Me-His-Name-sama!" He shaded his eyes and scanned the area, as if searching for someone. "And where _is_ he? I wrote that ballad, just as I promised. I really must share it with him as soon as possible. Any chance we'll be meeting him tonight?" Akai and Aoi both looked away, faces darkening with sorrow. Yuki wilted. "Ah. I know _that_ look. I'm sorry for your loss. It's a true tragedy."

"Yeah," Akai agreed. "It was." She shook her head, unsheathing her sword and facing first Yuki and then his followers. "But that's not important right now. I have a job to do, and just because Koji-san liked you doesn't mean I can trust you. Jackets off and hands on the wall, please. We have to search you for weapons."

The deserters obliged, allowing Aoi and Akai to move down the line, Aoi with his bow trained on them while Akai frisked them for any hidden blades. Tori whistled as she patted down his waist. "Hell's teeth, but yer young fer a Konan Warrior! Couldn't find anyone older fer the job, huh?"

"Don't underestimate me." Akai's swordpoint pricked at his back. "And watch what you say – you're on enemy land, you know."

Tori squirmed as the steel dug into him. "Yowch! Easy where you're jabbing that thing, Warrior-sama!"

Akai kept her sword unsheathed but relaxed her guard, nodding to Aoi. "They're clean. I'll take them up to the palace. You go on ahead and get the other Konan Warriors together in Houki-sama's study." She gnawed on her lip for a moment, then scowled and added, "Hataku, too. He might have something to say about this."

"Hataku?" Kirei set a hand to her forehead, swooning dramatically into Tori's arms. "Now I _know_ we're doomed!"

oOo

Aoi was lucky enough to find Chichiri first, who was then able to ki-search and find the others in just a few minutes. The Konan Warriors, Hataku, and Aoi arrived in the study as a single group, filing into the little room where seven soldiers, a cook, and one taii sat against a wall, Akai standing guard over them. Hataku took one look at the group and scowled. "I was hoping the deserters would be real soldiers – just my luck that it would turn out to be _you_ miscreants."

Kirei's smile dripped sweetness. "Aw, you don't really mean that, Shogun-sama."

"_Former_ shogun," he corrected automatically. He nodded to Yuki. "Hopefully you've managed to keep these delinquent friends of yours out of trouble, Furosaki-taii?"

"_Former_ taii," he echoed, closing his eyes and leaning back against the wall. "And it'd be an impossible task, as you must know."

Houki hesitated, eyes roving over the motley group dressed in the whites and greens of Takkan. "Are you well-acquainted with these people?"

Hataku nodded, but he looked like it hurt him to do it. "How could I forget them? They made a living out of causing trouble for the other soldiers, particularly _that_ one." He jerked his head at Tori, who just grinned and waggled his fingers in greeting. Hataku shrugged. "I don't know what else I expected from RAFT members, though."

Yuki jerked upright. "_What? _ Hataku-sama, how could you have possibly—?"

"Did you really think I was that dense?" Hataku couldn't help but smile. "The truth is I never knew for sure, but I always had a hunch." Yuki opened his mouth, but Hataku stopped him with a raised hand. "And before you even ask, I promoted you to taii _regardless _of that hunch, because you were the best for the job. I don't care _where_ my men come from; as long as they do their work properly then they can send information back to Enma-sama himself, for all I care." (1)

Yuki shook his head admiringly. "I must admit that I never particularly cared for you, Hataku-sama, but I always had a healthy amount of respect for you."

Ritsuka raised an eyebrow. "Hold on. RAFT members?"

"Remember, Ritsuka? I told you about how they helped me rescue Chichiri," Kiori said. The redhead looked at her blankly and Kiori sighed. "Rebel Alliance Forces in Takkan. In other words: friends." She turned her attention back to Yuki, a puzzled frown on her face. "You know, you sort of remind me of someone."

He chuckled, rising to his feet and striking a pose. "Well, if you've been to Takkan and met the RAFT, then one must conclude that you've met Aji, something of the second-in-command." She nodded and he jerked his head skywards. "That would explain it, then. He is none other than my dearest elder brother."

"That _would_ explain it," Kiori agreed. "I don't know how I could have missed it – you've got that same theatric way of talking, and you look a lot like him, too."

"Dashingly handsome, you mean?"

Kirei shoved him off-balance. "Oh, get over yourself, Captain Narcissist!"

"So," Houki began, "is it your wish, then, to temporarily join the Konan army?" They all nodded up at her, clasping their hands together and smiling their most innocent of smiles. Houki frowned, tapping at her chin. "Well, if you are truly RAFT members then I suppose there is no harm in it, but still…" She looked to the scowling shogun at her side. "Hataku-san, you know them well. What is _your _opinion on the matter?"

He glared down at the rebels, slipping almost unconsciously back into his role as their stern, proud shogun. "I don't know. Furosaki-taii was dependable enough, but the others never seemed to do anything but cause trouble. Maybe they're lying about helping you."

"Oh, yer Majestyness, we'd never lie about somethin' like this!"

"I swear on my RAFTly honor, I do!"

"C'mon, y'wouldn't turn a group-a starvin' rebels out in th' cold, would'ja?"

Hataku fought to hide a smile. "But then again, they seem to be an _honest_ bunch of troublemakers, at least." He nodded decisively. "Houki-sama, if you have any worries about this group, then rest assured that they're completely trustworthy – if not a bit of a headache."

"Then it is settled," Houki said, though her words were nearly drowned out as the Takkan deserters all burst into cheers. "Now, I suppose I shall need to escort you to the soldiers' barracks so that we may find living quarters for you. If you'll follow me…"

"Don't trouble yourself, Houki-sama," Hataku interrupted. "I was heading that way for dinner myself. I can take charge of them for you."

She thanked him and he bowed low, turning back to the rebels and gesturing for them to rise. They all scrambled to obey, Tori moving fastest of all. "H'oh boy, I heard the magic word: Dinner! So I'm guessin' the food here's somethin' t'sing about, ain't it?"

"It is," Hataku agreed. "Though I suppose anything will taste good to you after living on army rations."

"You got that right!" Kirei cried, rubbing at her flat stomach. "My poor belly's been complaining ever since that Konan Warrior flamed our supplies..."

Kiori smiled as she watched the group depart. _'It's good to see some other RAFT members alive and well. I bet Aji-san would be happy to know his brother is all right. Huh, he'd probably dance me around and try to kiss me, the shameless flirt.' _She set her chin in her hands, eyes turning to the nearby, north-facing window. _'I hope they're all okay, too…'_

"Something wrong no da?"

The monk's voice jerked Kiori out of her somber thoughts and back to reality. "Oh, it's nothing," she assured him. "Say, did you get a chance to work on the scrolls at all this afternoon? I would've helped but I had a lot of work to do."

"Not really," he said, though he looked away as he said it. "I don't think we'll know anything for sure until the next Element attacks no da."

"When... do you think that'll be?"

He shrugged, still keeping his eye fixed firmly on the other Konan Warriors – and as far away from Kiori as possible. "No telling, no da."

oOo

Afternoon gave way to evening, and evening found Setsuka gloomy.

"Oh, there's nothing to _do_ anymore!" she complained to Mizu, pacing up and down her private chambers. "There are so few Elements left, almost no servants _or _soldiers, and we haven't caught and executed a single one of those slimy rebels in _weeks_!" She flopped over in her chair, setting her chin on the armrest and staring forlornly at her fingernails. "And to top it off, that idiot Kawahito made absolutely _no_ progress today against Konan, _and_ he says that talented Furosaki-taii has gone missing." She sighed, one hand trailing up to fiddle with her four remaining gems. "I need something to cheer me up, Mizu-chan."

"M-maybe we could play a game of _go_," Mizu suggested. "Or, um, we could take a walk through the gardens. It's really nice outside, so…"

The young Element trailed off as her Lady's hand came into contact with the glowing red gem at her throat. Her eyes and lips lit up with malice. "Show me Kaji, Mizu-chan. I have a _much _better idea."

oOo

After dinner, the Konan Warriors and Aoi decided to retreat into Houki's private study for the evening. The room was one of the coolest in the palace, which made it ideal for avoiding the sticky summer air. They had spread out around the cozy room, splitting into groups and entertaining themselves however they wished.

Houki read a story to her son, who sat listening in rapt attention, while Akai and Aoi played a lightning-fast word game with one another. The two college students and their seishi friends sat at the room's single table, a set of homemade, western-style playing cards laid out in front of them, with another cluster held possessively between their hands. Coins sat in stacks in front of each of the four players. The game would have been entirely alien to the eyes of a Konan citizen, but to Ritsuka – the maker of the cards – and her three companions, it was a battle of wits, luck, and most of all, money.

The Konan Warriors were playing poker.

Tasuki stared at his cards with a raised eyebrow. "Okay, Red, I can't remember all th' different hands you told us about."

"Talk to your memory about that, not me," she growled, her face stuffed behind her cards and her eyes narrowed in a challenge.

He sighed and threw his cards on the table. "Screw it, then. I fold."

"I'm with Tasuki," Kiori said. "My luck's terrible tonight. I fold, too."

Ritsuka glared over the top of her cards at her arch nemesis, who was sitting in front of a veritable tower of coins and looking like he had no idea how he'd managed to get them. Her eyes narrowed into slits as she studied his face. _'Dammit, look at that _smile_ of his! I bet he's got something really good. But wait – what if he's just messing with my mind? It could all be an elaborate bluff! Oh, he's a sly one, all right...'_

She shook her head and set her cards down. "No good. I fold too. What've you got, Chichiri?"

He held out his hand, looking a little lost. "Da... I have a pair of fives. That's pretty good, right no da?"

Ritsuka's face slammed into the table. "I had a full house, dammit! An honest-to-God _full house_! I could've _massacred_ you!" She sprang to her feet, one hand smacking the table and the other pointing accusingly at the baffled monk's nose. "Damn you and your poker face!"

Chichiri sweatdropped. "Da..."

"You're cheating, you just _have_ to be!" she went on, plunking back into her seat and shooting daggers across the table. "There's no way _anyone_ can win ten hands straight and play fair."

"I barely know what I'm doing," Chichiri said. "_You're_ the one who keeps folding no da."

Ritsuka leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms over her chest and nodding knowingly. "Oh, you're a slick one, but I'm on to your little game now." She held up her index and middle finger, pointing them first at her own eyes and then over at Chichiri. "Don't try any more funny stuff, or I'll catch you this time, just see if I don't."

"_What_ funny stuff no—" Chichiri halted mid-sentence, sitting upright in his chair. His voice dropped a few octaves as he said, "I'm sensing an evil presence no da."

The others all stiffened, glancing around as if expecting an Element to materialize in the center of the room. Kiori kept her eyes on the seishi. "Who is it, Chichiri?"

He frowned. "I don't know. It's funny... I can sense it, but it doesn't seem to be coming from any one _place_, not really anyway..."

"You ain't much help then, are ya?"

All heads swiveled to face Tasuki, surprised to find him sitting tensely at the table, his jaw clenched so hard that the others could see the veins in his neck. Ritsuka paled; she knew that look. "Tasuki-chan, you okay?"

"Yer always askin' me that! It's so annoyin'!" He slammed his cards back on the table, standing as he did. "I'm sick of playin' this stupid game, s'all, an' I'm tired of Chichiri always sensin' danger two seconds too late."

"Tasuki-sama…!" Akai gasped, shocked at his cruelty.

"Something's wrong with him," Chichiri murmured, eyebrows and lips tight with worry. "He'd never say something like that no da."

"What th' hell d'you…?" Tasuki trailed off, squeezing his eyes shut and clenching his teeth together in a snarl of rage. "No, that ain't what I mean. Dammit, that ain't what I mean!"

"Tasuki-chan?"

"He's fighting it no da," Chichiri said, standing and moving slowly around the table. "Whatever's got a hold of him, he's doing everything he can to fight it. Now, if I can just—"

But as he reached out his hand Tasuki's arm jerked up, smacking him away. A crackle of energy passed between the two seishi, and then Tasuki whirled, storming across the room and towards the door. "I jus' need t'get outta here! So everyone jus' leave me th' hell alone, okay?"

He put on a burst of speed and disappeared from the room, slamming the door so hard that it bounced once on its hinges – but only once, because Ritsuka caught it on the second rebound, shoving it open again and taking off after the bandit, Chichiri hard on her heels. "Leave him alone? Like hell," she grumbled around a throat tight with frustration. "Damn it, this is just like before! He's losing it, I _know _he is…"

"It has something to do with that evil presence no da," Chichiri said. "If I could just figure out what it is, or where it's coming from..."

oOo

Tasuki barreled down the walkway, barely aware of where he was going but only knowing that he had to go somewhere as far away from the other Konan Warriors as possible. He was so busy focusing all of his sudden, unexplainable rage into his moving feet, in fact, that he never even _saw_ Hataku limping around the corner of the walkway. Tasuki slammed straight into the former shogun, knocking himself off-balance and Hataku straight into the wall.

"Move, dammit!"

Tasuki grabbed at Hataku to shove him to the side, but the former shogun caught his arm, single eye wide, almost panicked. "This feeling… Tasuki, what—?"

"I said _move_!" he snarled, ripping his arm away and storming off again.

oOo

Setsuka's eyes snapped open. "Hataku!" Her concentration slipped, taking all of her fury with it. She shrank back in her chair, her fingers locked around her necklace and her face growing paler by the second. "But how... how could he _possibly _be...?"

oOo

"Tasuki," Hataku called again, calmer this time. "May I speak with you for a second?"

Something inside of the bandit seemed to have loosened, though only marginally. He turned, still livid but at least willing to listen. "Make it quick."

Hataku looked the seishi up and down, his gaze finally landing on the headband looped around Tasuki's wrist. "There it is," he murmured to himself. He held out his hand, palm facing upwards, too focused on Tasuki's volatile gaze to notice as Chichiri and Ritsuka darted around the corner. "Could I see that headband for a moment?"

Chichiri didn't wait for Tasuki to respond. The monk set two fingers to his mouth, muttering a low incantation. The headband glowed red, unwinding itself and flying off Tasuki's wrist. Hataku snatched it up, though Tasuki made no move to get it back. Instead, he collapsed back against the nearby wall, pressing a hand to his forehead and squeezing his eyes shut. "Wha… what th' hell just...?"

Hataku held Koji's old headband out as far from his body as he could, wrinkling his nose at it. "Tasuki, has this always belonged to you?"

"Eh?" He opened his eyes again, blinking at the headband in Hataku's hands. "N-no, it belonged t'my pal Koji. I've only had it fer a few weeks."

"And did it ever come into contact with an Element, or some Elemental magic?" Tasuki could only offer a dazed nod. Hataku nodded grimly. "That'd explain it."

Ritsuka and Chichiri hurried over to the pair as the rest of the Konan Warriors rounded the corner. "Explain _what_?" Ritsuka cried, exasperated. "Why the hell did Tasuki-chan just flip out on us – _again_?"

Hataku nodded to the headband. "I'm not especially sensitive to auras, but I spent enough time around Setsuka to know the feel of her power – and _this _thing is soaked with it." He offered it up to Chichiri. "I can't say for certain, but if Elemental magic seeped into it, that could have something to do with it."

Chichiri touched the material, recoiling as Setsuka's ki, so fierce and raw and filled with hate, raced through his body and sent a chill up his spine. "Hataku's right. It's _crawling_ with dark energy no da."

Tasuki still stood leaning against the wall, face tight with baffled exhaustion. "So... so what does that have t'do with me goin' crazy?"

"You aren't going crazy no da," Chichiri said with a relieved chuckle. "You're an Element too, Tasuki, you've known that for a while now. Chances are the Elemental magic created a stronger bond between you and Setsuka. She was probably able to manipulate that bond no da."

He sighed. "In Konanese...?"

"She used her link with you and Kaze's magic to influence your emotions no da." Hataku handed the headband over to Chichiri, who accepted it with only slight hesitation. "I'll have to hang onto this for now, but it'll only be temporary. I'll purify it, and then it'll be good as new no da. So you don't have to worry… about…" Chichiri trailed off, frowning as Tasuki's head drooped downwards, fists clenched tight at his sides. "Um, Tasuki?"

"I'm such an idiot," he hissed under his breath. "I'm such a damned _idiot_!" He slammed his fist back into the wall, body flaring with crimson ki. "T'think that I let that... that _bitch _get control over me! An' I didn't have a damn clue, not _one damn clue_! I couldn't even fight it! I hurt Red, attacked Aoi... Gods damn it, I'm such an _idiot_!"

"Humph!" Ritsuka clenched her own hands and marched up to Tasuki, kneeling down and twisting her head up so she could glare straight into his down-turned face. "You're right, Tasuki-chan. You _are _an idiot." She grabbed him hard by his bangs, pulling him down so they were at eye level.

"Ow, ow, ow…"

Tasuki winced under Ritsuka's hold, but trailed off when he opened his eyes again and found her watching him with a smile – and the threat of a tear in the corner of one eye. "But who the hell cares? At least you're back, really back this time. That's all that matters, right?"

"Red..." She released his hair and he straightened again, meeting her smile with a tiny one of his own. "Yeah. I guess that's true. An' now that I know what it's like, her gettin' inta my head like that, I won't ever let her do it again." His eyes flicked over to Hataku, standing silently to the side. "Thanks a lot. I mean, hell, if you hadn't been here, I dunno _what _woulda happened."

He shrugged. "It was nothing."

"Come now, modesty is most unbecoming, _especially_ when one is flanked by Tasuki and Ritsuka," Houki said with a teasing smile.

"Damn straight!" Ritsuka agreed. She snuck up behind Hataku, throwing one arm around his shoulder and grinding her other fist affectionately into his arm. "I like this one, you guys! I think I'm gonna adopt him into the Konan Family! He can be our grumpy uncle!"

"Call me that again and you'll have seen your last training session," Hataku growled, looking away as his neck flushed pink.

"Aw, would'ja look at that? I made him blush." Ritsuka cuddled him tighter, cooing as if speaking to her pet cat. "You really are just a big, gwouchy teddy bea-uh, yes you are, yes you are!"

Hataku glared at Tasuki. "Is this how she treats all of her 'friends'?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

"Wonderful."

"Yossha!" Ritsuka cried, keeping one arm around Hataku and throwing the other around Tasuki. "Now that that's all settled, let's get back to the study. I've still gotta win all my money back from Chichiri, that sly gambler."

"Da..."

"Say, Hataku, you look like you'd have a good, stern poker face. Care to join us for a round or two?"

"I don't have any money."

"Oh, that's fine! We'll just steal some out of Chichiri's pile! He's been cheating anyway, so it's not like he doesn't deserve it!"

"Da…"

Ritsuka hustled them down the walkway, swapping jokes with Tasuki, and teasing both Chichiri and Hataku the entire way. Houki and Kiori slipped in with the group, joining in the lighthearted banter, but Akai hung back, staring along the walkway with a soft, puzzled frown. Aoi hesitated, then set a hand to her shoulder. "Akai? You okay?"

"I don't understand," she whispered. "Hataku… he _helped_ Tasuki-sama. When none of us knew what to do, he stepped up and actually _helped _him." She chewed at her lip. "Why would he do something like that? He's just a scummy, selfish traitor. He wouldn't look out for anyone but himself. I mean, he _couldn't _do something like that, right? I'm right… aren't I, Aoi-kun?"

Aoi shrugged. "Maybe. Or, maybe not."

She stared at the floorboards beneath her feet, face clouded with confusion. "Maybe not… huh…?"

oOo

Mizu kept her eyes on Setsuka, readying herself for one of her mistress' violent rages, but the Lady of Takkan remained silent and motionless, staring unseeingly into Mizu's seeing-crystal. "My Lady? Are you, um…?"

"You are dismissed, Mizu-chan." Setsuka's voice was flat, distant, as if she were speaking from someplace far away. "I will call you again when I need you."

The young Element frowned at her Lady, then glanced back at her seeing-crystal, surprised to see that it was still trained on the former Takkan shogun. Mizu's eyes shot back and forth between the crystal and her mistress, and it seemed that with every flicker of her gaze Setsuka grew paler and paler, as if the crystal itself were draining her energy. "Setsuka-sama, are you sure that you're—?"

The Lady's hand whipped forward, slamming into the seeing-crystal and knocking it to the ground. "I said that you are _dismissed_, Mizu-chan!"

She didn't bother to respond, but instead just squeaked and darted out the door, her crystals buzzing fearfully at her sides. Once Mizu had left, Setsuka slumped back in her chair, laying her cheek once more against the armrest. One hand remained clutched around her necklace, stroking each jewel over and over, but the rest of her was limp, loose, a breathing corpse. Even her eyes seemed clouded over with the white sheen of death.

And then she squeezed them shut, and she spoke two words, a whisper that had no breath behind it, as if it had slipped out of someone else's lips and landed, miraculously, against hers. But still, the words were hers. Somehow, some way, they still belonged to her.

"He's alive…"

oOo

The next morning found Hataku out at the training ring, bright and early as was his custom. The air was cooler than usual but still saturated with the sticky heat of a Konan summer, so the former shogun had stripped to his waist. The latticework of scars across his chest and back stood out as dark shades in the dawn light; the wooden sword in his hand was another shadow, slicing through the air as if threatening to scatter the light itself. His injured leg dragged anytime he tried to shift his stance, but his arms moved with a smooth grace, shifting through a series of morning exercises with the practiced skill of a true veteran.

From the doors of the training rings, Akai watched the awkward grace of the former shogun, soaking in the intricate warm-up routine – and the intricacy of the man himself. She hesitated, unsure what to do next, but Hataku spoke and made the decision for her. "You're welcome to come in, Akai-kun."

She stiffened and slunk in through the door. He never turned to look at her, but just continued with his routine. Slowly she made her way to the railing. Akai frowned, watching as the crosshatched scars on Hataku's back shifted and bunched with his muscles. The question slipped past her lips before she could stop it. "Those scars… did Setsuka do that to you?" He grunted, a noncommittal sound, but somehow Akai knew that it meant 'yes.' "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It has nothing to do with you."

"I guess not," she murmured. He returned to his routine. "Does it, um… does it still hurt?"

"_That_ part doesn't, no."

"Just the leg, then?"

"Mm."

"I see." She hesitated, watching as he continued his exercises, unconcerned by her presence. "Do you come out here every morning to do this?" He grunted another yes. "Why so early? Do you just like the quiet?"

"That," he agreed, "and I don't have much of a choice. If I don't loosen up now, I'll be too sore later to train the soldiers."

"You're that dedicated to your new job, huh?"

"I intend to earn my keep," he said. "Besides," he added with a hint of humor, "I get the feeling both Tasuki and Ritsuka would follow me through the palace sobbing if I left early."

Akai giggled, but the sound quickly trailed off, leaving the ring coated in silence once again. She struggled to find another topic. "So… um… what's your, uh, favorite color?"

Hataku lowered his sword, turning to face the young soldier. "What are you doing out here this early, Akai-kun?"

"Who, me?" Akai shrugged. "Oh, you know, I was just in the area, and I sort of thought…" She sighed, turning her eyes up to at last meet him face to face. "I'm trying to start from the beginning," she admitted. "From the point where I don't _know_ whether I hate you or not. Because I don't, not really. Not anymore. Because, see, I think that I…" She frowned, eyes sliding sideways, and it seemed that she had to drag the next words out of her mouth. "I think I might've misjudged you. A little. So I'm sorry about that. Really."

She watched him from beneath her bangs, surprised when he just shrugged and turned back to his routine. "I've been treated worse. It's fine, Akai-kun."

Silence hung over the rings once again, broken only by the soft hiss of air as it passed around Hataku's practice sword. Akai followed the sword's movements for a long moment, then clenched her fists at her sides and took a deep breath. "Hataku-san!" He stopped, startled by the outburst, and glanced over his shoulder. Akai took that as a sign to continue. "I was wondering… if, if you have enough time, and your leg doesn't hurt too much... d'you think that... well, maybe you could give me one of those… one of those private lessons that you've been giving Ritsuka-san and Tasuki-sama? Just whenever you have time, I mean."

Hataku hesitated for a moment, then turned, shifting his practice sword so that he held it loosely at his side, as if he were carrying a real blade. "Do you have anywhere you need to be right now?"

She blinked. "Uh, no, I'm free for another hour or so."

He jerked his head towards the wooden swords lined up on the far wall. "Then grab a weapon and get in here. _I'm_ only free for the next thirty minutes."

Akai stared at him for a long moment, then felt a slow smile spread across her face. She nodded, clasping her hands in front of her face and ducking one short, professional bow to her new teacher. "Hai, Shishou!"

oOo

In a tiny, forgotten shrine tucked away in the Takkan gardens, Sora sat with her hands clasped before a stick of incense and a spirit tablet. Her lips moved again and again in a mantra, a prayer for a happy rebirth, yet there was nothing in her voice to suggest that she cared one way or the other if that rebirth actually occurred. When the ritual was done, she turned her eyes upwards again, trailing them over the characters carved into the tablet.

"Two more seven-days, Kiba-kun," she murmured to no one. "Two more seven-days and then I will no longer belong to anyone but Setsuka-sama. So please, let your soul leave this place for something better. I won't be around to keep it company for much longer."

She stood, turning from the shrine with long, purposeful steps, but paused just outside the doorway. She brought up her hands, watching her sweat-slicked palms as a ball of light began to shimmer between them. A moment later a long, slim sword lay in her hands, glistening in the dawn light. Sora stared at it for a minute – then, in a motion as swift and smooth as water sliding over rocks, she jerked it to the side, clanging it against the stone pillar that stood outside the shrine.

She shifted her stance so that she was facing the pillar, pulling her sword slowly away. Sora smiled, a lopsided, broken smile that was sad and dangerous all at once. "Yes," she promised herself, and Setsuka, and perhaps even Kaze, somewhere far away. "I am going to be perfection."

oOo

"_'The Sky Element walked away with slow, deliberate steps, turning her back on her friend – and on the jagged dent that her sword had left in the solid stone of the pillar.'_" Tetsuya winced at the ominous ending. "End Chapter Twenty-Eight."

--  
Houki: At last, the conflicts between my fellow warriors have resolved themselves. Chichiri and Kiori are getting along splendidly, Tasuki and Ritsuka seem to have become even closer friends than before, and even Akai and Hataku-san have formed not only a truce, but the beginnings of a friendship. Yes, it seems that life within the palace may at last return to its usual state of… well, let us call it "chaotic tranquility," at least.

But tranquility, even the chaotic kind, can never last long during wartime. As the mourning period for Koji draws to a close, so too ends the vigil for the fallen Element, Kaze. And, with her friend at rest, the Sky Element Sora is prepared to serve her Lady – and she will destroy anything that stands in the way of that service.

The Next Episode of _Fushigi Yuugi: The Next Chapter_: "A Passing Peace – The Final Rites, and Then…"

Minna-san, I pray for your safety.  
--

* * *

**End Notes:  
**(1) Enma-sama – the lord of the underworld. Like Hades, but you know... Asian-y.

_**Ye Olde Author's Note: 1/20/09**_  
Happy Inauguration Day, minna-san!  
Phew, was this chapter ever a chore to edit! I wasn't pleased with the original – it was terribly disjointed, and there were a lot of unnecessary/redundant scenes – but even so, I couldn't cut it out altogether 'cause there was a lot of Plot that happened, so I wound up performing a surprisingly gory hack-and-slash on the episode. Some scenes were changed beyond recognition, and others were deleted altogether. Seriously, it was like a _Friday the Thirteenth_ movie on my laptop. Admittedly, it _still_ feels a little disjointed, but overall I'm pretty pleased with the rewrite. Thanks to my super-special-awesome beta Alicia for helping me pull it off!

And, while it may be my least favorite episode, it also happens to contain my _very_ favorite FY:NC one-liner. Extra credit points if you can guess which line that happens to be. (_grin_)

Not much else to say, so let's get to the ol' character profile! And guess who? Yep, it's our favorite of villainesses…

**Character Profile – Rei Setsuka  
**Age: 27**  
**Height: 5'3"**  
**Weight: 123**  
**Birthplace: Shoutei, the capital city of Takkan**  
**Birthday: March 30th (Aries)**  
**Blood Type: B**  
**Hair: Blonde, falling to the middle of her back, though she usually wears at least part of it pinned up.**  
**Eyes: Silver**  
**Likes: Bein' a bitch? Also Mizu… and possibly Hataku, though she sure has a funny way of showing it.  
Dislikes: Konan. The Seishi. The RAFT. Failures. Really, the list could go on for a while.**  
**Favorite Food: Anything candied. She has a big sweet tooth.  
Least Favorite Food: She really doesn't like the taste of duck.

So I know it makes me crazy, but there's a part of me that really likes Setsuka. Of course, there's another part of me that's constantly remarking to my beta, "Holy God, Setsuka is such a _biiiiitch_!" And still there's another part of me that's scared to death of her (I mean, seriously – I _created_ this lady. What does that say about _my_ inner psyche?). Overall, though, I have to say that she's a fun character to write, and a fascinating one at that, particularly when she's interacting with (or reacting to) Hataku. There's definitely something more to her than sadistic villainy, and it's those kinds of intricacies that I enjoy writing the most. I can't say too much about her for obvious plot purposes, but let's just say that, in terms of character development, the Lady of Takkan still has as far to go as the other characters – if not more.

**My Roommate is a Very Bad Man (Part of the "Never Edit at 1AM" Segment)  
**For the record, most 21-year old man-boys are 12-year old boys at heart. My roommate just happens to be the sort of 21-year old man-boy who doesn't mind _sharing_ his 12-ish-ness with the world. Or, more specifically, with me. Thanks to him, I now have to fight back giggles everytime someone says the word "duty" (teehee... "doody"). It's also impossible for me to write about Hataku's injured leg as his "stiff leg" without pausing to snigger under my breath. Believe me, I _tried_. I tried being a mature adult. I really did. I just couldn't do it. So I had to go through this episode and change it to "injured leg" _every single time_. Because, yes, that's the kind of person I've become.  
You hear that, Roommate? You've won, you sick bastard. I hope you're very proud of yourself.

Hm… is that it? Wow, I guess it is. Thanks to (_takes a deep breath_) anytem13, Ayriel, MagicAnimeGirl, RK9, Halogazer, LordxxAxelxxLover, Mrs. Nyappy, Dimonah, Amaya-san, Warrior-of-the-flames, Jaspergurl, and Ritsikas for reviewing! I can't tell you how awesome it is to have so many dedicated reviewers! I hope to hear from you all again after this one, too!

Your Authoress – Dee


	29. Episode Twenty Nine: A Passing Peace

_**Disclaimer**_**:** I still don't own Konan, Suzaku and all characters and seishi pertaining to them. Kiori and Ritsuka are and shall forever be mine, and that holds for all the other "originals" (you'll know 'em when they appear, trust me). Obviously the story is mine as well.

_**Rating:**_ PG-13, for moderate language and violence.

**Musical Selection: **"School Lyric" for pretty much all the early scenes featuring Ritsuka, and "Tsuchita Usuba Ashi," for the scene that begins, "Hey, Akai, you done...?" They're on the blog, as usual.

_You think my boss would be cool with me calling in sick with March Madness? Somehow I don't think she would be...  
_

* * *

**--Episode Twenty-Nine: A Passing Peace--  
The Final Rites, and Then…**

Yui looked at both of her friends nervously. "You guys thinking what I'm thinking?"

"If you're thinking, 'Another Element's gonna bite the dust,' then yes, you're thinking _exactly_ what I'm thinking," Keisuke told her, slumping back on the couch.

"I'm a whole lot more worried about the Konan Warriors," Tetsuya muttered. "Kinda makes you want to stop reading, doesn't it?"

"A little..." Yui shook head her. "No. For Sakamoto-san and Ikido-san's sakes, we've got to read this through to the end. Besides, we might be getting worried over nothing." She turned her eyes to the page. "See? This one begins perfectly peacefully. _'Like a pleasant dream, the days passed swiftly, flowing into one another until the final seven-day arrived. Now, with hope in their hearts, the Konan Warriors gathered to say their final farewells to their fallen comrade...'_"

oOo

"_We gather to grieve for a loved one.  
We gather to rejoice in new life.  
We gather to pray for safe passage.  
We gather to say good-bye._

"_Mitsuragi Koji leaves this world of dust,  
His soul departs, returning to its source.  
Yet as this life ends, so another begins.  
We grieve, we rejoice, we pray._

"_Suzaku, in your limitless compassion,  
Hear our heartfelt prayers.  
Guide our friend to your pure land,  
Forgive him his karmic debts,  
And grant him a happy rebirth._

"_May the wishes of all reach you.  
We grieve, we rejoice, we pray."_

Chichiri opened his eyes, glancing around at the loose semicircle of Konan Warriors and Aoi, their heads bowed in prayer. He smiled softly, then turned his attention back to the grave before them, the grave where Mitsuragi Koji had been buried 49 days ago. "Koji is no longer with us," he said quietly. "He has left this place for happier lands. Yet though he is gone, still his memory remains. May we continue to pray for his spirit, wherever it may roam. May all our grief turn to joy, and may we all one day be filled with peace, freed from suffering, and wrapped in Suzaku's loving embrace. _On mani hatsumei un_."

"_On mani hatsumei un_," the others all repeated.

One by one they opened their eyes, turning them first to the grave and then to each other, mixed expressions of sorrow and comfort mingling on their faces. They looked to Chichiri for direction. He smiled and slipped the black band of mourning off his shoulder. "Well, that's it no da. Koji's moved on to Enma's realm, now."

"_Omedetou, _Ko-Ko," Ritsuka congratulated. She unwound her own armband, frowning at it for a few moments before at last slipping it into her black mourning robes. "Think I'm gonna hang onto this for a while. I'm not quite done missing the guy."

"You don't have to take it off if you feel like you still need to grieve no da. Family and lovers tend to wear them for much longer."

"Nah, I'll keep it off. It's not that I'm _grieving_, really. I just miss him sometimes. Besides," she added, watching as the others – even the hesitant Tasuki and Akai – slowly removed their armbands as well, "I've never really liked the color black."

"Then you must have hated the dress code for this ceremony," Kiori said, fingering the hem of her own dark robes.

"You can go change if you want," Chichiri said. "There are a few things I still need to take care of, but the ceremony itself is over no da."

"The laymen are dismissed?" Ritsuka asked.

He smiled. "The laymen are dismissed no da."

Everyone hesitated a moment, eyes still on the stone that marked their friend's final resting place, then slowly they bowed their heads in farewell and turned, dispersing, returning to their lives. Kiori snatched one last glance at Chichiri, in the process of lighting an incense stick, then hurried down the hill after Ritsuka. She chuckled as she drew closer to her friend, realizing that Ritsuka was humming a pop song under her breath. "You're in a good mood this morning," she said.

The redhead grinned, stretching her hands above her head. "Course I am! What's there not to be happy about? Koji's moved on to sunny fields, Takkan's leaving us alone, everyone's getting along, you and Chichiri are dating..."

Kiori nearly tripped on her own feet. "_Ch-chotto matte_! In what universe are Chichiri and I _dating_?"

"Well, let's see..." Ritsuka turned her eyes skywards as if thinking hard. "You like him, he likes you, when the two of you aren't working you're together, and half the time you're together and alone..." She nodded. "Yep. That sounds like dating to me."

Kiori flushed. "It sounds like it – that doesn't mean that's what it is. We're friends, Ritsuka. We hang out because we are _friends_." She poked her index fingers together, unable to stop a very silly smile from sneaking onto her face. "But... do you really think we've been spending that much more time together?"

"Are you kidding?" She snorted. "I can't remember the last time you had lunch with me and Tasuki. You're always out at the pond with that honey-monk of yours."

Kiori giggled blissfully. "Well, I guess that is true... agh, no!" She shook her head hard, smacking her hands against her cheeks. "You're reading too much into it, Ritsu! Chichiri doesn't even think of me like that." Ritsuka snorted again, but Kiori went on, pointing an accusing finger at her friend. "And besides, if we go by your definition, then that means you and Tasuki are dating, too."

"Pfft! Please."

"Well, you're always together, and half the time you're alone..."

"Yeah, but it's totally different!" Ritsuka insisted, spreading her arms wide. "When Tasuki-chan and I hang out, it's like, skinned knees and baseball matches. But when you and Chichiri are together, it's all fluffy bunnies and rainbows."

Kiori sweatdropped. "Oddly enough, that made sense."

"Exactly! So see? It's totally different. Anyone can tell that Tasuki-chan and I are just buddies. The only people who believe that about you and Chichiri are you and Chichiri." She shook her head and chuckled. "Seriously, me and Tasuki-chan, of all the crazy accusations..."

"Okay, fine, so you're not 'in love' with him," Kiori allowed. "But even so, you do flirt with him a lot—"

"Because it's hilarious!"

"—And you have to admit that you're attracted to him."

"Oh, happily," Ritsuka agreed. "But I was also attracted to Koji, I think Ran-shogun is Johnny Depp with a topknot, and even Hataku's handsome in a sort of 'I-just-lost-a-fight-with-a-lawnmower' kind of way. Hell, if it weren't for the whole," she set her hand to her forehead and waved her fingers around, "peacock bangs, I'd probably be attracted to Chichiri, too."

"I _like_ his peacock bangs…" Kiori grumbled.

'My point is, this world is filled with good-looking guys, so of course I'm gonna be attracted to some of 'em." Ritsuka sighed miserably. "And it doesn't help that I haven't had sex in _ages_. Hell, even those wrinkly old ministers are starting to look appealing."

Kiori flushed. "Geez, Ritsu', do you have to be so crass all the time?"

She spread her hands. "Hey, I'm just being honest. You know, contrary to what the light novels would have you think, women _do_ have sex drives." She smirked, pointing knowingly at Kiori. "I know _you _have one. Don't think I don't hear you, moaning in your sleep at night." Ritsuka wrapped her arms around her own body and writhed back and forth. "Oooooh, Chichiri..."

Kiori's blush deepened to scarlet. "I _say_ things during those dreams?"

"No, but I just got you to admit that you have them." Kiori glowered but could think of no defense. Ritsuka laughed, nudging her friend's shoulder. "C'mon, don't look so embarrassed. The thing you should really be ashamed about is that you haven't gotten around to just grabbing Chichiri by the collar and snogging his socks off."

"Joke's on you," she sniffed. "He doesn't _wear_ socks."

"Tights. Slippers. Pantaloons. Whatever. My point is it's high time you force that stupid monk into action."

"Yeah, force him to awkwardly push me away and tell me that he doesn't think of me like that." Kiori sighed. "I think I'm gonna pass on _that_ embarrassment, thanks anyway."

"But you can't just keep waiting around hoping that he'll—!"

"I don't want to talk about this anymore," Kiori snapped. "What are you doing today?"

Ritsuka glared a challenge at her friend, but when Kiori met her stare with a stubborn one of her own it was the redhead who succumbed for once. "I'm going down to the training rings in another hour or so. Akai and Hataku are gonna have some kind of epic rematch. I think the others are gonna be there. You wanna come, or do you and Chichiri have plans to sit around and lie to yourselves all afternoon?"

"I'm busy in the infirmaries 'till one," she said coolly. "I might try to track you all down after that. Maybe we can have a late lunch in the gardens, in honor of Koji."

Ritsuka smiled a little wistfully. "Yeah. I think he'd like that." She turned her eyes up to the cotton ball clouds scuttling across the sky. "It's so weird to think that it's been a whole seven weeks since he died. It doesn't feel like it's been that long... but at the same time, it feels like a tonhas changed too, you know?" She frowned, setting her hands behind her head. "I remember, when we were at Koji's funeral... it felt like the war was so _close_. Like Setsuka might jump around the corner at any second, flanked by the rest of her Elements. These days, though, it's like the war doesn't even exist at all. Like they just sorta... forgot about the rest of us."

"No," Kiori said quietly. "Setsuka didn't forget. She's just waiting."

"For what?"

"I don't know. Something. But when it happens..."

Ritsuka grinned, clapping a hand to her friend's back. "When it happens, I'll whip it from here to Tokyo and back again. So don't sound so glum, okay? Whatever'll happen will happen. For now, let's just enjoy our mini-vacation," she flashed her teeth in a vicious smirk, "and let our fantasy dreams run wild." She threw her arms around a nearby column, rubbing her cheek up against it sensuously. "Ooooooh, Chichiri...!"

"That's it, you are _dead_!"

oOo

While Kiori chased Ritsuka through the halls of the palace, another young woman sat in front of a shrine, her palms pressed together and her eyes squeezed shut. Tendrils of smoke drifted from the incense sticks lit at the head of the altar, the thin gray wisps curling slowly to the ceiling, seeming to form a makeshift frame for the tablet at the center of the altar, the one that read _Koyama Kiba_, and below that, the single character for _Wind_.

"You are no longer with me," the girl at the shrine whispered. "There is no one but myself and Setsuka." She looked up, staring at the tablet with eyes that possessed nothing, not even sorrow. She nodded once, then corrected herself. "There is no one but Setsuka."

She blew out the incense stick and stood, leaving the shrine with smooth, deliberate movements. She did not once glance back, but instead walked to the main buildings of the Takkan palace, empty eyes focused on the promenade, and then on the staircase, and then finally on the door of her mistress' private study. She knocked once, then pushed open the door, entering a chamber that at one time had been cozy. Now, though, it simply felt stifling, as if all the ghosts of the palace and the city had settled here to weep, and to lament, and to demand vengeance upon the woman who sat reading behind the desk.

"Setsuka-sama."

The Lady looked up, lips parting in an uncertain smile. "Sora, it's good to see you. I trust you are, ah... feeling better?"

"The mourning period has ended," she said by way of an answer, dropping to her knees and pressing her forehead to the floorboards. "I submit myself completely to your command. You have only to ask, my Lady, and I promise that your will shall be done, or else I shall die in the attempt."

"Your dedication is moving," Setsuka said, "but I doubt it will come to such extreme measures as that." She hesitated, her face softened into a concerned smile for a fraction of an instant, then she closed her eyes and set down her book. When she opened them again, there was nothing but ice in her gaze. "However, if you feel ready..."

"Tell me which Warrior I should kill first."

Setsuka smirked. "Excellent. You are dismissed."

"Dismissed?" Sora repeated, though without surprise.

"Yes, but only temporarily. I shall summon you when the time is right." She stroked the deep blue gem on her neck, sending her malice into it, fortifying Sora's resolve with her own. "When it is time for you to claim your first of many lives."

oOo

Two wooden _bokken _swords clashed against each other again and again, the pair of fighters always on the lookout for an opening or a weakness. Back and forth the opponents went, blades slicing through the sunlight as they continued their dangerous game.

Akai gritted her teeth as her sword clacked against her opponent's, sending shock waves up both her arms. The enemy weapon twisted, snapping forward, forcing her to jump back, her own blade just barely managing to sneak up and knock his seeking point away from her heart. The _bokken_ glanced off her left side, knocking her off-balance but missing her vitals. Her opponent never hesitated, never gave her an inch of space, but instead swept his weapon up again, this time aimed for her head. They met once, twice, three more times, each of Akai's parries sloppier than the last, until finally her speed lost to his and his sword sliced forward, dealing her a blow to the ribs that kicked all the air out of her lungs.

Hataku cocked his _bokken_ back at his side. "I think you're dead."

"Nope," Akai gasped between heaving attempts to catch her breath. Her voice was tight, but when she looked up she was smiling. "Just 'cause I'm... missing a few... of my insides... doesn't mean I'm dead... just yet..."

"Very well." His sword flew up again, rapping her lightly on the side of the head. "_Now _you're dead."

"We'll be sure t'light lotsa incense sticks for ya."

The two warriors turned to the walkway, Akai chuckling as she saw their little audience – Tasuki, Ritsuka, Chichiri and Aoi – standing solemnly, their hands clasped in prayer.

"I'll write a nice message for your epitaph," Ritsuka said, wiping a fake tear from her eye. "_Here Lies Akai: She Should Have Quit When She was Only Missing Her Insides_."

Akai sweatdropped. "Ah-heh… but still, I held out a lot longer than last time, right?" She turned to Hataku, clamping her arms tight to her sides and meeting him with a soldier's scowl. "Please grant me a progress report, Shishou."

He wiped a line of sweat from his forehead, meeting her frown for frown. "I've been working with you for two weeks, yet you've already learned to recognize and imitate the _hokuden_ style.(1) You are by far the fastest learner I have ever had the pleasure of teaching, Akai-kun. However," and the smile that had been blossoming on her face wilted, "you need to stop learning and start reacting. I can practically hear you changing sword styles, and it's when you do that that you're at your most vulnerable. What was that flourishing rubbish at the beginning, anyway?"

"It's not rubbish!" she cried. "That was Reikaku sword play, Tasuki-sama and Koji-san taught it to me. The first was called 'Gutting the Chancellor,' and the second one was…" She blushed and looked down. "Well, Koji-san said young ladies aren't allowed to say."

"It's calling 'Chopping off th' Fat Merchant's Dick!'" Tasuki called from the sidelines. He flashed a thumbs-up. "It's a Reikaku Special."

Hataku sweatdropped. "Charming." He limped over to the wall of weapons, glancing at Akai over his shoulder. "Exactly _how_ many teachers have you had?"

She followed a step or two behind him, counting off on her fingers. "Well, there was my dad and my big brother, and then when I got to the palace there was Ran-shogun, and then Aoi-kun showed me a few things from his school, and then I picked up bits and pieces from the other soldiers, and then Tasuki-sama and Koji-san and Ritsuka-san all gave me some tips, and now you, so…"

"So too many, then."

She looked up, clenching her fists. "Oh, but I've really learned a lot from all of them!"

"Maybe so, but it doesn't do you any good if all you're doing is mimicking the lessons. Then you're just a patchwork quilt of other people."

Akai frowned, setting her _bokken_ back into place. "I'm not sure if I understand."

"Let me put it like this." Hataku turned to face her again. "I learned _hokuden_ from both my uncle and from Toushi-sama, but if either of them were still alive you'd see that our methods of using the style are entirely different. My uncle was a much larger man than myself, and Toushi-sama was considerably quicker. We all adapted the style to fit our strengths, as well as our personalities."

"But you're all so much better than me. I'm sure if I tried to change things it wouldn't be nearly as good," she said. "If I want to be the best, then I've got to act _like_ the best."

"The best are that way because they don't let themselves stand in anyone else's shadow." He jerked his head to the walkway, where the two seishi were chatting amiably with their friends. "Your 'heroes' are living proof of that." Akai hesitated, clenching her hands behind her back. Hataku set his weapon back against the wall and turned, limping towards another group of soldiers. "You're by far my most talented pupil, Akai-kun. But until you figure out how _you_ fight, you'll only ever be my second best student."

"Eh? Second best?" She cocked her head to the side. "Then who's the best?" He shook his head and offered no reply. Akai chased after him. "Come on, Hataku-san, who's your best student? Tell me, please?"

"It's really not important."

"Of course it's important! I wanna challenge theeeeeem…!"

Tasuki chuckled as the pair mingled with the rest of the practicing men, Hataku ignoring Akai's pleas as he stopped to correct the stance and posture of various Konan soldiers. "I still can't get over how well those two're gettin' along now. Wasn't it just a couple weeks ago that Akai wanted t'tear his head off?"

"It _is_ hard to believe no da," Chichiri agreed, leaning against the railing and letting the warm sun soak through his mask. "Not that I'm not happy about it. It's a lot quieter around here, and besides," he shot a smile at Ritsuka and Tasuki, "I think one pair of brawlers around this place is more than enough, don't you?"

"Heh-heh, dunno who ya could be talkin' about!" Tasuki said, clapping his fellow redhead hard on the shoulder. "We Konan Warriors get along great, don't we, Red?" She nodded brightly, but stopped when she saw that Tasuki had looked away, a shadow across his brow. "Unless some bitch is screwin' with our heads, anyway."

"Hey." Ritsuka prodded him in the ribs. "Don't you start in with that mopey routine, mister. There's no way you could've known she could do that to you."

"Yeah, but I still feel pretty shitty about it." Tasuki rubbed his palm over Koji's headband, once again wrapped around his wrist. "An' it's got me thinkin', too."

"That's never good (no da)," both friends teased.

"C'mon, would'ja let me be serious fer once?" he snapped. "This is important, too. 'Cause I was wonderin', how could Setsuka have known _when_ t'use that magic of hers? She always managed t'do it when I was with other people, 'r already feelin' kinda pissed off. Did she just make a good guess, or is she spyin' on us, or what?"

Chichiri rubbed the back of his head. "Actually, I had _always_ assumed she was spying on us no da."

Ritsuka sweatdropped. "And so nice of you to share that little tidbit with us, too."

"Sorry, but it isn't like we could do anything about it," he said. "I figured I wouldn't worry everyone over something that we couldn't control no da."

"So she c'n do that, huh?" Tasuki whistled. "Damn, I didn't know she was that strong."

"She isn't," Chichiri said quietly, voice shifting to more somber tones. "But Mae-chan – er, Mizu, now – was strong enough for something like that back when I knew her no da. I'm sure she's only gotten better since then." He sighed. "Chances are she's the one spying on us. Setsuka's just watching from over her shoulder no da."

Ritsuka smirked at the sky. "Is that so?" She extended his middle finger to the air, waving it at an invisible enemy. "Then I hope she's watching us right now!"

"What's that finger thing mean?" Tasuki asked.

"Think of something rude," she said sweetly, "and that's what it means."

"Oh?" Tasuki grinned and mirrored her action. "I'm likin' yer world more 'n' more everyday, Red!"

oOo

The Lady of Takkan was, in fact, watching them, though only with the barest shreds of her attention. The rest was focused on a game of _go_ set out between herself and Mizu. She yawned, waving a dismissive hand at the image of the laughing warriors. "My, my. Their carelessness is almost endearing at times."

"Meaning no offense, my Lady," Mizu said, glancing uncomfortably at her glowing crystal, "but if you don't need to watch them then would it be all right for me to loosen my concentration? It's a little tiring."

"Certainly not. We are scouting, Mizu-chan. We must find a time when one of the girls is alone so that we may issue a proper challenge. That redhead, and the little brat, surely they'll be on guard duty at some point today."

"Er, I think so, but why only them?"

Setsuka laughed. "Come now, Mizu-chan, do you really think Sora could defeat the seishi? She'd be murdered before she could so much as _create_ her sword. No, if she's to impact this war, then her sole goal must be to weed out the weakest of the fighters. After both those girls are dead, then it's only a matter of the two of us stepping in and delivering the final blow to the rest of them."

"Except Houjun," Mizu said.

"Mm?"

"Except Houjun," she said again. "You promised me that you wouldn't hurt him. Remember?"

Setsuka blinked, then her eyes lit up. "Oh! Oh, yes, of course. I'm sorry my dear, but when you called him 'Houjun' I quite forgot that you meant Chichiri. Yes. Certainly. I shall do everything in my power to keep that one alive, of course." She looked back to the _go_ board. "I believe it was your turn."

Mizu turned her eyes to the game, though not without hesitation. "…Hai, my Lady."

oOo

"Hey, Akai, you done harassing Hataku?" Ritsuka called as the young soldier made her way across the training rings.

"Oh, yeah." She giggled. "Hataku-san was practically tackled by Ran-shogun, asking him to go over some sort of defensive strategy for the palace. I figured I'd give him a break if it meant he was helping to protect Konan. What's up?"

Ritsuka swung an arm around Tasuki. "We're meeting up with Chichiri and Kiori for lunch in the gardens." She grimaced, whipping her sticky arms away from Tasuki's equally sticky back. "Er, after I clean up, anyway. Worked up a heck of a sweat beatin' the snot out of some Konan boys today." She looked to Tasuki, waving a hand in front of her nose. "Phew! You should look into it, too, Stinky-chan." He glowered at her, but Ritsuka just turned her smile back to Akai. "What do you say? Bath and lunch with your favorite Konan Warrior?"

"Um, normally I'd love to, but…" Akai flushed, pointing over her shoulder. "Well, Aoi-kun's got watch duty on the north wall, and I kinda promised I'd keep him company, so…"

"Ooooh?" Ritsuka and Tasuki shot each other knowing – and positively devious – looks. "They sure have been spending a lot of time together, don't you think?"

"Sure have. Makes me wonder what's so important that th' rest of us can't join in."

"Unless…"

"Ya don't think…"

They turned from each other and back to Akai, hands clapped to their mouths. Akai's face deepened to scarlet and she waved her arms wildly at the pair. "N-no, no, no, it's nothing like that! I'm just keeping Aoi-kun company, that's all!"

"'Keeping him company'?" Ritsuka repeated. "Oh-ho, so _that's_ what the kids are calling it these days!"

"You're impossible!" Akai stalked past them, still bright as a ripened cherry. "I'm taking my lunch up to the wall and eating it with my _real_ friend."

Ritsuka clapped her hands together. "You made him lunch? Oh my God, it's like you're married!" She turned to Tasuki, clasping her hands to her chest as sparkles seemed to burst out of her body. "Aoi-kun," she cooed in a high-pitched voice, "I made onigiri and octopus sausages! And see, darling, the pickles are your favorites, although…" She pressed her hands to her cheeks. "Kyaaah, _h__azukashii_! I was so full of Love-Love that I cut them into heart-shapes just for you!"

"Akai-chan!" Tasuki growled in a throaty purr. "Even if it's embarrassin', if you made it then I'll happily eat every bite!"

"Ah! Aoi-kun!" Ritsuka threw herself into his arms, nuzzling him like a kitten.

He wrapped her in a tight embrace. "Akai-chan!"

"Aoi-kun!"

"Akai-chan!"

"Would you two stop flirting and go _eat_ already?" Akai snapped, slamming the door of the training rings in her wake.

The pair blinked. "Flirting?" They looked at each other, and only just then seemed to realize that Ritsuka was cuddled in Tasuki's arms. Tasuki released his hold and his fellow redhead took a step back. They stared at each other for a moment… then Ritsuka stuck out her tongue and wiped her hands on her shirt. "Blech. I forgot that you were all sweaty and gross."

Tasuki reached out and shoved her over the walkway railing.

oOo

"Setsuka-sama."

The Lady looked up from her book, eyes brightening as she watched Akai take a seat on the wall next to Aoi, carting an oversized handkerchief filled to overflowing with lunchtime treats. The two smiled a little sheepishly at one another, then Aoi untied the handkerchief, jaw dropping as delicacy after delicacy tumbled out. Akai giggled and Aoi leaned forward, offering her the first of the candied sweets. She accepted it with a blush and slowly, shyly, the two began to eat, speaking in uncertain tones but never once able to wipe the silly little smiles from the corners of their mouths.

"That looks like fun," Mizu said with a wistful sigh.

Setsuka ignored her, setting her fingers to the dark blue gem at her neck. "_Sora," _she called straight into her Element's calm, clear, and terribly cold mind. "_Come to my chamber. You have a task to complete."_

"_Hai, my Lady."_

"Are you going to send Sora-san after the girl?" Mizu asked.

Setsuka chuckled. "It's rather fitting, don't you think? My champion killing their champion." Her eyes darkened. "Hataku's new star pupil dying at the hands of his old star pupil." She shook her head, clearing her face of shadows. "I suppose I have a bit of a taste for the theatric at times."

"Setsuka-sama?"

Lady and Element looked to the doorway to see Sora standing in the frame. Mizu frowned, remembering their last conversation – and the slap that had ended it – and looked away, but Setsuka smiled and stood, beckoning for the girl to enter. "Yes, my dear, please come in. No, no, don't bother yourself with custom," she said as Sora moved to kowtow. "We have far more important matters at hand. Mizu-chan."

She swung her crystal forward, showing the image of the boy and girl soldier on the wall. Sora regarded the girl carefully, recognition in her gaze. "This is to be my Konan Warrior?"

"The first of many, I should hope," Setsuka said in a dangerous purr. She snaked an arm around Sora's shoulders, drawing her closer to the crystal. "I shall take you to the Takkan camp now. From there, you will approach the palace and challenge the girl. As you know, our Konan enemies are arrogant, so I am quite certain she will accept. Then it is merely a matter of choosing time and place – and, of course, of you delivering the killing blow."

"Should I stay with the other soldiers until I'm done?"

"Yes. I'll visit you every day while you wait there. Oh, and…"

Setsuka reached into the folds of her sleeve. A moment later she pulled out a small pill – one of Kaze's specialties. She whispered a few words, then threw it into the air and pointed her finger at it. A white powder erupted from the pellet, covering Sora in the magic of her friend. The Sky Element held out a hand as if to embrace the familiar aura, but pulled back at the last moment, remembering her task. The time for tenderness had long passed.

"There," Setsuka said. "They shouldn't be able to sense you, now." She hesitated, then set a gentle hand to the girl's shoulder. "Good luck, my dear. I expect no less than a perfect victory from you. Nevertheless, I will pray for your safety. I would be… upset," she said the word like it was foreign, "if something were to happen to you."

Sora clapped her fist to her palm, bowing low to her mistress. "I will not fail you, my Lady." She hesitated, hands trembling, then glanced up through the wisps of her bangs. "However… Setsuka-sama? May I ask a favor of you, please?"

"Mm?" Setsuka blinked, frowning at the emptiness in her Element's gaze. "A favor…?"

oOo

Chichiri stopped midway through a bite of his lunch, back straightening and head jerking up and to the north.

"Oi, 'Chiri, you okay?"

He was silent for a moment, then shook his head slowly. "I'm fine no da. Setsuka's in the Takkan camp. I felt the malicious presence and reacted without really thinking, that's all no da."

"Huh. Wonder if she's giving new orders to that Bakahito-shogun of hers," Ritsuka thought aloud.

Kiori frowned. "Was she alone? Or with a…?"

"No," he assured her. "Or at least, if she came with an Element, they don't have any hostile intent. I'd have sensed that right away no da." He shrugged and offered them all – especially the snarling Tasuki – a small smile. "Sorry for startling you. I guess I'm just jumpy because things have been so quiet recently. Anyway, she's gone again. It must not have been anything important no da."

oOo

Mizu watched as Setsuka returned to her chamber, a frown on her face and Sora no longer at her side. She had her hand pressed to the side of her neck, palm covering the jewels on her necklace so only Mizu and Kaji's blue and red orbs could be seen. Mizu hesitated, uncertain what to say, waiting as her mistress drifted past her and towards the open window. "M-my Lady… did you… for Sora…?"

"It was her only request," Setsuka snapped, never once turning to face the girl. "What else could I have done?"

Mizu blanched under the harsh tone. "I d-didn't mean anything by it, I just wondered—"

"Well you have your answer now, don't you?"

"Yes, my Lady."

"She's a good girl, Mizu-chan. A talented girl. A _loyal_ girl. So if it was the only thing left that she wanted…" Setsuka rubbed hard at her neck as if warding away a chill. "If it was the only passion left in her…" She shook her head, laughed it away. "It doesn't matter. She'll defeat their palace brat and that will be the end of it. So all this is just foolishness anyway. Don't you agree, Mizu-chan?"

The young Element looked to her crystals, to the swirling patterns of green and blue. "I'm sure you're right, Setsuka-sama."

oOo

Aoi's sharp eyes picked out the long-legged female warrior striding towards them. He nudged his friend, her face buried in a _manju_, and pointed out to the fields. "Hey, Akai, it looks like we've got a visitor today."

She leaned her arms over the wall, peering at the single figure. "Just one person?" Akai set her lips in a thin line, tensing herself against the battlements. "She has golden eyes."

"You can tell from this far away?"

"No. I just know it, somehow, right down to my bones. I'd even bet the Holy Sword on it."

Aoi frowned, reaching for his bow. "You think we should go tell the others?"

"No," Akai said without hesitation. "You and I can handle this. She can't break through the barrier, anyway. We'll just talk to her, and see what she wants."

'_As if I don't already know,'_ she thought with a slow, nervous swallow.

oOo

Sora's long strides brought her to the northern wall in just a few short minutes. She nearly ran into Chichiri's barrier before noticing the red shimmer, but checked herself at the last moment, drawing back a few short steps and turning her eyes to the battlements. Her gaze landed on the boy only briefly before shifting over to the girl, the one who had held off Taiyou with that special weapon of hers. She was the only person that mattered to Sora now. "You are a Konan Warrior, correct?"

"And you're an Element," Akai replied coolly. "Do you have a name?"

"That doesn't matter. I'm here to offer a challenge."

Akai leaned over the wall so she could see the girl better, flashing her a taunting smile. "Who taught you etiquette? Everyone knows that you have to introduce yourself before a challenge. If you don't follow the rules then I might not listen to you."

"Fine. I am the Sky Element, Sora. My family lineage means nothing. I am Setsuka-sama's champion and her most perfect of weapons. I am here to offer a challenge."

"To who? Tasuki-sama? Chichiri-sama?" Akai snorted. "Your Lady should know by now that she couldn't kill _them_ with all the armies of the world at her back."

"No." Sora's eyes met Akai's across the distance, and something – neither could say exactly what it was, only that it was thick and harsh and impossible to ignore – seemed to clamp down between them, tying them together as surely as the jewels tied Sora to her mistress. "I offer my challenge, Konan Warrior, to you."

Akai sat back hard on her heels, chin thumping into the top of the ramparts. In a fraction of a second she felt like she was watching all the key instants of the past few months – that she was watching Koji, cheerfully taking Aoi's place on the wall – watching Chichiri as he saved Ritsuka – watching Tasuki, exhausted, wounded, standing to face his foe – and then, as those moments, so small by themselves yet so important when seen with the whole picture, faded into the distance, she could see it clearly – herself on a grass-covered field, Holy Sword drawn, charging at the Sky Element… and, then…

"Oh," she said weakly. "Oh. Of course."

Aoi tugged at her sleeve. "Listen, you don't have to—"

But his words fell on deaf ears. Akai stood, pressing her hands into the ramparts, facing her fated opponent without a shred of doubt. "I am Yamada Akai, daughter of Shou and Gyoku'ei, Konan Warrior, palace champion, and the best swordswoman in Konan. I accept your challenge."

Sora nodded. "We'll meet tomorrow morning, then."

"Akai—"

"No," she said, speaking over her friend. "Tonight. That way no one can interfere."

"You have a taste for the romantic," Sora remarked. "Very well. And the location?"

Akai didn't hesitate. "There's a ridge just seven _lǐ_ to the east of here. Below that ridge is a grassland, recently named the Plain of the August One's Fall. Do you know it?"

"Is that…" Sora frowned. "Is that the place where Emperor Saihitei – where the Suzaku no Hotohori was killed?" Akai nodded grimly. "Don't you think that's bad luck?"

"Only for my enemies," she said with steel in her voice. "Do you accept?"

She shrugged. "Fine. I will meet you tonight, then, during the Hour of the Rat, when the moon reaches its peak."

"And you said _I_ was romantic?" Akai forced a chuckle. "Okay then. I'll see you there, Element." Her confident smile slipped away as Sora turned, marching back to the Takkan camp. "I wonder if it'll be the last thing I see?" she whispered to no one.

Aoi pulled an arrow taut to his bowstring, aiming for a spot between Sora's shoulder blades. "Just give me the word, Akai, and we can put a stop to this right here."

Her hand snapped out, jerking his bow down until the arrow was pointed at the ramparts. "We can't!" she cried, surprised by the snap in her voice. "It would go against everything I believe in – and everything that _you_ believe in, too!"

He sighed. "Right, right." He opened his mouth to say more, but found that there was no one to talk to. Akai had already whirled on her heel, feet pounding down the wall steps. "Akai? Hey, Akai! Where are you going? W-wait up!"

"I need to get ready," she called back, though she didn't turn around as she said it. "You'd better stay where you are. You've got a job to do up here, after all."

Aoi's head swiveled to stare at his post for a moment, but by the time he turned back Akai had already disappeared down the steps. "Akai? Akai! Agh..." He slumped against the wall, chin pressed into the battlements. "I guess she's right, though. Think about what happened the last time you ignored your job, _baka_. But still…"

The young soldier pressed his fingers to the bridge of his nose. '_But still, I've _got _to talk to her later. Before she decides to do something brave – brave, and totally crazy.'_

oOo

Akai wandered the palace for a while, lips pressed together and eyebrows bunched in deep thought, but eventually she found herself once again at the doors of the training facilities. She smiled a little at the comforting smells of dust and sweat, at the familiar sounds of clacking _bokken_ and twanging bowstrings, then made her way slowly to the far corner of the archery ring. She took a seat in the dirt, curling her knees to her chest and setting her chin atop her knees. Her eyes followed the movements of the mingled soldiers and RAFT members, but after a moment she closed them tightly, pressing her face into her legs and allowing a low moan to sneak past her lips.

'_This stinks,' _she thought miserably. '_An entire day, just sitting around waiting. I should have told her to fight me right away, but what if the others had found out? I can't let any of them know; none of them would ever let me go out alone, especially after what happened to Koji-san.' _She took a breath. '_No, there's nothing else I can do. I'll just have to sneak out later this evening... and with luck I'll be back before sunrise, and none of them will have to worry at all.'_

Akai gulped, turning her eyes to the cloud-dappled sky. '_But that's if I come back at all. Beware of repercussions, that's what the prophecy said. Koji-san couldn't beat it, Chichiri-sama and Tasuki-sama almost couldn't, and I'm not _nearly _as strong as they are. Oh, gods, I'm not afraid to fight her, I'm really not, but…'_

She shook her head hard. '_Stop that, Akai. You're acting like a child. Think of Chichiri-sama and Tasuki-sama. Think of Koji-san. _They _weren't afraid to die. So, so if it comes to that, then... then it comes to that, and you'll take it like a warrior – like the Konan Warrior you are. It won't happen, anyway, you'll whip that Element and come home before anyone has time to worry...' _Her frown deepened again. '_But what if…_'

"Gods above, now here's a gel with a lot on her mind, an' no mistake!"

Akai blinked as the RAFT member Tori slid into her line of vision, smiling down at her. She tried a smile that fell just short, then turned her gaze to the ground again. "Oh. Good afternoon, Tori-san."

He wrinkled his nose. "'San'? Yikes, yer makin' me feel like a geezer! I'm only 19, doncha know!" He flopped down next to her, pointing an accusing finger at her face. "Okay, let's hear it, Champion-chan! Whassa young, pretty swordsgel like you got t'frown so hard about, huh?"

"Oh, it's nothing important," she said, staring out at the ring and watching as Hataku instructed a few Konan soldiers. "It's just... well, it's nothing."

"Nothin', eh?" He peered at her face, then shrugged and leaned against the wall, sniffling dramatically. "But it's none-a my business, innit? Huh, jus' figgered if I knew what th' problem was I c'd try helpin' out, but noooo, that's what poor ol' me gets fer bein' such a gentle 'n' sensitive soul..."

"Tori," Akai said quietly, eyes still fixed on her fellow soldiers. "Have you ever... ever had something kind of dangerous happen to you? And you weren't sure if you'd survive, but you still couldn't back down?"

"Yer talkin' to a RAFT member an' a Takkan civilian!" he said, thumping his chest nobly. "I look danger in th' face every day, never knowin' when a Takkan soldier might catch me an' hang me fer me pals t'see an' th' crows t'munch on!"

Akai shuddered at the grizzly image. "That's awful! How can you stand it?"

He wiped an imaginary tear from his eye. "I cry myself t'sleep every night, thinkin' about those poor ole birdies havin' ta eat my stringy meat." Akai sweatdropped and the RAFT member laughed. "How d'ya think I stand it, Champion-chan? I laugh it off 'n' go on my way, happy that t'day ain't th' day I'm made inta crow food!"

"You laugh?"

He nodded. "'Cause if y'don't laugh, then ya gotta cry, an' no one wants t'see ya runnin' 'round all puffy-eyed 'n' snotty-nosed all th' time. That's what Aji tole me after me folks got th' noose, y'know." He rolled his eyes. "That guy's a melodramatic flirt with an ego th' size-a th' palace, but I gotta give him credit, he c'n be damn smart when he wants t'be." Tori winked. "Anyhow, y'see what I'm gettin' at, doncha?"

She faked a smile at the young rebel. "I do, but I'm not sure if I can do things the way that you do them."

Tori shook his head sadly. "Yore problem is that'cha think too much. You'll have gray hairs b'fore yer twenty!" He sniggered, pointing toward Hataku. "C'mon now, ya don't wanna turn out like ol' grumpyass Hataku, do ya? Lookit him, if he had a _ryo_ fer every time he really smiled I betcha he'd be up ta his neck in debt!"

Akai smothered a giggle, but felt her laugh snap off halfway as Hataku glanced their way, his eyes landing right on Tori. Still every inch the army commander, he pulled himself to his full height and barked across the grounds, "Tori, you sad excuse for a soldier! What the _hell_ do you think you're doing, giggling like a five-year-old at a picnic? Get your lazy ass over here and show these Konan soldiers how a real archer shoots, that is if you can find the strength to pick yourself up off the ground and stagger over here!"

Tori sprang to his feet, clapping fist to palm in front of his chest in a Takkan salute. "Er, er, yes, sah, right away, sah, jus' tryin' t'cheer th' Champion-chan up a bit, sah!" He set a hand to the side of his mouth and whispered to Akai, "See what I mean? Wouldn't'cha rather grow up grinnin' than grow up growlin'? Heh, grinnin' than growlin' – that's a good 'un, innit?"

"TO-RI!"

"Comin', sah!"

Akai stifled a giggle as the young rebel raced across the training ring, grabbing the bow from Hataku while still attempting to hold his salute. She set her chin atop her knees again, watching with a smile as Tori hit the dead center of the target, boasting shamelessly to the others about his perfect aim.

'_He's got a good way to look at things,_' she admitted. '_Grow__ up grinning... definitely... but…' _She sighed, squeezing her eyes shut and wishing she could do the same to her frantic thoughts. "_But how can he understand that I might not have a chance to grow up at all?'_

oOo

Chichiri couldn't stop the shred of worry from sneaking into his voice as he sat down to dinner that evening. "Has anyone seen Akai no da?"

The other Konan Warriors all shook their heads. Aoi frowned. "You mean she's been avoiding you, too?"

"I wouldn't call it that, but we took th' afternoon off from th' trainin' rings, so we ain't seen her in a while," Tasuki said, parrying Ritsuka's chopsticks as she tried to steal a particularly plump slice of fruit from his plate. "Why? You guys get in a fight 'r somethin'?"

"Well—" Aoi opened his mouth to tell the whole story, but stopped at the last moment. '_No. If Akai didn't tell them then maybe she doesn't want them to know. And anyway, it's not my place. It's Konan Warrior business, and me… well, I'm just a soldier.'_ He shook his head. "Not really a fight, but I, er… um…"

"Oo, was it a love confession?" Ritsuka asked, leaning across the table with sparkles in her eyes. "Did you make your move and then Akai got all flustered and ran off?"

Aoi flushed but couldn't think of a better excuse. "Er… something like that. I'd really like to talk to her and fix things, but…"

"She's in her room no da," Chichiri said suddenly.

"Well that's good, then," Kiori said. "Maybe she's just not feeling well."

Aoi nodded, but he ate quickly and excused himself as soon as he was finished, sneaking out the door with Ritsuka's teasing calls still echoing in his burning ears. He wasted no time in going to Akai's room, though once he reached her room he seemed at a loss for what to do next. He hesitated, then took a breath and knocked on her door. No one answered, so after another moment he called out, "Akai?"

oOo

From the inside of the room, Akai pressed her hands to her ears and squeezed her eyes shut. '_Oh, I'm sorry Aoi-kun, but please go away,' _she begged silently. '_I can't possibly explain all of this to you, not now. I'll make it up to you when – if – _when _I get back. I promise.'_

oOo

Aoi sighed. "Maybe she went to bed, to rest up for the fight," he thought aloud. '_Even so, I can't give up on her. I've got to talk to her before she leaves, if only to make sure that she's doing okay. Hm…'_

He paced back and forth, stroking his chin in deep thought. Finally he nodded, raising a chibi fist to the sky. "There's only one thing to do! I'll have to stake out her room, even if it means I don't get a wink of sleep! It's the only way to make sure that I don't miss her!" The chibi soldier dropped to the ground, leaning his back against the door and glaring straight ahead. '_It's a tough sacrifice, staying up all night, but it's just one I'll have to make.'_

Not half an hour later Aoi was snoring quietly, dreaming of heroic rescue missions – and of the violet-haired heroine who waited to be rescued.

oOo

Akai watched out her window as the moon rose higher and higher in the sky, at last slipping toward its zenith. She nodded once to herself, then stood, reaching for her armor. Akai was too small for full body armor, but she had a pair of leather shoulder and wrist guards, as well as a light breast plate. She fixed them into place, making certain that everything was secure, then took the Holy Sword from her bed, clasping it almost reverently to her belt.

She set a hand to the door, staring hard at the latch. '_Once I open it there's no turning back,'_ she thought with sudden, terrifying clarity. '_Once I leave the safety of this room, there's no way I can stay away from that Element.' _She hesitated, nearly let her hand fall back to her side. '_Would it really be so cowardly for me to ignore the challenge? Wouldn't that be the _smart _thing to do – to stay away from a dangerous battle, from a powerful enemy that I know nothing about?'_

But she already knew the answer to that. It was engraved in the hilt of her sword, in the form of the scrawled signatures of Tasuki and Chichiri, those 'autographs' that she had demanded upon meeting them. It was in her favorite stories, in the valiant tales of Nuriko and Chiriko and Mitsukake and Hotohori, and in the desperate love of Tamahome and Miaka. It was in Ritsuka's snarl when she'd attacked Taiyou and in Kiori's eyes when she'd gone off to save Chichiri. It was in Houki's patient gaze, the one that she fought to keep through even the most difficult of times, and in Hataku's quiet strength, the strength that had helped him survive death itself. Lastly – but more importantly, far, far more importantly – it was in the confident grin of a fallen bandit, in the grin of the man who had teased her, praised her, challenged her, taught her, called her 'sparring partner' and 'kid sister' and 'friend.' The man whom she had maybe, just maybe, fallen a little bit in love with.

She knew his answer. She didn't even have to ask for it.

"No backing down," she said quietly, squaring her shoulders to the world. "No matter what."

Akai's eyes narrowed as she opened her door... and then snapped open again as a blue-clad ball rolled through the doorway, whacking its head on the floor and jerking awake with a start. "A... Aoi-kun?" she gasped.

"Urgh..." he muttered, holding his head and blinking up at her. His eyes lit up and he sprang to his feet. "Oh, Akai! I needed to talk to you, but you've been avoiding me all day, so I thought I'd wait for you outside your door, to make sure you didn't run off and..." He trailed off, sweatdropping as Akai once again walked right past him, on a beeline for the stables. "Akai! Akai, c'mon, slow down!"

"Please go back to your own room," she said quietly, though she couldn't help but slow her pace down by a few steps. "I don't want you or anyone else to get involved in this."

"Then you're really going to do it?"

"Of course I'm going to do it," she said. "You didn't really think I'd turn her down, did you?"

"Well no, but..." He rubbed at his neck, unsure how to explain. "It's just that, you're gonna go out and fight this girl who might have we-don't-know-what kind of powers, and... I'm worried, is all."

"Oh…" She stopped the embarrassed smile before it could reach her lips, keeping her voice brisk and businesslike. "Well, thanks. You're a great guy, but you shouldn't worry so much. I'm going to beat Sora, there's no question about that."

Aoi blinked. "There isn't?"

"No. Because of the prophecy. '_A goldeneye for each_,' it said. So this is just..." She took a breath, gathered her thoughts and her courage. "This is just how it's supposed to be."

"Howit's _supposed_ to be?"

"A couple weeks ago, I asked Tasuki-sama why Koji-san had died, and Tasuki-sama told me what Chichiri-sama had told him: _tathatha_."

"That's not an answer – it's just a statement of fact."

"Exactly," she agreed. "Things are the way they are. They happen exactly like they do, and that's all there is to it. But when you think of it like that, then it's sort of like fate, too, right?" She nodded, confirming her own thoughts. "What happened to Koji-san was awful, but there wasn't anything we could do about it, because it'd been planned out since… since forever." She sighed, setting a hand to the stable door. "I didn't believe that at first, not really. I never really thought much about things like karma and destiny, but… but I think I get it, now."

"How can you be so sure?" Aoi demanded.

"Think about it," she pressed, sounding more certain than he thought he'd ever heard her. "Do you really think it was just chance that led Koji-san to take your place that night? Do you think it was a total coincidence that I happened to be on the wall when Sora arrived? I don't even _have_ guard duty, Aoi-kun!" She shook her head. "Those things don't just happen. I can see that now. I'm sure that you can, too."

"Well, maybe," he said. "But that doesn't mean... I mean, it didn't _have_ to happen the way it did, right? With both of them dying? Koji-san could have lived, or even that Element Kaze, right?"

"I don't know. Probably not." Akai set her jaw, checking the straps on her horse Hoshi's saddle. "Somehow I think Kaze would have been killed no matter what, and maybe Koji-san, too. Because of the prophecy. Because it's all been worked out already."

"But if you're right..." Aoi swallowed hard. "The prophecy also warned of repercussions. Akai, what if... what if you... do you think you might...?"

Akai walked past Aoi again, leading Hoshi out of the stable. "I won't say it's going to happen for sure, but I can't rule it out, either. Chichiri-sama and Tasuki-sama came out more-or-less in one piece, though, so there's always a chance." She giggled nervously, almost hysterically. "But, then again, they _are_ seishi, and I don't know anyone else who could've survived what happened to them, so..." She shook her head. "Anyway, it doesn't matter. If it happens that way, then I'll go bravely and without any regrets. Just like the seishi did."

Aoi felt a lump of genuine terror rise in his throat. "But you _aren't_ a seishi! You're Akai – Yamada Akai, daughter of Shou and Gyoku'ei! You said so yourself." He stepped forward, grabbing Hoshi's bridle and halting Akai just in front of the eastern gates. "This doesn't make any sense! If you know what's going to happen, then why go out there at all? Just forget all about it!"

Akai stared in open-mouthed horror at her friend. "I couldn't! I absolutely… I absolutely _couldn't_, not after I gave her my word! A soldier lives by a code of honor and loyalty, Aoi-kun. I can't go against that." She shrugged, looking away from him again. "And anyway, I couldn't even if I wanted to. I'm the palace champion and a Konan Warrior. It's my duty to protect Konan from the Elements, no matter what the fates might have in store for me. That's just how it is."

Akai took a step forward, but that was as far as she got. Aoi grabbed her shoulders and whirled her around to face him, meeting her wide-eyed gaze with the fiercest, most protective glare she had ever seen. "Aoi…kun…?"

"Okay, _fine_!" he snapped, then lunged forward, pressing his lips hard, fervently, frantically against hers. It was sloppy at first, uncertain and untried, their noses and lips mashed together in an awkward interlocking that hardly counted as kissing at all. But then Akai closed her eyes and leaned into him, and his hands cupped her cheeks and he leaned into her, and they found their way to each other.

"Okay, fine," he said again, this time in a whisper, breaking away for a fraction of an instant before kissing her lips again. "But listen to me, Akai," he kissed the side of her mouth, broke away, "if you've got to protect Konan," kissed her cheek, broke away, "if that's what you have to do, then please," kissed the corner of her eye, which she'd only just now realized was filling with tears, broke away, "_please_, Akai," kissed her forehead, broke away, "let me do something for you, too." Trailed back down to her mouth, filling the gap with another flurry of desperate kisses, both his lips and hers rising to meet one another, only to have him stop with his mouth an inch from hers, breathing out a prayer. "You've got to let me protect you from fate."

"No."

Aoi's eyes widened and he jerked away, staring at her. Akai took the moment to set her hands over his, pulling them slowly away from her face. She was smiling, but somehow it was the saddest smile he'd ever seen. "Akai..."

"I'm sorry," she said, taking a step back, keeping his hands clasped in her own. "But I can't do that. I can't ever let you risk your life for me."

Aoi felt his eyes narrow, felt himself rip his hands out of hers, felt one palm press against his chest. Felt himself yelling, though even he wasn't entirely sure why. "I'm not useless, you know! Maybe I'm not as good with a sword as you or Hataku-san, and maybe I'm nowhere near as quick as Tasuki-sama or as good with a bow as Ritsuka-sama, and maybe I can't use magic like Chichiri-sama, but that doesn't mean... that doesn't mean... gods damn it, Akai, I…"

"I know you aren't useless," she said gently, and it was only when she reached up her thumb to brush at his eye that he realized _he'd_ been on the verge of tears, too. "You've never been useless, not to anyone, and especially not to me. But this has nothing to do with that. I won't let anyone come with me – not Chichiri-sama, not you, not anyone. This is something I have to do on my own. Because she's _my _Element. You can understand that, right?"

He wanted to argue, but what else could he say? Nothing that could reach her, nothing that could reach the Palace Champion of Konan. "Yeah," he said miserably. "I can."

"Then promise me that you won't tell the other Konan Warriors about this," she said. "I don't want them to get involved – I don't want to risk anyone else getting hurt because of a fight that belongs to me. Please promise me, Aoi-kun."

His eyes dropped to the ground. "I promise."

"Thank you."

Akai turned back to the smaller western gate, shoving the wooden door open and leading her horse out of the archway. She moved as if to push it shut, but at the last second she turned, flying back through the gateway and throwing her arms around Aoi's neck and planting a long, almost violent kiss on his lips. He felt his arms begin to wrap around her waist, to draw her closer, but before he could she pulled away again, cocking her head to the side, lips quirked in an almost mocking smile. "Well, darn. I don't think I _can _die now. I'd never be able to rest in peace if I did."

He leaned forward but she stepped back, pressing her finger to his mouth. "We'll talk more about all of this when I get back, I promise. Until then, could you lock the gate behind me, and maybe wait for me to come home? I'd like for you to be the first person to congratulate me." Her eyes curled upwards into the kind of adoring, innocent smile that one can only give to a first love. "'Cause you're my favorite, you know?"

He nodded weakly, surprised by the blankness in his voice. "Right." It was neither a yes nor a no, but Akai didn't seem to realize that.

She hurried out the frame again, pushing the doors shut behind her. Their eyes met through the crack, and then Akai spoke – a single word that felt like the first nail in a coffin lid. "Good-bye."

The door clicked shut and Aoi was off across the courtyard, sprinting straight for the stables. His arms swung in practiced, fluid motions at his sides, sword thumping a drumbeat against his thigh.

'_I never once promised that I wouldn't go after her,'_ he thought frantically. _'She thinks she's going to die, I could see it in her eyes, but... Damn it, Akai! It doesn't have to be that way! I know it, and somehow... somehow I'll prove it to you, too!'_

"'_The boy flung open the stable doors. The girl galloped across the moonlit fields. An Element stood at the bottom of a ridge. And slowly, slowly, the wheel of fate began to spin_.'" Yui glanced up for only an instant, but when she saw the boys staring at her, completely immersed, she continued without pause, already flipping to the next page. "End Chapter Twenty-Nine."

--  
Akai: The Sky Element Sora at last draws her blade, and she doesn't plan on taking any prisoners. She's out for blood, and my life is just the first of many that she intends to claim, all for the sake of her Lady's cruel goals. As I stand on the precipice, prophecies echo through my mind, remind me of what I ride out to face, but there's no backing down now. The path was laid out for me long ago.

Aoi-kun, forgive me... Houki-sama, everyone, remember me... Koji-san, wait for me.

The Next Episode of _Fushigi Yuugi: The Next Chapter_: "A Warrior's Destiny – Battle Hymn For a Shattered Sky."

Are our fates really inescapable...?  
--

* * *

**End Notes:  
**(1) _hokuden_ – literally "northern plain." A swordplay style used almost exclusively by Takkan's upper class. A fluid, extremely fast-paced style that uses its rapid movements to overwhelm and disarm opponents.

_**Ye Olde Author's Note: March 19th, 2009**_  
Ni-hao, minna-san!  
Bit of a transition chapter this time around, filled with silly and romance and then crammed with SUSPENSE! at the end. I'd rather not have split the episode here, but the original was just _way_ too long to be a single episode (especially with all the additions I've been throwing in), and this was really the only place where I could cut it. So the chapter's a little short and a little slow-paced. I still like it, though. Ritsuka and Tasuki get to be silly again, and I always love writing that. And hey! Some romance wriggled its way in at the end there! So that's good for all the love-love seekers, right? _(hopeful smile)_

Anyway, I actually don't have much to say about this one, probably because I'm distracted by the basketball game playing in the background (I'm stricken with March Madness). So let's just move on to the character profile, shall we? And who better to talk about than this chapter's leading male...

**Character Profile – Shibuya Aoi**  
Age: 15  
Height: 5'6"  
Weight: 141 lbs  
Birthplace: Seishu, a major city in western Konan  
Birthday: August 24th (Virgo)  
Blood Type: A  
Hair: Blue, with eyebrow-length bangs across one side of his forehead; falls to about the middle of his shoulders in the back, but he always keeps it pulled back in a short ponytail  
Eyes: Dark blue  
Likes: Akai (of course), running, playing _go. _He also really likes to play at dice, but sh, don't tell Akai that he gambles :)  
Dislikes: Being "weak" or useless; he's pretty hard on his own abilities, actually  
Favorite Food: Man tou (steamed wheat bread with meat dumplings)  
Least Favorite Food: Steamed cabbage

Aoi is one of those side characters who slowly sneaked into a major role as the story went on. He was initially just "Akai's crush," but as the side plots called for an extra character I found myself using him more and more, until he became the sort of person who was not only a part of the major plot, but could also significantly affect it. He's also one of my "normal" characters in that he doesn't really have any humors or quirks – he's just a nice, laid-back, hard-working kid. (Heh, is it any wonder Akai likes him so much?) Hopefully you all like him as well, and cheer both him and his lady-friend through the next couple of episodes. With Sora out for blood, they're definitely going to need it!

**OMG, Bonus Story!** The first in what may be a series. Some of the super-minor side characters got into my head and prodded me into writing their back story. I wasn't entirely sure where to post it, so for the moment I've just got it up on my blog. If you'd like to read it, you can access it through the Homepage link on my Author page. I've got a lot of side story ideas kicking around in me brain, so if I get around to writing more of them there's a good chance I'll post it as a separate fanfic. More on that when/if it ever happens, though. Until then, enjoy "What Brothers Do," and feel free to leave lots of comments on my LJ about it. :-)

Thanks to antyem13, MagicAnimeGirl, Halogazer, Ritsikas, Dimonah, inuphantom13, WolfxAngel, Jaspergurl, Warrior-of-the-Flames, miraclebutterfly, and AngelofMusic for reviewing! I'm consistently surprised at how popular this story is – and consistently flattered by all the wonderful reviews! So thank you all so much, and I hope to hear from you again after this one!

Your Authoress - Dee


	30. Episode Thirty: A Warrior's Destiny

_**Disclaimer**_**: **I still don't own Konan, Suzaku and all characters and seishi pertaining to them. Kiori and Ritsuka are and shall forever be mine, and that holds for all the other "originals" (you'll know 'em when they appear, trust me). Obviously the story is mine as well.

_**Rating:**_ PG-13, for moderate language and violence.

**Musical Selection: **Battle chapters deserve good music, so: At _"__Aoi raced across the fields at a sprint," _play "Mezame" from _My-HiME_. Go ahead and let it run through twice. Then, at _"Akai struck out sideways," _play our old Elemental favorite, "It's Only the Fairy Tale." Also, "Azure Moon" by Every Little Thing functions as the episode's ending theme. All files are posted on **my blog**, available via the homepage link, as usual.

_My roommate got me __hooked on _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_ (because it's never too late to be a fangirl). I am now looking for my own personal Giles. Applications will be accepted via e-mail… not that, you know, a proper Giles would have any idea how to _use_ the Interwebs._

* * *

**--Episode Thirty: A Warrior's Destiny--  
Battle Hymn For a Shattered Sky**

Neither Keisuke nor Tetsuya attempted to take the book from Yui's hands, and she didn't offer it to either of them. Instead, she turned to the next chapter without even pausing to take a breath or sip from her soda, and began to read: "_As the palace champion rode out to meet her fate, those with less worries wandered the grounds, searching for excitement on an all-too-quiet night_...

oOo

Furosaki Yuki - former Takkan taii, current Konan soldier, and eternal RAFT member - rounded the edge of the smallest of the Konan courtyards, working hard to stifle a yawn. "Gods, but these midnight walkabouts are dull. I understand the need for increased security, but honestly..." He finally gave up and opened his mouth in a long, gaping yawn. "Hum... Perhaps I'd have been better off staying in the Takkan Army. At least there was a bit of _action_ around there."

Yuki strolled down the courtyard steps and around to the stables, clapping his hands together and looking toward the heavens. "Oh Suzaku, do a young, handsome soldier a favor and put a little spice into his midnight watch, could you please?"

"C'mon, Rin, we have to hurry." The whispered voice just barely reached Yuki's ears, but he heard the horse's snuffle loud and clear. "Sh! We don't want to get anyone's attention."

Yuki looked to the sky, grinning. "Much obliged."

He sneaked around the corner of the stables, poking his head around the side of the building and taking in the sight of the boy – the one who had escorted him to the palace some two weeks ago - leading his horse down the wide walkway. Yuki grinned, looping the fingers of one hand into his belt and extending the other in a wave as he rounded the corner. "Lovely night for a stroll, isn't it?"

Aoi jumped and whirled around, but relaxed when he saw who it was. "Oh, Furosaki-san. What are you doing out here?"

He pulled a mournful face. "Slaving away under the cruel double-orders of my new shogun and my old one." The pitiful frown slipped from his face like water, reverting back to its usual easygoing grin. "But it doesn't look like you were sentenced to the same fate. So what brings you out at this time of night?"

Aoi looked away. "_Gomen_, Furosaki-san, but I'm not allowed to say. I promised Akai that I wouldn't tell any of the..." He paused, smiling a little. "Any of the Konan Warriors."

Yuki winked. "Then I suppose today is your lucky day, for I've been called by many titles, but never Konan Warrior. Now how about you liven up a young soldier's night with a st—"

"Akai's battling an Element on the Plains of the August One's Fall and I have to try and help her or something terrible might happen!" he blurted out before Yuki could even finish his question.

"Eeeeeh?" The former taii whirled as if he'd been struck by an arrow. "No wonder you're in such a hurry! I suppose I shouldn't keep you any longer, then." Aoi turned to go, but Yuki's voice stopped him once more. "Uh, say, Aoi-kun, an Elemental battle could get bloody - would you like me to inform the seishi? Reinforcements never hurt anything, after all."

"Oh, thanks, but I told you already," Aoi said as he walked away, "I promised Akai that I wouldn't tell any of the Konan Warriors."

"And I told you already: that I am no Konan Warrior, nor am I you, you see."

He scratched his head. "I'm afraid I don't."

The RAFT member wagged a finger at him. "You promised Akai that _you_ wouldn't tell the Konan Warriors, correct?" A nod. "Now, am I you?"

"Of course not, you're you..." A slow smile spread across Aoi's face. "And if _you_ told them..."

"No harm done, right?"

"Right!"

Yuki threw a wink at the young soldier. "In that case, I'll nip on over to the seishi's quarters and warn them of your friend's perilous position." He glanced about, frowning. "Though I suppose I'll have to find their rooms first." He looked upwards, clasping his hands together in prayer. "Suzaku, old friend, I don't suppose you could magic me to them, hm?" He stood staring at the sky for a moment, then smiled at Aoi and shrugged. "Ah, well. It was worth a try." He waved a hand at the young soldier, marching across the grounds as if he were carrying a message from the gods themselves. "Never-you-mind, I shall find the seishi sleeping section, even if it takes me half the night, and that's a promise from Furosaki Yuki, so it is!"

Aoi watched Yuki jog off toward the palace's main buildings, then headed for the western gate, shaking his head. _'RAFT members are so weird.'_

oOo

The Plain of the August One's Fall shone silver in the moonlight, its short grasses swaying in the night breeze, moving in tune to the singing of the cicadas. Sora sat alone in the field, legs crossed and hands resting lightly in her lap. Her eyes were closed to the world, but they opened as the ground shuddered with the stamp of horse's hooves. She looked up as Akai rounded the top of the western ridge, then stood as her opponent galloped down to meet her.

Akai halted Hoshi at the bottom of the ridge. She dismounted and patted her horse once, fondly, before turning to face her opponent. The two girls walked forward until they were just a few feet from one another – then, unexpectedly, Akai bowed at the waist.

"Yamada Akai has come to accept your challenge," she said.

Sora blinked at the formality, then nodded once, returning the bow. "My challenge has been met. I shall fight honorably. I ask for no less in return."

The two straightened as one, Akai unsheathing her sword, Sora holding her right hand out to the side. Akai's eyes widened as she watched the blue glow encompass Sora's palm, slowly elongating until it settled into the shape of a thin sword. "So _that's_ your power," she said.

Sora studied the blade, turning it in the light. "It suits me in every way." Her eyes snaked over to the other girl. "You cannot say the same. That sword is too heavy for you."

"I hear that a lot," Akai said, feigning carelessness. "Usually I hear it right before I win a fight." She nodded to the Element's blade. "Aren't you a little nervous using that? I'm carrying a weapon of Suzaku, you know. Chichiri-sama's staff tore right through that Taiyou's shields – what if I can do the same to you?"

Sora whipped her blade forward. Akai took a step back, bringing up her own weapon to block the sideways strike. The swords clanged against one another, echoing through the empty field. Sora nodded once. "As I thought."

Akai gritted her teeth, steadying herself after the sudden blow. "Want to share that thought?"

"It's simple," Sora said. "Unlike Taiyou's shields, which he created with his mind and _ki_, this blade is a part of my body. It's not just my power – it is _me_. None of the others can say that. I am unique."

Akai dug her feet into the ground and shoved forward, knocking the Element's sword away. "And so modest, too."

Sora took a few steps back and the two fell into silence, staring at one another, searching for a sudden opening or a weakness. Akai's hands shifted on her hilt. _'That blade must be as light as a feather for her. She'll wear me down if I'm not careful. I'll have to end this fast.'_ She cocked the blade at her side, falling into the _hokuden_ striking stance. _'I'll try not to fail you, Hataku-san.'_

Akai's left side was open, and she knew it, and Sora knew it too. The Element lunged and Akai took a step to the side, sliding her sword forward, the two blades screeching against each other until their hilts locked. Akai gave a cry of victory and moved to give that final twist, the one that would tear Sora's sword from her grasp, but the Element moved with practiced smoothness, shifting sideways and knocking away the Holy Sword.

The two hopped backwards, staring at one another with open disbelief.

"How—?" Akai began.

"That's _hokuden_!" Sora cried, voice thick with a mingling of grief and surprise. It was the first emotion Akai had seen out of her. "And that strike – its designer, he taught it to no one but me! How could you have learned it? Who could have taught it to you?"

Akai cocked her sword back up at her side, ready to strike again. "It's pretty obvious that we've had the same teacher. Or did Setsuka forget to tell you that Hataku-san's on our side now?"

"On your side...?" Sora stumbled backwards, reeling as if the ground had come alive under her feet. "No. That's impossible. I saw what my Lady did to him. I saw..." She shook her head hard. "No. It can't be. He can't possibly be—"

"Alive?" Akai finished. "Well, he is. Pretty banged up, but breathing and grumbling all the same." She gestured to her Holy Sword. "That last strike should be proof enough for you."

Sora's blade vanished as she brought up her right hand to grab at her breastbone, touching something hidden within her shirt. A strangled sound, half-sob and half-laugh, tore its way out of her throat. "Then he really is... somehow..."

Akai's eyes softened. She straightened, slipping out of her own fighter's stance. "The two of you were close, weren't you?"

"He taught me everything," she said, so quietly that Akai had to strain to hear it. "And when he was killed... I thought..."

Sora's fingers tightened against her chest, grasping at something Akai couldn't see. She could hear the desperate affection in the Element's voice, though, and it softened something in her own chest, made her think of her own fallen teacher. Made her think of a way out for all of them.

"Come with me."

Sora's head jerked up, eyes wide and shining with tears. "What?"

"Come with me," Akai said again. "You've seen the terrible things Setsuka does to people. Why stay with her? You can come with me back to Konan." She laughed weakly. "The others are pretty stupid about trusting people, so I don't think they'd say no, and I'm sure Hataku-san would vouch for you, too." She extended her free hand to the other girl. "How about it? You do want to see him again, right?"

Sora's left hand raised from her side, reaching forward as if to accept the champion's offer. The moonlight touched something between her fingers and it glittered dimly, drawing the Element's eyes down to it. She turned her palm toward her face, studying the glinting object for a moment, eyebrows tight with concentration, almost pain. Her fingers tightened into a fist. Her eyes closed. Her hand lowered back to her side.

"I cannot."

She opened her eyes again and the tears from before had vanished. Everything had vanished. Watching her, Akai felt that she might be staring into nothingness itself. "Sora, listen—"

"No," she said, with all the finality of a tomb slamming shut. "I am Setsuka-sama's weapon. I can no more choose to desert her than your sword can choose to leave your hand. Either the master relinquishes the weapon, or the weapon stays until it is torn from the master's grasp. Those are the only choices."

"But what about Hataku-san?" Akai asked. "I thought—"

"Hataku-sama was branded a traitor. He betrayed my ladyship's trust. That is why Setsuka sentenced him to death." Sora crouched again, left hand still tight at her side, right already reforming her sword. "And that is why, should we meet again, I would not hesitate to take his head."

"But that's insane!" Akai cried. "Didn't you just cry for him? Don't you... I-I mean, you're in love with him, aren't you?"

"I told you before: I am my lady's weapon. I can't love anything." Sora gripped her sword between her hands, staring with that same empty gaze across the blade at her opponent. "Now, let me do what I was sent here to do."

Akai felt tears spring unbidden to her eyes. Hurriedly she blinked them away. _'No, Akai. There's nothing else you can do. She made her choice_.'

"Sorry, Hataku-san," she whispered, and lunged at her enemy.

oOo

_Chichiri wandered through inky darkness once again, his feet moving slowly, as if tied to weights. "What is it this time?" he murmured aloud, peering through the gloom. "_Mattaku_, I really can't take any more of these dreams no da..."_

_The monk blinked and pulled to a halt, surprised to see a human-shaped figure moving toward him. His eye narrowed as he sent his own _ki _across the clearing to sense the presence – and then it snapped open again as the familiar, proud, fiercely lonely aura came pounding back across the distance. Chichiri took a step back, staring in disbelief as the human-shaped figure solidified, took form, long hair and robes fluttering as if tugged by the faintest of breezes._

_Chichiri could think of only one meek, disbelieving word. "Highness?"_

_Hotohori's voice was soft, but there was nothing but steel in his eyes as he whispered a single word. "Hurry."_

"Chichiri-sama! Chichiri-sama! CHICHIRI-SAMA, would you kindly cease that incessant snoring and answer your door?"

The monk jumped awake, jerking into a sitting position. "Who...?" Spurred on by his dream, Chichiri stood, not even pausing to retrieve his mask as he strode to the door and wrenched it open, blinking at the RAFT leader standing outside. "Furosaki... Yuki, isn't it no da?"

"Ha, you remembered my name! Brilliant." Yuki clasped his hands in a Takkan salute, bowing at the waist. "Terribly sorry to bother you, Your, um, Seishiness, but we're experiencing a slight problem of the Elemental variety."

Chichiri eye snapped open. "Element? Where's Akai?" He closed his eyes and sent his power out in all directions, finding her before Yuki could stutter an answer. "_There?_ I need to hurry no da!"

Yuki followed the monk back into his room as Chichiri looped his _kesa_ around his shoulder and grabbed his shoes from nearby. He laced them up as quickly as he could, listening as Yuki explained the situation. "...So I told Aoi-kun that I'd wake you and Tasuki-sama..."

"Is Tasuki awake no da?"

"Er, yes, actually. He sleeps much lighter than Chichiri-sama, I must admit."

Chichiri finished the laces on his shoes and sprang to his feet, grabbing his staff and knocking it against the wall that separated his room from his friend's. "Tasuki, are you ready no da?"

"I'm comin', 'Chiri, jus' gimme a sec ta.. whoa, whoa... AAAAGH!"

Monk and RAFT member alike sweatdropped as they heard a crash, followed by a string of curses. "Tasuki, you've never been able to walk and put your boots on at the same time, so why would you think that _this_ time would be any different no da?"

Yuki chuckled and looked to Chichiri. "The two of you will be traveling by, ah... 'seishi tricks,' I'm guessing?" He nodded. "Is there anything else you need me to do?"

"Yes, you can get back to your job," a voice from the door ordered. "I'll handle things here."

The pair turned to see Hataku standing in the doorway, Tasuki appearing a moment later just behind him. Tasuki grinned, clapping a hand to the former shogun's shoulder as he slipped past him and into Chichiri's room. "Oi, Hataku, did we wake ya?"

"I don't see how I could have stayed asleep with the noise you were making," he replied dryly. His eyes slid to Yuki, all business. "Furosaki, back to your post." The RAFT member scowled but didn't disobey, offering short bows to all three before disappearing out the doorway. Once he had gone, Hataku turned to the seishi. "What's going on?"

"Akai's fighting an Element no da," Chichiri said calmly, opening one of his desk drawers. "We're going out to make sure nothing happens to her."

"An Element?" Hataku repeated. "But the only ones left are..." He trailed off, eye widening, hand tightening against the door frame. He finished his sentence in a whisper. "Sora."

Neither seishi seemed to hear him as Tasuki strode forward and tugged at Chichiri's sleeve. "C'mon, what're you so calm about? We gotta hurry, otherwise somethin' might—"

"_Daijoubu_ no da," Chichiri said, turning and facing him with a maskless smile. "Because we caught this one in time. '_Interference will save you, this I see.'_"

"What're you talkin' about?"

"I'll explain the rest later, but for now just don't worry no da." Chichiri held up the item he'd pulled out of his desk. "We have this, remember?"

Tasuki stared at the container in Chichiri's hand, a jar with a cloth lid tied down over its top. A slow, triumphant grin spread across his face. "Aw, hell yes. Hell _yes_!" He clapped Chichiri on the back, pushing him forward and toward the door, laughing the entire way. "Mitsukake saves the friggin' day again! With his holy water, as long as we get there it don't matter _what_ happens, we can just... an' he... aw, hell yes, if I ever see that guy again...!"

The two swept past Hataku, Chichiri already fiddling with his _kasa_. The former shogun turned, at last finding words again, though these were much more frantic than his earlier ones. "Wait, let me come with you. I might be able to—"

"You stay here no da!" Chichiri called over his shoulder. "I move faster with fewer people. Wake the others and wait for us on the western wall! Tell them that we're bringing Akai home alive – that we're bringing _everyone _home alive no da!"

"But I might—"

Hataku's case would remain unheard, however, as Chichiri grabbed Tasuki around the shoulder and tossed his hat into the air. A flash of crimson later and they had disappeared, off for the field that had claimed one of their brothers – but would _not_, they swore, claim another of their seven that night.

oOo

Aoi raced across the fields, urging his horse to faster and faster speeds. He was so focused on reaching Akai that he didn't realize he was at the plains until he rounded the top of a hill and nearly sent both himself and his horse tumbling over the ridge. Aoi pulled up short, eyes sweeping down across the fields where Konan Warrior and Element battled back and forth, fighting for honor and life. He felt his breath catch in his throat when Akai stumbled, nearly losing her footing before digging her toe into the ground and finding her balance again.

_'Akai's tired... and that Element is good.'_ Aoi bit his lip. _'I've gotta get down there, now.'_

He guided his horse away from the ridge, then set it on a course down and around the steep slope. Aoi urged the animal into a gallop, eyes constantly straying from the path to sneak over to the battle, the two figures just shadows beneath the moonlight, their jerking movements telling of a fight that was becoming more and more haggard by the second.

He had to hurry.

oOo

Akai stumbled backwards, hands aching from another of Sora's strikes. The Element, unhampered by the weight of a true weapon, moved lightly on her feet, dodging in and out before she had a chance to retaliate. Already the palace champion could feel blood leaking from the cuts in her shoulder, abdomen, and thigh. They were all light wounds, but it was more than Akai had to show for her efforts. One hit, and that barely a scratch across Sora's forearm. The Element didn't even seem to notice it. Akai gasped for breath, stepping back, circling her opponent once more.

_'I won't last much longer,'_ she thought, chest heaving even as her mind raced. _'I've got to catch her off-guard. That's the only way I'll have a chance to end this.'_ She gritted her teeth as Sora dashed forward again, sword raised for the strike. _'Help me, Koji-san.'_

Akai met the Element's sword with her own, pressing forward so Sora couldn't dart away. The Element shoved right back, looking to overwhelm the younger girl – until Akai ducked suddenly, tucking her head down and ramming her shoulder into Sora's midriff. The Element lost her footing and tumbled over backwards, sword half-raised but nowhere near ready to parry her enemy's next attack. Akai swung her sword down, crashing it into Sora's hilt and twisting the blade away from her hand. Sora's sword vanished as soon as it left her grasp, leaving her unarmed on the ground.

"You're disarmed," Akai gasped, pointing her sword at the Element's neck. "The fight is mine."

Sora tilted her head to the side, a ghost of a smile flickering on her lips. It made the hairs stand up on the back of Akai's neck. "'You've disarmed me'? 'The fight is yours'? Oh, you foolish girl," she said in a whisper. "Does this look like a sparring match to you?"

Akai caught the silver-blue glint of steel out of the corner of her eye. Instinct took over and she jerked her sword back and over her shoulder, catching the blade against her own, stopping it just inches from slicing her throat. She couldn't do anything about Sora's left hand, though, which whipped forward in a fist, slamming hard into Akai's chin.

Her teeth clacked together, vision filling with purple spots as she felt herself knocked sideways and into the ground. Hands clamped down around the hilt of her sword. She struggled to pull away, but Sora was stronger. She jerked Akai to her feet and tore the Holy Sword from her grasp, flinging it away from them.

"No!"

Akai staggered towards the weapon, eyes darting back and forth between it and Sora, bearing down behind her, sword once again forming in her palm. Akai's foot hit a rock hidden beneath the grass and she stumbled, nearly collapsing to her knees. She whirled, watching as Sora raised her sword, suddenly, keenly aware of everything, as if the entire world had come into sharper focus. Her own hammering heart, Sora's gleaming blade, the humming cicadas, the pounding horse's hooves—

"What?"

The two fighters looked up just in time to see Aoi tear onto the field, his horse galloping straight towards them. Sora hesitated, raised her sword as if to lunge at Akai, but the distance was too great, and the boy on the horse was traveling too fast. She watched helplessly as Aoi swept between her and her opponent, reaching down a hand to the gasping palace champion.

"Akai!" he cried.

He didn't have to say anything else. She snatched his hand and swung up behind him, clinging to his back as she fought to catch her breath.

"Told you I'd protect you from fate, didn't I?" he said, glancing over his shoulder so he could meet her with a smile.

She squeezed hard at his waist, hands trembling against him, but when she looked up her eyes held nothing but strength. "I can't run away."

"No," he said, "but you can at least get your sword back, can't you?"

oOo

Panic rose in Sora's chest. _'No. No. No no no no no.'_ The word ran like a frantic beat in the back of her mind, thrumming beneath the rest of her horrified thoughts. _'Can't let her leave, can't fail, if the weapon fails then it falls, too many failures, have to succeed, have to be the weapon, it's all I'm good for and I can't even do that, no no no, I won't let her run, I must be perfection, oh Hataku-sama oh Kiba-kun please forgive me, but I can't fail my lady, I can't fail her, I have to, I have to, I have to...'_

She moved without thinking, allowing the bow to form in her hands, allowing the arrow to stretch between her fingers, setting the shaft to the string, sighting down the line at her enemy's retreating back. In an instant that felt like a lifetime she took aim at her unsuspecting target. The image shifted for an instant, to a day months ago, to the sight of a pain-stricken seishi on a wall top. As a soldier, she had hesitated. As a soldier, she had felt pity.

_'Ah, but weapons have no pity, do they my Lady?'_

oOo

Aoi slowed as they drew closer to the fallen sword. "Man, that Element must be good if she could disarm you. Or maybe you're going easy on her?" He chuckled. "I bet that's it."

"I can't beat her," Akai said in a whisper. Then, louder, voice filling with dread, "I tried everything – from Hataku-san, from Ran-shogun, even from Tasuki-sama and Koji-san – but it's no good. I failed them all. That Element, she's, she's better than me. Her speed, her skill, her ruthlessness... she's better than me in every way. I can't run, but I... I can't beat her, either. She's going to kill me, Aoi-kun."

"What are you talking about?" He looked over his shoulder again and met her with a smile that sang of confidence. "You're Yamada Akai, the best swordswoman in Konan. So don't worry about failing anybody. Just go out there and be Yamada Akai, and you'll—"

His words caught in his throat, eyes widening at something over Akai's shoulder. Akai started to look, started to form the words, "What's wrong?" but Aoi shouted "Down!" before she had the chance, sweeping out his arm and knocking her off his horse.

Akai forgot to be surprised and simply reacted. She tucked into a ball and hit the ground shoulder-first, rolling three times before finding a foothold and springing to her feet. She whirled on the balls of her feet, hands clenched at her sides and ready to fight, but the strength drained out of her as she watched Aoi fall from his saddle, two gleaming blue arrows buried in his chest.

oOo

Red light, unnoticed by the three fighters on the plains, shimmered atop the nearby ridge until it solidified into the forms of the two seishi. Their eyes trailed across the battlefield – to Sora, her bow cocked at her ear – to Akai, rushing across the field – and finally to Aoi, hitting the ground hard, his thin form rolling haphazardly across the field, finally coming to rest at the foot of the ridge.

"'_But at a price'_..." Chichiri breathed, trance-like, almost as if he were reciting lines from one of the classics.

Tasuki grabbed his friend by the forearm, pulling him away from the edge. "Come on. We can't do anythin' from here. We gotta get down there, now."

Chichiri shook himself from his stupor and nodded, following his friend at a sprint down the ridge.

oOo

"Aoi-kun!"

Akai fell to her knees at the boy's side, staring in open-mouthed horror as the arrows in his chest shimmered and disappeared, returning to their creator. Blood welled up in the two empty holes, one in his upper right shoulder, the other above what she could only guess was his lung. He was tense and pale, chest jerking up and down as he gasped against the pain. But he could still meet her eyes with his own. And he could still say her name. "Akai."

Tears sprang to her eyes. She cupped his face between her hands, pressing her forehead against his. "Yes. Yes, Aoi-kun, it's me, I'm here, and you're going to be all right, okay, we're going to – somehow, we're going to..." She trailed off as his eyes squeezed shut, a low moan sneaking its way out of his throat. He coughed wetly, blood bubbling to his lips. Akai turned his head to the side, whimpering as she watched him fighting to breathe around his own broken lung.

"It's gonna be okay," she whispered, choking on the words. "It has to be okay, because you can't – I can't let you..." She wiped the blood from his lips so that she could kiss them. "Not for me, do you understand? You don't get to die for me. It's not... i-it just isn't..."

Akai's head whipped up as an arrow thudded into the ground beside her. Sora stood just a few feet away, bow gripped in her hands. The Holy Sword sat buried into the ground at her feet.

"That was a warning," she said. "If you do not stand and fight, then the next one will take you through the throat." Sora stepped back, then jerked her head towards the sword in the ground. "Pick it up. We have to finish this."

Aoi heaved beneath her, his breath coming in shorter and shorter bursts. Akai's eyes whipped between him and the Element before finally settling on Aoi. "I can't leave him," she said, already tearing off the sleeve of her shirt and pressing it to the hole in his chest. "He can't be alone."

"He doesn't even know you're there."

"Shut up!" Akai shrieked. "Shut up and shoot me, if that's all you can care about! I'm not moving."

Sora didn't bother to reply. She just pulled her bow taut and let the arrow fly.

A bolt of red light shot across the clearing, hitting the arrow mid-flight and dissolving it back into nothingness. Akai turned to follow the path of the shot, but her eyes had barely shifted away from Sora when Chichiri knelt in front of her, hands resting lightly against her shoulders. "Are you all right no da?"

"Chichiri-sama?" Her looked past him to see Tasuki running across the clearing, tessen drawn, positioning himself between the Element and the Konan Warriors. "And Tasuki-sama too?"

Chichiri persisted. "Are you injured, Akai?"

She shook her head slowly. "No." Her eyes trailed to the dying boy at her side. "But Aoi-kun..."

"I know," he said. "It's okay. We'll take care of this no da. Just rest for now."

Akai leaned down and kissed Aoi, once on each eyelid, then a final time at the corner of his mouth. Chichiri slipped a hand into his robe, fumbling for something, but the champion was already standing again, staring across the clearing at the Sky Element, whose gaze kept shifting from one warrior to the next, as if she wasn't sure who to turn her sword against. "Stay with him," Akai murmured. "Don't let him be alone for even one second."

"Akai, wait. Tasuki can—"

"Tasuki-sama?" she called, stepping around Chichiri. "Please look after Aoi-kun for me."

"Eh?" He glanced over his shoulder, tessen still trained on Sora. "You kiddin' me? Yer already on yer last legs, an' I seen th' kinda 'fair' this one fights. If you think I'm gonna let you—"

"Tasuki-sama," she said again, drawing up so she was level with the seishi. Their eyes met across the clearing, hers red-rimmed with tears, his alight with worry. "Once, when you were on _your_ last legs, you asked me to step aside. I honored that request, because Chichiri-sama was your dearest friend... and because Taiyou was your Element. I just want you to do the same for me. So please, Tasuki-sama: Stand aside."

Tasuki hissed out a curse, but he sheathed his tessen all the same. "You ain't allowed t'die. We're gonna save Aoi-kun for ya, y'know."

She smiled, but there wasn't any hope in it. "If anyone could, it would be you two." Akai moved past him without waiting for a response. Her legs wobbled with every step, but her hands were steady at her sides, and her eyes never wavered as she made her way towards the Holy Sword.

"I apologize for your friend," Sora said. "I only intended to kill Konan Warriors tonight."

"Shut up."

Sora frowned, watching as Akai struggled to pull the sword from its spot buried in the ground. She finally worked it loose, but her arms quivered more with every second, and she could barely lift the sword into a fighting stance. "You should have accepted the seishi's offer. You're in no shape to fight." Akai's stance wavered and Sora shook her head. "I knew that sword was too big for you. This won't even be a challenge now." She sighed. "A pity. It's such a fine weapon. It deserves to belong to someone worthy of it."

oOo

Tasuki shifted from foot to foot, looking first out at Akai and then down at Chichiri. "This ain't right, 'Chiri. I know what Akai said, but look at her! She can't do this by herself." He reached for his tessen again. "Look, you stay here, take care-a Aoi-kun. I'm gonna..."

The bandit trailed off, not that Chichiri would have noticed. Both seishi were too busy staring across the field, squinting at something they couldn't quite see, feeling for something they couldn't quite grasp. Chichiri's hand dropped from the lid of the holy water, forgotten for the moment, to touch to the earth – and to feel the energy calling through it.

"Is that...?"

oOo

Hands, pale but warm, wrapped around Akai's from behind, strengthening her grip on the Holy Sword. Heat pressed against her back as if someone were standing behind her, yet the pressure was so slight she barely noticed its presence. She stared at the hands embracing her own. Akai moved to glance over her shoulder, but a voice made her pause.

_"You are very brave," _it said, in hushed tones filled with kindness and courage – and, she thought, with an immense loneliness, too, _"but let us not put you at the same disadvantage which We faced on this field."_

Strength coursed through her body, strength that she knew she could never have possessed on her own. Akai nodded to herself once, then turned her eyes forward to face her enemy again.

"This sword," she said slowly, "once belonged to Suzaku no Hotohori, one of the most compassionate emperors Konan has ever known, and a far greater ruler than your master could ever hope to be."

Sora took a step backwards, staring numbly at the sight before her. At the palace champion, exhausted just moments before, now glaring at her with such confidence – and at the man standing behind her, so dim he was almost invisible, meeting her with those same fierce, challenging eyes.

Their mouths moved together, emperor and champion speaking a dual promise to the frightened Element across from them. "And in his name and my own, I swear that I will _never_ allow myself to lose to you!"

Akai launched herself at her enemy, attacking with a speed and strength that Sora hadn't thought she possessed. The Element stumbled backwards, struggling to block against the onslaught of blows that rained down on her, all strikes that she had never seen, all attacks that she could never recognize. Fluid and graceful and never hesitating for an instant, Akai allowed the world to fall away, allowed herself to sink into the flow of a style that belonged only to Yamada Akai, daughter to Shou and Gyoku'ei, Konan Warrior, palace champion, and, truly, the best swordswoman in Konan.

oOo

Aoi moaned and Chichiri shook himself away from the battle, undoing the top on Mitsukake's holy water and leaning over the dying boy on the ground. Tasuki knelt across from him, hardly able to keep his attention on anything, his anxiety for both young soldiers was so great. "C'mon, 'Chiri, hurry up already!"

The monk nodded once, then dipped his hand into the jar, wetting his fingertips and pressing them to each of the twin holes on Aoi's chest. He waited, eye focused on the deep wounds, watching for the effects.

"Something's wrong," he said suddenly.

"Why? What's s'posed t'happen?"

"I'm not entirely sure, but..." Chichiri furrowed his eyebrows. "But I don't sense anything from it. There's not even a shred of Mitsukake's life force."

"W-well, maybe it takes a couple-a minutes."

He shook his head, eye darting across the two injuries, searching for something, anything to indicate that the water was working. "No," he whispered, head shaking slowly from side to side, and then more rapidly as the realization dawned on him. "No, it's not working. It's not... it's not having any effect at all."

"Then use more!" Tasuki snapped, already reaching for the holy water. "Just dump th' whole damn thing on him if ya gotta, whatever it takes t'save him!"

"It's not the amount," Chichiri said numbly, sinking back as if someone had kicked him in the chest. "If it were just that then we should have seen at least _something_, some kind of, of low-grade healing or clotting or something, but... but it isn't anything at all."

"Why _not_?" Tasuki snapped. "Why th' hell would it jus' stop workin', Chichiri?"

Their eyes met, and for the first time in his life Tasuki saw open horror in his friend's eye. Horror for something that he could no longer explain, and horror for the boy that they could no longer save. "I don't know. Tasuki I, I don't know..."

Aoi choked around another mouthful of blood, chest heaving as if everything inside of him was trying to escape. Tasuki lifted the boy into his arms, holding him upright so he could cough the heavy liquid down the front of his shirt. He struggled weakly in Tasuki's hold, one wobbling hand reaching forward to clutch at his blood-soaked chest, tugging at his shirt as if he could somehow clear the fluid that was slowly suffocating him.

"Can't..." he wheezed, his words so thick and wet that they barely sounded human. "Can't... Help..."

Tasuki's hands tightened against Aoi's shoulders. "Ain't there somethin' we c'n do fer him?"

"I can ease the pain. Send him... send his soul on peacefully. But..." Chichiri fumbled with his prayer beads, eye slipping across the field and over to Akai, still battling with the beleaguered Element. He looked back at Tasuki. "But once I do, there's no way we can save him. It's little better than slitting his throat."

"Do it."

"I can't make that decision for him, Tasuki, it wouldn't be right, I don't have that kind of authority, not here, not when he might – not when Akai might want—"

Aoi screamed weakly, back arching against a fresh stab of pain, but the sound was cut off as it was overtaken by those same wet coughs that brought up more blood with each heaving wheeze. His hands fumbled for an anchor; Tasuki shifted his hold so he could cup the boy's fingers in his palm, allowing them to squeeze and claw with what little energy they had left. Aoi clung to him, chest heaving, each breath becoming shorter and more panicked than the last.

"I jus' made th' decision," Tasuki said quietly. He met Chichiri with a look that would not be disobeyed. "Do it."

Chichiri nodded uncertainly, but when Aoi moaned again it seemed to seal his resolve. The monk folded his hands into a _mudra_ of protection and closed his eye. (1) Slowly his lips began to move in a prayer for the departing while his spirit sank into Aoi's, fighting through the tangles of barely-sane agony until he found the dim light at the center. He folded his own _ki_ around it, using himself as a shield between the boy's soul and his physical body. Chichiri gritted his teeth against the pain that sliced into his chest – or at least _felt_ as if it sliced into his chest – but didn't waver.

"_Aoi-kun?"_ he called quietly.

The voice – it was more fair to call it a deep impression, a series of feelings rather than an actual sound – pulsed back weakly. _"Did you make the pain go away?"_

"_Mm. It's all right now. It's not going to hurt anymore. I'm just going to put you to sleep for a while."_

"_Will I ever wake up?"_

"_Eventually,"_

"_Will Akai be there?"_

Chichiri swallowed hard. _"Maybe someday. For now, though, you just need to rest."_

The boy did not resist as Chichiri swept his _ki_ over him, pushing him gently inwards, the dim light at his core growing smaller and fainter with each second. He could have broken the connection then, but Chichiri waited, hands clenched tightly in his lap, watching over the last of Aoi's life force until nothing remained but the smallest of specks.

"_Thank you,"_ it hummed quietly, and then winked out forever, leaving him in darkness.

Chichiri opened his eye, staring at the limp, lifeless body in Tasuki's arms. He tasted blood and reached up in a daze, touching his lip and realizing that he'd bitten through it. He pressed the same hand to his forehead, squeezing his eye shut as he fought to erase that last message, that overwhelming gratitude and affection that Aoi had sent to the person who had become his death god.

"Chichiri, I—"

"Leave it alone," he said raggedly. "Please, Tasuki. Just leave it alone."

oOo

Akai struck out sideways and Sora lost her balance, resolve at last giving way to fatigue. She fell to the ground with a _whump_, still struggling to crawl backwards as Akai came at her again. Sora blocked the first two downward strikes, but her arm wavered on the last, leaving her wide open for the killing blow. Akai's sword darted forward as if aiming for Sora's heart, but she veered right at the last moment, swinging her blade up and under Sora's own glowing sword.

The Sky Element screamed as the Holy Sword sliced through her right wrist, sending both blade and hand falling to the ground. She moved as if to grab at her bleeding arm, but Akai kicked her in the stomach, knocking her onto her back and throwing all the breath out of her lungs. Sora gasped for air, though even as she did her remaining hand was inching towards her belt, searching for the knife that lay tucked in the folds of her shirt.

Akai threw herself atop the girl, pressing her knees into Sora's forearms so she couldn't reach the little blade. She buried the Holy Sword point-first into the ground beside Sora's head, then pulled back her hand and slapped the Element across the face.

"Stop it!" Akai roared, wrenching the knife out of Sora's belt and throwing it across the clearing. One hand landed against Sora's neck, holding her immobile but never quite tightening to a stranglehold. "Just stop it already! You've lost, don't you get that? You can't use your power anymore. I've _won_, damn you! It's over now!"

"Kill me, then."

Akai's free fist connected with Sora's cheek. "Kill me, kill me, _kill me_! Is that all you ever think about? _Death_? Is that actually what you _want_?" She hit her again, this time so hard that she heard the Element's nose crack. "I'm sick of it! I'm sick of the funerals and of the tears and of that awful, sad, empty silence, and I am so _gods damned sick_ of this _gods damned war_! Why did your lady have to attack us? What did we ever do to her? What did Aoi-kun and Koji-san and the hundreds of dead Konan soldiers _ever_ do to her? They never did anything but try to go on living, and then she had to... she had to..."

She roared out a frustrated snarl, grabbing Sora by the collar and dragging her forward so that they were nearly nose to nose. "And now you want me to kill you? To cut off your head and, and march around with it like some kind of sick _trophy_? Forget it! I'm not adding any more tombs to our graveyards, I'm not going to be the reason for one more single tear that someone has to shed! I'm through with it, do you hear me? So just _give it up_ already, damn you!"

Silence fell across the pair as Sora studied the snarling girl, Akai's features twisted in a mix of rage and sorrow. "That's an interesting way of seeing things, Konan Warrior."

Sora's left hand twisted sideways, curling around, feeling down the thick strand of thread tied around her wrist until she had the glinting orb pressed between her thumb and forefinger. She closed her eyes quietly, relaxing her body beneath the palace champion as she thought back to that afternoon, and to the last request she had made of her lady.

"_Setsuka-sama? May I ask a favor of you, please?"_

"_A favor?"_

"_Yes. I am confident of victory, Setsuka-sama. However, if I were to lose – if my enemies were to leave me alive, then I would... I have already failed you once, my Lady. I couldn't bear to do it again. So I beg of you, allow me to take my own life. Give me this one freedom, and it will be the only thing your weapon shall ask of you again. I swear it."_

Sora smiled sadly, eyes drifting up past Akai and towards her namesake, the dark sky speckled with stars and stretching out above them into infinity. "Unfortunately, I'm afraid that I don't see things the same way."

Her fingers snapped together, shattering her blue jewel into myriad pieces. Sora gasped once, a soft sound in the back of her throat, then she relaxed against the ground, a lonely smile on her face and her eyes open to the world, as empty as they had been during her last, broken weeks of life.

oOo

Tasuki watched as the spirit behind Akai released his hold on her, straightening to his full height. He turned to face the bandit, watching both him and Chichiri – half his face buried in his palm, the other in his prayer beads – with sorrow in his eyes. Tasuki opened his mouth to try to speak, but stopped at the last minute, glancing down at the body in his hands.

"_The fault was not your own. It is simply the way things are._

"_Look after her."_

His head jerked up again, searching for the owner of the voice. But Hotohori was gone, leaving his seishi brethren to deal with the rest on their own.

"Tasuki-sama? Chichiri-sama?"

The two looked up at the sound of Akai's voice. She hadn't moved from her spot crouched atop Sora; instead, she seemed to have slumped down even further, as if she didn't have the energy to hold herself upright anymore. Her voice was as frail as spring ice, yet somehow she managed to raise it enough that they could hear her single question.

"Aoi-kun... is he...?"

They didn't answer. It was answer enough.

"I see," she said, and then she collapsed atop the Element's corpse, chest heaving with high, keening sobs.

oOo

It was the silence that would stay with them, the silence that they would remember most. How utterly few words were spoken, as if they were all afraid to cheapen this tragedy, to define it with words that could never do it justice. So they moved without speaking, all of them, with only Akai's muffled sobs to serve as their chorus, as the night's quiet requiem.

They were met at the western gates by their companions, the three remaining Konan Warriors huddled together, and Hataku limping down the wall steps a few paces behind them. Houki rushed to Akai, pressing a hand to the girl's shoulder. Akai turned, releasing her hold on Chichiri's robes and throwing herself into Houki's arms.

Kiori and Ritsuka followed a step or two behind, circling Akai as if they could somehow protect her from the night. Kiori looked up, eyes moving automatically to Chichiri, but he could do nothing but stare back at her, maskless, exhausted – and for the first time since any of them could remember, completely at a loss.

Everyone stood frozen for a suffocating moment, then Kiori set her jaw and moved into action, stepping away from Akai, touching Houki's shoulder, nodding for her to lead Akai back to the palace. Kiori went to the horses, took the reins from Chichiri's numb hands – noticed that Hataku did the same for Tasuki – then turned from the seishi, following Houki, Ritsuka, and the stumbling Akai to the palace.

Chichiri and Tasuki watched them walk away. They looked to each other, then all the strength seemed to drain out of them. With down-turned heads and slumping shoulders they followed, always a step or two behind the procession, as if they couldn't bear to walk with their companions.

--

They separated when they reached the infirmaries, the women to the sickbay and the men to the morgue. Hataku gathered Sora in his arms, Tasuki did the same for Aoi. Seishi and shogun set their charges gently onto the prepared pallets, side by side. Hataku knelt beside Sora, Chichiri beside Aoi, his hands already looped into his prayer beads. Tasuki stood, hesitated, but when neither gave him a glance he turned from the stifling room, walking with slow steps out and around the building, toward the infirmaries.

He paused, stood in the doorway, eyes trailing to the far end of the room where Akai sat on a low bench flanked by Ritsuka and Houki, Kiori kneeling before her, setting bandages to her wounds. Tears streamed unchecked from Akai's eyes, her sniffles filling a room already filled with the low moans of the injured and dying.

Ritsuka glanced up, seeing Tasuki's across the room. She moved to stand, but he shook his head, eyes and chin jerking back to Akai. She hesitated but he just repeated the gesture, nodding for her to stay with the grieving girl. She returned the nod after a moment, lowering herself back to the bench, but her eyes stayed on him until he at last turned from the doorway, moving slowly, almost painfully down the walkway and toward the far-off training rings.

--

Kiori finished her work with swift, practiced motions, then moved from one shadowed room to another, stepping with careful solemnity across the floor of the mortuary. She glanced at Aoi – Chichiri still knelt over him, lips moving in a silent prayer for the dead – and at the blood that soaked his shirt.

She swallowed, looked away, to a sight she could better face. She knelt beside Sora, but frowned when her eyes took in no fatal wounds. She leaned forward, untying the clasps on the girl's overshirt, pulling apart the folds of her undershirt. Something clattered against her chest.

Kiori's eyes widened and she reached into the Element's shirt, pulling out a trio of wooden spirit tablets. She glanced back at Hataku, who watched her, expressionless, then she took the knife from her belt and slashed the first of the tablets away from the girl's neck. Slowly Kiori turned, still kneeling, to hand the tablet to the man behind her. Puzzled, he took it from her willing hands, eyes trailing to the characters carved into the smooth wood: _Watanabe Hataku._

Kiori waited, but Hataku said nothing, merely nodded, tight-lipped, and tucked the tablet into his jacket. He stood with an effort, staring long at the young Element before shaking his head and limping from the room, his steps playing out an uneven dirge along the floorboards.

--

Kiori looked to Chichiri, hoping to offer comfort, but he kept his eye on Aoi and his thoughts on his prayers. She sighed and went back to her work, unwinding the other tablets from Sora's neck before shifting to handle Aoi's bloodied clothes.

A shadow fell across her and she looked up, watching as Houki and Ritsuka, with Akai draped between them, walked slowly past the doorway. Akai, dry-eyed at last, hesitated, then turned, her gaze slipping past everyone, forgetting everything but the boy on the floor. She reached a hand forward, lips opening to form a name, eyes filling with tears, but Houki took the girl in her arms and gently held her back.

Akai's hand fell, hopelessly, back to her side. The two older women led her away, and soon even the soft creak of their feet had been swallowed by the night, leaving Kiori and Chichiri alone with the dead.

--

Time passed. Kiori couldn't say how much. Her work ended, but still she waited for Chichiri. At last he dropped his prayer beads, then pressed his hands to the floor and moved to stand. He struggled to rise, but Kiori stepped forward, looping her arm under his and helping him to his feet. Their eyes met for the first time in hours, but even her weak smile could elicit no reaction from him.

Kiori supported his exhausted steps through the walkways and back to his room. He shifted away from her as they reached his door, pushing it open with a trembling hand. He nodded his thanks briefly, almost unconsciously, as he staggered through the doorway. Kiori moved to follow, to comfort, to be for him what he'd been for her, but he closed the door without once looking back, leaving her on the other side.

Dawn was rising in Konan, through windows and over buildings, throwing tendrils of red and violet light across the world, but no one would notice.

Not Chichiri, who threw Mitsukake's holy water onto his desk and collapsed on the edge of his bed, elbows on knees, face sinking into his palms.

Not Kiori, slumped against Chichiri's closed door, forehead touching the wood, hands scrubbing at her sudden tears.

Not Tasuki, sword flashing as he speared a training dummy through the chest, burying it up to the hilt before his hand dropped from the sword and clenched into a fist, slamming into the straw target again and again as he snarled curses that no one would hear.

Not Hataku, setting the empty sake bowl on his table, palm against his cheek, fingers splayed across his ruined eye, staring at his spirit tablet for a long moment before heaving a sigh and squeezing his remaining eye shut.

And certainly not Akai, with her head buried in Houki's chest, Ritsuka's arms looped around her shaking shoulders, her hands clenched into balls beneath her chin and her ragged sobs the only sound to break the stillness, to break the unceasing quiet of the darkest dawn of her short, but no longer childish, life.

oOo

"I'd like to request a release from my duties."

Houki glanced up and towards the doorway of her room, blinking at the young champion standing in its frame. The girl's face was pale, her eyes rimmed with red as they had been all week, but she held herself tall and did not waver from her empress' gaze. "I-I'm sorry," Houki stuttered. "I do not think I understand. You wish for me to... ah...?"

"Strip me of my titles, Houki-sama," she said. "I want to be released from my service to Konan."

"But why?"

"So that I can leave the palace."

Houki frowned, setting her book down on her desk. "Come in and sit down, please." The girl did as she said, stepping into the room, bowing once before accepting the chair across from her empress. Houki laced her fingers in front of her chin, frowning over them at the champion. "Where do you intend to go?"

"To Jouzen, Aoi's..." Akai looked down and blinked hard. "Aoi's home town. His family have a right to know what happened. I... I think that I need to be the one to do that." She looked up again, meeting the empress' eyes. "After that, I think I'll go home for a while. My family must be worried. I haven't been able to write them since the war began."

Houki breathed a sigh of relief. "Then this is only a temporary departure?"

"No, Majesty," she whispered. "When I said I was leaving, I didn't mean for a few days or weeks. I meant... well, I might have meant forever. I don't really _know_ how long, not yet anyway."

"Wherever will you go for such a long time?"

She shrugged. "Kutou, maybe. I heard they still need some help stabilizing the capital. Or I could go to Takkan - rebellions can always use more able hands. I haven't decided yet. Just... anywhere that I'm needed, I guess."

"And you do not think you are needed here?"

"To be honest, no, Houki-sama." Akai frowned, staring at her hands. "This palace is the safest place anyone in the nation, maybe even in the world, could be right now. You're protected by probably the most capable people I've ever met. Between the seishi, and Hataku-san, and Ritsuka-san and Kiori-san, and yourself as well, Houki-sama..." She shrugged again, lacing her fingers together tightly in her lap. "And I've taken my Element, now. So there's really nothing – I mean there's nothing else for me to do here. I'm not needed."

"Even if that were true, it does not mean we do not still want you here. That _I_ do not still want you here." Houki waited, but when Akai said nothing, just kept her eyes focused on her lap, the empress sighed and continued. "As empress, I would never hold you here against your will. However, as your friend," Akai glanced up, surprised by the wobble in Houki's voice, "I would greatly appreciate an explanation."

"It's... hard to put into words," she said. "I guess... I guess I feel like I need some time away. Maybe there're too many memories... but I think it's more than that. It's something he said to me, right before..." She swallowed back the lump building in her throat. "H-he said I shouldn't worry about failing anyone. Th-that I should fight as Yamada Akai. I've been hearing that a lot lately, and I think... well, I think it's time that I figure out who that is. And I'm never going to do it here, in the shadows of so many other great people. So... I just..."

Houki's eyes softened. "I understand." She stood from her chair. "Very well, then, Akai." She bowed at the waist, keeping her voice high and formal. "I release you from your duties as the palace champion. May Suzaku guide your steps down whatever road you choose to travel."

Akai returned the bow with a much lower one of her own. "May he keep you safe, Dowager Empress, and watch over Konan while I cannot."

Houki straightened with a small, sad smile. "I will miss you very much."

The warrior girl's lip quivered. "Houki-sama..." She threw herself into the older woman's arms, the woman she had respected, served and loved for over a year. "I'm sorry that I have to do this, I really am. I'll miss you all, every last one of you, you know that." She sniffled, adding quietly, "Even Hataku-san."

Houki chuckled. "I know, Akai, but it will be all right. We will find a way to manage without you – please, make sure that you do the same."

oOo

Akai left Houki's study a few minutes later, scrubbing tears from her eyes as she went. The champion walked slowly down the walkways, but she'd only gone a few feet before she heard a door slam around the corner, followed by a bellowing female voice.

"Fine, run away into the city, just _drown_ yourself in booze! See if I give a damn about it!"

Not a moment later Ritsuka came barreling around the corner, her face flushed with rage and her eyes gleaming with frustrated tears. She nearly slammed straight into Akai, but pulled up at the last second, staring at the girl as if she were afraid she might break. "Oh." The anger drained from her form. "Akai. Where, uh, where're you off to?"

"I was heading to the pond," she said. "What's wrong?"

"Huh? Oh." Ritsuka shot a breath of air up and into her bangs. "That idiot."

"Tasuki-san?"

"That's the one, though now that I think about it I could've been talking about Chichiri, too. He's been about as depressing, just not as annoying."

"What's the matter with him?"

"Who, Tasuki?" Ritsuka scowled. "He's just been wandering around moping all week, ever since..." Akai sniffled and Ritsuka got back on subject. "Whenever I try to get him to talk, he just brushes it off and runs away, saying he's going into the city or something." She snorted. "Probably drinking himself into a coma, like _that's_ going to help anything." She threw up her hands. "Ah, the hell with him! I don't even care what he does anymore." Ritsuka set a hand to Akai's shoulder. "You're the only one that matters right now. We haven't had a chance to talk much what with all the ceremonies. How're you holding up?"

"Not good," she said honestly. "But it's getting better. I'm glad I ran into you, actually. Walk with me to the pond?"

The two took their time crossing the palace grounds, Akai explaining everything to her friend as they went. Ritsuka's responses varied from open-eyed shock to sudden, fierce hugs, but by the time they had reached the palace pond the redhead had slipped into pensive silence, nodding every so often to show that she was still listening. The two leaned against the railing of the pond's pavilion, staring out into the waning light for a long minute.

Finally Ritsuka said, "So you're leaving tomorrow, huh? Did you plan on telling everybody, or were we just going to get an Imperial memo in our mailboxes later?"

"I'm going to let the others know at dinner this evening," she said. "But I wanted to be alone when I told you. There's something I want you to have."

Ritsuka tried a weak smile. "A going-away present for little ol' me? I'm touched. Just don't tell the others I'm your favorite, okay? I want to tell 'em myself."

Akai managed a smile back, though it only lasted for a moment. She reached down and carefully unhooked the Holy Sword, tucked safely away in its scabbard, from her belt. She held the beautiful weapon up to her friend, bowing her head as she presented the gift. "I want you to take this, Ritsuka-san."

"Me?" Ritsuka's eyes widened. "Don't you wanna keep it? I mean, it's sort of yours now, isn't it?"

"This is a holy weapon of Suzaku. It belonged to Hotohori-sama, and, in a way, it belongs to all of Konan." She looked away, blinking back tears. "Because of that, I think it should stay with a Konan Warrior."

"But Akai, you _are_ a Konan Warrior – a-and the palace champion, no less...!"

She shook her head. "Not any more, remember? Houki-sama released me of my responsibilities to the empire, and you can't be a Konan Warrior if you aren't even in Konan." She practically shoved the weapon into Ritsuka's arms, afraid that if she didn't let it go now, she never could. "I don't think either of the seishi would feel right carrying their friend's sword, and Kiori-san doesn't even fight, so..."

"So I'm the leftover?"

"Oh, gods, not at all!" Akai assured her hurriedly. "I would have given it to you even if Chichiri-san and Tasuki-san had begged me for it! I just thought you wanted a reason, that's all."

Ritsuka smiled, then paused thoughtfully. "Say Akai... have you been calling those two '-san' this whole time?" Akai nodded. "Aren't you worried that they're gonna ,I dunno, fly out of the sky and smite you or something?"

Akai giggled. "I think I'm done with the hero-worshipping, Ritsuka-san. I still respect Chichiri-san and Tasuki-san, but I can't say that I want to _be_ them anymore. I just want to be..." She nodded once. "I just want to be Yamada Akai, I guess."

"D'you know, Akai, I think you're more mature I am?" Akai chuckled a little, her friend mirroring the action. Ritsuka strapped the sword around her own waist, admiring the powerful weapon. "_Arigatou_. I'll try to use it as well as you did, though that might be asking too much."

"I'm sure you'll be fine" Akai's smile fell and she glanced away, eyes filling with tears. "Just… you have to promise me something, please?"

"Uh, sure. What is it?"

"That sword saved a lot of lives," Akai said quietly. "But, in the end, it wasn't the sword, but me, who couldn't save the people I cared about the most. Koji-san and Aoi-san... I loved them both so much, but there wasn't anything I could for them, not when it really counted. I tried, but, but still, I…"

"Akai..."

"So, Ritsuka-san, please, you have to promise me this." She sniffled, looking up at her companion. "You have to promise me that, no matter what happens, no matter how many other people you help, that you'll save the lives of the ones that matter the most. Ritsuka-san, promise me that you'll use that sword to protect the people you love."

Ritsuka hugged the weeping girl to her chest. "Of course, Akai. I promise."

oOo

Noon of the next day found the Konan Warriors standing at the palace gates, seeing off their youngest member. Akai, an old sword tucked at her belt and a knapsack slung across her shoulders, stood at the center of the group, exchanging farewells with each of her companions.

Tasuki clapped her on the shoulder, forcing a smile that seemed hollow. "Hey, you take care-a yerself, okay? An' remember, if ya ever get inta trouble, you know who t'call." He cracked his knuckles to make a point.

Akai giggled. She threw herself into her friend's arms, pleased when he hugged her back. "Thanks, Tasuki-san. I'll keep that in mind, just in case I get backed in a corner and need a good hot flame to get me out." Akai glanced over at Chichiri, frowning at the crinkle between his masked eyebrows. "Chichiri-san, you look so concerned. Is everything okay?"

He shook his head, jerking back from wherever his mind had been, and smiled. "I should be the one asking that no da." He wrapped his arms around Akai as she hugged him fiercely. "Good luck, Akai-chan. I'm sure it'll all work out fine in the end no da. I'll always be around if you need me, just like Tasuki said."

"You always are," she whispered, forcing herself out of the monk's hold. She turned to look at the woman at his side, but she was enveloped in a tight hug before she even had the chance. "Eep! Kiori-san..."

"I can't believe we're actually saying good-bye!" Kiori said, her voice wobbling on the words as she fought back a wave of tears. "I was hoping this wouldn't happen until the war was over but... oh, dammit, why am I crying and you aren't? I feel so stupid... I'm just going to miss you so much, you're like family to me..."

"I'll be all right, you know me. You just do your best to keep the others all in one piece." Akai smiled up at her friend, then leaned in and whispered in her ear. "Kiori-san, I just know that you and Chichiri-san will work everything out, trust me on this. But you can't be afraid to tell him how you feel, all right? I never told Aoi-kun, and now..." She choked back a sob, forcing strength into her voice, "well, now I never can. Remember that, please."

Kiori blushed as she released Akai from her hold, smiling down at the younger girl. "You know, I think you're more mature than I am."

"Now where have I heard that before?" She turned towards Ritsuka, sweatdropping. "Ritsuka...san...?"

The chibi redhead was dressed in all black - mourning colors - and crying twin waterfalls. "Akaiiiiiii...!" She grabbed her so tightly that Akai thought she might snap in two. "If you get yourself killed I'll never speak to you again, you hear me?"

Akai chuckled, squirming out of the bone-crushing hug. "Same to you, Ritsuka-san. And give Tasuki-san a whack over the head for me." Ritsuka obligingly did so. "Oh, no, I meant later..."

"I know. That one was from me."

Akai sweatdropped. "And you guys worry about _me_?" Taking a deep breath, she finally turned to Houki. Even though the two had already said their good-byes, it didn't stop them from embracing once more, the empress with tears in her eyes. "Houki-sama, I've learned so much while I was here. I don't think I can ever repay you."

"Your friendship was payment enough," Houki assured her. "Take care of yourself, and please, do not hesitate to write. We will all be worried sick until you do."

"Of course I'll write. Every chance I get." She stepped away from the semi-circle of friends, turning so she could face all of them at once. "Thank you all for everything. I'll never forget it." Before anyone could say anything else Akai whirled and sprinted out of the palace gates, keeping her head down so the others wouldn't see the water that had gathered at the corners of her eyes. "Good-bye!"

Akai slowed down once she reached the bustling streets of Eiyou, but she didn't once stop or look back until she arrived at the western gates of the great capital city. She had one hand on the latch and the other pressed against the door when a voice behind her made her pause.

"So the rumors were true, and you really are skipping town?"

Akai whirled on her heel, wincing when she spotted Hataku a few feet away, leaning against a residential wall. "Oh, Hataku-san! How did you know I was...?"

"News travels quickly in the barracks," he said gruffly. "I don't usually listen to gossip, but since no one bothered to tell me about this I thought that I should pay attention for once."

"Oh, please don't be angry. I wanted to tell you, I really did, but, well..." She tugged nervously at her shirt. "I was afraid that you wouldn't want to see me, not after everything that happened. I thought you might be a little upset." She glanced up through her bangs. "I'm the reason your best pupil is dead, after all."

"_You're_ my best pupil, Akai-kun," Hataku told her, and she couldn't help but blush. He looked away, to the northeast as he always did, his attention focused on Takkan. "Kiori showed me the shards buried in Sora's hand. I pieced the rest together on my own. She chose the only path that she thought she had left, but that wasn't you fault. You defeated her; you didn't leave her hollow. Setsuka did that to her. And... maybe I did, too."

"She cried," Akai said suddenly, "when she found out that you were still alive. It was the only emotion I saw out of her the entire night. I think she was really, truly happy to hear that." Hataku touched a hand to something hidden beneath his jacket. Akai closed the distance between them and pressed her fingers to his chest, feeling the smooth tablet beneath them. She pulled her hand away again, smiling. "She'll find peace."

"We'll see." His eye flicked over to meet hers again. "And what about you?"

Akai shrugged weakly. "I'm kind of a mess right now, but I'll be all right. I'll stay alive, anyway. You make sure to do the same thing." She grinned. "When we meet again, I'm going to be better than you. Then I'll beat you in a duel for certain."

Hataku snorted. "Only if we meet again when I'm eighty and bedridden." His harsh features softened, if only for a moment. "But good luck."

Akai took a few steps away, pressing palm to fist and setting them before her chest in a Takkan salute. She bowed low to her final teacher. "I learned so much from you. _Osewa ni narimashita_ – thank you for looking after me, Hataku-san."

He mirrored the salute, bowing just as low as she had, meeting her on equal footing. "You have been a pleasure to teach, Akai-kun. Take care of yourself."

"I will." She straightened again, setting her eyes on the city walls. "There are too many people who would never forgive me if I didn't."

oOo

"_'The former shogun watched as the young warrior shouldered her pack of supplies and walked back to the western gate. She stared at the tall wooden doors for a long moment, then, taking a deep breath, she pushed them open and left the Konan Palace, alone save for the wide, blue sky.'_" Yui sniffled, rubbing a hand across her still-red eyes. "End Chapter Thirty."

--  
Kiori: The Konan Warriors have been reduced to five, and the empty spaces at dinner are leaving everyone with a lot to think about. Not that Chichiri and Tasuki will tell anyone just what it is they _are_ thinking about, but... huh? Ritsuka, you've got a plan to cheer everyone up? Oh boy, if it's _your_ idea then it's bound to be interesting.  
Meanwhile in Takkan, Setsuka finds herself facing trouble as the RAFT members organize an attack against her – but will a traitor ruin their plans before they've even begun?  
The Next Episode of _Fushigi Yuugi: The Next Chapter_: "Trial and Error – The Snake Beneath the Tiger's Paws."  
Maybe a little fun _would_ do us all some good…  
--

* * *

**End Notes:  
**(1) _mudra_ - a gesture or position typically made with one's hands or even just the fingers. They are used to help focus the mind on a concept or emotion (knowledge, compassion, etc.), but Chichiri also uses them to direct and focus _ki_ flow.

**_Ye Olde Author's Note: June 14th, 2009_  
**Ni-hao, minna-san!  
So… cheerful chapter, huh? _(Sweat)_ Sorry about that. If it makes anyone feel any better, I was constantly getting up from my computer, walking over to my roommate's bedroom, and saying, "I'm a _terrible_ person!" (For his part, he agreed with me.) It was a rough one to write. Jossing characters is never easy, though – especially when you wind up having to rewrite most of the chapter and it makes things even _more_ depressing than they were in the original. (_Sigh) _I'm looking forward to the next chapter. Things get a little bit happier again.

One thing I wanted to talk about this time around, and then I'll leave you to wish for better days for our Konan cast. That Long Night scene (the sequence that begins with "It was the silence that would stay with them…") is divided up the way it is because it's intended to be read while playing Rufus Wainwright's version of "Hallelujah." The scene sprang into my head (in pictures, not words) while I was listening to that song one night, and I actually had to get up and scribble the entire thing down as it came to me. The dashes ( -- ) that separate the mini-scenes are there to indicate the end of a verse of the song. I didn't mention all this in the "Musical Selection" because if you don't read fast enough it won't flow right, but I would highly encourage everyone to go back and try it again with the music. I posted Wainwright's haunting rendition in **my blog** for anyone who'd like a hell of a reading experience.

No character profile this time, but I'll start throwing RAFT profiles at you in the next episode. The gang has some work to do in Takkan, so it seems fitting that we should get to know them all better. But I do have this for now:

**Dee's Tasteless Joke of the Chapter (Part of the "Never Edit at 1 AM" Segment)...  
**(_Akai lops off Sora's hand_)  
"Sort of gives the word 'disarm' a whole new meaning, doesn't it?"  
_(Aaaaahahahaha... I'm hilarious.)_

Thanks to antyem, Ritsikas, Dimonah Tralon, Inuphantom, Warrior-of-the-Flames, WolfxAngel, Rubinne, Amaya-san, and Mandamirra for reviewing! I hope to hear from you all again soon (even if it's just to yell at me)!

Your Authoress -- Dee


	31. Episode Thirty One: Trial and Error

_**Disclaimer**_**:** I still don't own Konan, Suzaku and all characters and seishi pertaining to them. Kiori and Ritsuka are and shall forever be mine, and that holds for all the other "originals" (you'll know 'em when they appear, trust me). Obviously the story is mine as well.

_**Rating:**_PG-13, for moderate language and violence.

**Musical Selection: **No new tracks, but I do recommend some favorites** - **"Belladonna's Snare" for the Takkan Alley scene,"Tsuchita Usuba Ashi" for the Ritsuka/Tasuki scene, "Sunflower" for the Ritsuka/Chichiri scene, and "Day of the River" for the Kiori/Chichiri scene. Phew! That should be all.

**Previously on _Fushigi Yuugi: The Next Chapter...  
_**-Akai rode out to fight her Element, Sora. Aoi chased after her, though not without first getting a message to Tasuki and Chichiri, letting them know about Akai's battle. Chichiri grabbed Mitsukake's Holy Water, and the seishi teleported off to the battlefield.  
-Akai found herself losing badly to the determined Element, but just when Sora was about to finish her Aoi showed up, pulling Akai out of harm's way. Akai was preparing to return to the battle when Sora shot at them from behind, mortally wounding Aoi. The seishi arrived just as he was struck, saving Akai and promising to help Aoi. Akai leaves him in their hands and turns to face off against Sora once more.  
-Chichiri uses the Holy Water on Aoi, but to his horror finds that it doesn't work. Left with no other option, he uses his _ki_ to send Aoi peacefully on to the next life. Akai defeats Sora with the help of Hotohori's ghost. Akai refuses to kill her, but Sora crushes her own Elemental gem, committing suicide. The surviving warriors return to the palace, but Akai leaves Konan shortly after Aoi's funeral.

_I had a super-special-awesome way to make up for my year AWOL, but sadly the future has failed us. It's _still_ impossible for me to send cupcakes through the Interwebs. Looks like I'll just have to win you over with a jam-packed new episode of plot twists, intrigue, and (say it with me now, kiddies) rrrrromance! Enjoy yo'selves._

* * *

**-Episode Thirty-One: Trial and Error-**  
**A Snake Beneath the Tiger's Paws**

Keisuke took the book Yui handed him. He glanced down at the number of pages left and realized with a start that the trio were a lot further along than he had anticipated. "You guys, I think we're getting near the end!"

Tetsuya looked up in surprise. "Hm? So soon?" His eyes went to the clock in the corner. He chuckled, realizing it was almost five in the morning. "Heh, I guess it just seemed shorter than it was."

"It feels like there's still so much that needs to be done," Yui said. "How d'you suppose it'll all turn out?"

"Fine in the end, as Chichiri would say," Keisuke said with a weak smile. "Though maybe 'fine' is in the eye of the beholder at this point." He turned his attention back to the book, putting a finger on the first word of the next chapter. "Okay... _'With another bloody Elemental battle behind them, the citizens of Konan returned to a life of uneasy calm. The same could not be said in Takkan, however, as a rebel alliance met to discuss the latest events of the war...'_"

oOo

Watanabe Hourin's fingers moved deftly across the torn edges of the torn tunic, needle and thread darting in and out with practiced ease as she sewed the ripped seam back together. Her hands were focused on her work, but her head remained tilted as she listened to the RAFT members filtering in and out of Otoo-san's home, prying Kita for answers that she didn't yet possess.

"Now see 'ere, I knows ye're excited but I tol' you awready, I won't know nuffin' till Aji gets 'ome from th' palace. So would'ja please jus' leave m'be f' th' night?"

"But Kita-san, Aji-san's been gone for _ages_! What if somethin' happened to him?"

"Calm y'self, Ayame-chan, Aji's either too dumb 'r' too smart t'get 'imselves caught, though troof b'told I still ain't rightly sure which of 'em 'e is."

"But if it's really true, then does that mean...?"

"No jumpin', blokes, not yet no ways! We'll 'ave conclusions a-plenty later, like. Now Iyasu, Kazuo, you chaps make s'm sweeps, check t'see we don't 'ave no Takkan dogs sniffin' 'round our 'omes. Don' you be givin' me no sideways looks, Iyasu-kun, I'm in no mood t'be dealin' wiff y' snark t'night. Go on, off wi' th' both of ya!"

"What about me, Kita-san?"

"You stay 'ere, Ayame-chan, 'n' tell 'ese nosey rebels of ours 'at we don' know noffin' an' they needs t'calm 'emselves afore Setsuka – may she die a thousand deaths – gets wind-a all this meetin' 'n' greetin' an' comes out t'say 'ello 'erself. I needs t'rest me feet f'a bit."

"Yes, ma'am! You just leave it to me! Oh, I really hope Aji-san gets here quick..."

Hourin paused in her sewing, tilting her head up as she heard Kita's footsteps draw near. "Are all mornings at the RAFT HQ this busy, or did I just get lucky?"

Kita collapsed beside her, heaving out a sigh. "Noise 'n' 'ullabaloo, 'n' all 'cause-a rumors 'bout dead Elements. I'll be glad f'two fings: Aji gettin' 'ome from th' palace 'n' settlin' 'ese rumors, an' 'at brat Iyasu stayin' out 'n' givin' me s'm peace. Mebbe 'e'll find 'imself a _sake_ bottle t'drown in on 'im's patrol." Hourin chuckled. Kita scratched at her head. "Listen, 'Ourin-san, I'm right glad f'you 'elpin' us 'n' all, but if y'were wantin' t'go 'ome 'n' rest... I, I mean, I knows this ruckus must be a real strain on ya, you bein' a delicate lady 'n' all..."

"Delicate!" Hourin had to laugh at that. "Kita-san, do you know the old saying, 'A house is only as strong as its women'?" Kita made an "un" noise to say that she did. "Well, my father used to say that if that were the case, then the Watanabe family would outlast the mountains." She went back to her sewing, shaking her head at Kita's concerns. "You don't need to worry about me. I may be the weakest of the Watanabe line, but that's just because I have to compare myself to Ani-ue." She smiled. "And even _he _looks frail next to our mother."

"An' 'at's anuvver fing!" Kita cried, distressed. "I don't likes it one bit 'at your mum's workin' 'erself t'death in our kitchens, an' usin' some-a 'er own food t'do it, too!"

"We're really not as destitute as Ani-ue makes us out to be," Hourin said.

"Well mebbe not b'fore, but now 'at 'Ataku-san ain't in th' milit'ree no mores..."

"Oh, didn't he tell you?" Hourin's tone remained light, but the hard strokes of her needle suggested she was thinking much more than she was saying. "We continue to get the monthly stipends from the palace. It was made very clear to us that my brother's so-called 'death on the battlefield' would in no way affect our material welfare, and so far that's been the case."

"Huh. Bitch must be too busy floggin' soldiers t'worry 'bout where 'er money goes." Hourin frowned but said nothing, which gave Kita time to return to her original complaint. "But e'en so, 'at don' mean y' mum oughta be in 'ere, slavin' away t'feed a bunch-a no-name commoners! Now I made a promise t' y' brother 'at I'd keep th' two of y' safe 'n' sound, like, but if 'e came 'ome an' saw alla this... t'see us 'angin' about'cha, as if y'were our, our..."

"Equals, maybe?"

Kita moaned, but Hourin covered it up with a laugh. "Oh, _I _see what the problem is! You think you have an official's daughter in the house. Well, Kita-san, you don't need to worry, because there's nothing in the least bit 'official' about me. The Deposed Lord Chou stripped my father of his title when I was still in my mother's tummy, and despite my brother's impressive rise through the ranks of the Takkan army, he was never granted a proper title or enough _ryo_ to put us back among Takkan's aristocracy. The old Watanabe mansion is still crumbling away, gathering moss and vines and, oh, probably enough rodents to sink a merchant ship, and I don't see that changing anytime soon."

She returned to her sewing. "No, I'm sorry to tell you, Kita-san, but you're not sitting next to a lady. I'm just a common girl with a lady's education, which is the worst kind of commoner, as it turns out. No practical talents, you see. It's all music and embroidery, which is all very pretty but doesn't do a great deal to keep rice in your bowl, now does it?"

"You're a right fine seamstress, though, better'n any I seen runnin' 'round 'is 'ere city."

"Yes, but that's not enough to get a girl properly married these days." Hourin heaved a sigh of feigned self-pity. "I suppose when Haha-ue passes on I shall have to become a bard. It's the only _real_ calling left for a blind lady these days." She laughed to herself. "I do play a fine _pipa_, though."

Kita clapped her on the back. "Oh, I wouldn' worry so much 'bout all 'at. I dunno one fing 'bout wifely virtues 'n' I seem t'manage wiff th' menfolk aw'right... though I can't seems t'do no better'n a flighty actor 'oo don' know 'ow t'be on time." She cast an anxious glance at the door, where Ayame was telling yet another RAFT member that, no, they hadn't heard anything yet, but she'd be sure to let them know as soon as Aji-san returned. Kita plopped her chin into her hands. "If I finds out 'e was battin' 'im's eyelashes at some poor servant gel all 'is time..."

"You don't need to worry about Aji-san," Hourin said. "He'll be home soon, and with the information you're looking for, too." She bit her lip. "Though I'm not sure if it's what the rest of the RAFT is looking for."

"Eh? 'Ow'zat?"

"Well they seem sort of... frightened, don't you think? Excited, yes, but terrified, too. Because if another Element really _was _killed, then..."

Kita nodded, her lips set in a grim line. "Then we got to attack."

"And people are going to die."

"Damn it, a-course 'ey is, but e'en so, we gotto, 'Ourin-san. With th' army gone, 'n' only one Element lef' t' deal wiff... We been waitin' too long 'n' seen too many die aw'ready _not _t'risk it now. It wouldn' be right t'all th' ones 'oo've sacrificed 'emselves, 'ere an' in Konan, if we didn' at least try."

"You're right," Hourin said. "But that doesn't stop people from being afraid."

"An' why should it, na? If we fail, then ever'one... an' all 'at 'ey been workin' for, is jus'..." Kita slapped her hands to her cheeks. "Nope, nope, none o' 'at talk! Won't be no talk a-failin' 'cause there won't be no failin', y'see what I'm shootin' at 'ere? Th' RAFT works careful, like, an' we work smart, like, an' we come up wi' th' perfect plan an' we makes it 'appen. An' you know why, 'Ourin-san? B'cause unlike 'at backstabbin' bitch in th' palace, me 'n' mine knows 'ow t'stick t'gether. Jus' ask y' brother next time y'sees 'im, 'e'll tell y' true. A RAFT friendship is one 'at'll last y' twelve lifetimes. Huh, try gettin' 'at outta ol' Setsuka – may she die a thousand deaths!"

Hourin looked away at the sound of the familiar RAFT slogan. "One down, nine-hundred and ninety-nine to go, I suppose," she murmured, but her words were drowned out by Ayame's cry of, "Oh, Kita-san, come quickly! Kazu and Iyasu are...!"

Kita snapped out a curse and hurried to the door, leaving Hourin to her work and her thoughts. The rebel leader poked her head out the doorway to find the two boys in question brawling in the street. Iyasu screeched obscenities as Kazuo, straddling the other youth as if he were a horse, twisted Iyasu's arm up and behind his head.

"Damn you, gerroff-a-me, I ain't done nothin'!"

"You take back what you said or I'll...!"

"T' hell with you! I'll say whatever I want about your whore mo – ow, ow, ooooow!"

Kita held up a hand – for all the good she knew it would do her – and took a couple of steps towards the struggling pair. "Oi, c'mon now, you two, this ain't 'ow two friends is s'posed t' act. Oi, oi..."

"Excuse me, Kita-san."

Kita looked up just in time to see the Lady Watanabe Shundou slide past her, shooting Kita a polite smile before turning an icy glare on the two boys in the street. She whipped out both hands almost faster than Kita could follow, grabbing Kazuo's ear in one hand and Iyasu's in the other. She jerked them first forward, so their skulls crashed together with a resounding _smack!_, then backwards again, forcing the boys apart with twin "Aieee!" cries of pain.

"Look at you!" she snapped, never once letting go of their ears. "Practically grown men, rolling around in the dirt like a couple of dogs, and in front of your leader's own home, too. Is this any way for civilized human beings to solve their problems?" She answered before they had the chance. "Absolutely not! I hope you are both thoroughly ashamed of yourselves."

Kazuo and Iyasu spoke as one. "But he—"

Shundou shook them just once, but so hard that their jaws clacked shut. "If I wanted excuses I would have asked for such. Now, if you have a dispute that you cannot settle like reasonable adults, then it seems only fair that you should have your elders settle them for you. Kita-san, would you care to hold council over these children?"

Kita blinked, surprised to have been called upon and equally surprised to find herself jumping at the older woman's call. "Er, uh... right, I s'pect I bettah." She strode up to the pair, trying to hide her smile as Shundou released her hold and stepped back. The boys scrambled to their feet, rubbing ruefully at their smarting ears and heads. "Awright 'en, you two. Wot's all 'is scratchin' 'n' hollerin' about, na?"

Iyasu spoke the fastest. "We was tryin' t'figger out which one of us would go west and which would go east on yer dumb sweep—"

"It ain't dumb, it's important!" Kazuo snapped. "An' look, Kita-san, it wasn't that I was all that determined t'go east, it's just that I knowed Iyasu only wanted t'go that way so's he could hit th' Soggy Dragon 'stead-a doin' his work like he was s'posed ta. So I said no, I 'us gonna go that way—"

Iyasu snorted. "T'drink himself stupid—"

"—An' we started arguin' some, an' then this sonofabitch called my mum a whore!" Kazuo finished hotly. "An' I couldn' stand fer that, Kita-san, how th' hell would'ja 'spect me ta stand fer somethin' like that?"

Ayame giggled from behind them. "But Kazu-kun, your mum works at the East Side Brothel. She _is_ a whore."

Kazuo flushed. "Maybe so, but that don't give Iyasu th' right t'say it like it's somethin' dirty! She works hard, she does, feedin' me an' my li'l sis, an' I ain't gonna let him talk at her like she done somethin' wrong when she ain't!"

Iyasu opened his mouth to protest, but Kita's upheld hand – followed by a withering glare from the Lady Watanabe – made the words dry up on his tongue. Kita massaged her temples. "Wot a a load-a bollocks. Jist 'cause y' can't git along y' gots t'drag every'un else inta yore troubles. Well, fine then, 'ere's Leader Kita's verdict." She pointed to Kazuo. "Go west. There's more RAFT 'ouses thatta way, an' I wants you tellin' our friends not t'come 'ere 'till we sends word to 'em. It's important work, Kazu-kun, so don' you be lettin' me down."

Kazuo puffed up and nodded, and once more Kita had to fight back a smile. The grin fell away when she turned to Iyasu, still scowling at the ground. She matched him glare for glare. "As f'you, do y' bleedin' job. If'n you ain't back 'ere in an hour I'll know y'stopped off at th' inn, so I will, an' then you'll be in fer one 'ell of tannin'. When y'get back, ye'll be 'elping Watanabe-dono 'ere t'clean up th' kitchens. I won't 'ave my men talkin' bad 'bout each other's kin. We's _family _an' we gots t'act like it 'r we ain't ever gonna win this war. You unnerstan' me, Iyasu-kun?"

"Oh, I unnerstand all right." Iyasu spat. "I unnerstand that yer sendin' me out on dumb missions jus' so's you c'n go on pretendin' like we got a chance in hell t'win this fight." He barked out a laugh. "A farmer, a crazy old man, and a _woman_ leadin' a buncha whore's sons an' drunkard's daughters t'victory over a guarded palace? It's so funny I could cry! You mighta tricked yerself inta thinkin' it's true, _Leader_, but I ain't as daft as th' rest of you."

Kita felt her neck heating up. "At's a fine thing t'say, when your dad was one of our foundin' members."

"My dad was an idiot," Iyasu shot back. "He was an idiot an' he died like one, just like all of you wi—"

Kita shut him up with a backhand across the face. Iyasu stumbled, reeling under the sudden blow, but Kita remained where she stood, hands clenched at her sides and blood rising steadily to her face.

"You," she growled around gritted teeth, "will _not_ speak 'bout y'dad, 'n' all th' others 'oo died f' our cause, with 'at smirk on y'face, 'r so 'elp me gods I'll wipe it offa there permanent, like." She watched for a moment as Iyasu scrubbed a trickle of blood away from the side of his mouth, staring at her with mingled fear and hatred. She would have almost preferred if it had been all hatred. At least then he'd have been brave enough to keep around. "Now you git yore cowardly arse away from our front door, an' y'don' come back 'till yore ready t' show y'family s'm respect."

Iyasu hesitated, then scowled and turned his back on the RAFT leader. "Aw, th' hell with all of ya! Yer all gonna be dead by th' end-a th' month anyway. An' see if I'm there t' cry fer ya. Huh!"

He stalked off down the street, sulking and petulant to the last. Once he'd rounded the corner and disappeared from sight, Kita let out a long, loud groan and slapped her palm to her forehead. "Wot a bleedin' pain in th' arse!"

"I'm so mad I could just about spit!" Ayame snapped from the doorway. "Don't it just make you wanna tear him into itty bitty pieces, Kita-san?"

Kita shook her head. "Ain't worth th' effort, Ai-chan. Cowards is always cowards, ain't much we c'n do 'bout 'at. Unfortunately, this'un's also got a smart mouf on 'im. Makes m' life damned 'ard, it does."

"I hope he never comes back," Kazuo spat.

"'E will, though. Cowards always does, 'cause they ain't gots nowheres else t'go but 'ome. An' 'e'll feel bad 'bout 'im's words, I reckon. 'E was jus'... all a-fire, like. Sayin' fings 'e don't mean."

"I rather think he meant every word." This remark came from the Lady Watanabe, who had watched the dispute with silent disapproval. "Are you sure it's all right to let him go off on his own, Kita-san?"

Kita waved a dismissive hand. "Oh, sure, sure, 'e's jus' goin' t' th' Dragon t' feel sorry f' 'isself. Come crawlin' back t'morrow wiff 'is tail 'tween 'im's legs, I'll wager. Sorry ye 'ad t'get involved, Watanabe-dono."

"Watanabe-_san_ will be just fine, Kita-san. And you needn't worry about my involvement." She smiled. "I had to handle three boys in my younger years, so I'm quite used to intervening when the arguments get a bit too... well, let's just say I made it a rule to always step in when I began to fear for the safety of the porcelain dishes."

Kita laughed, holding open the door to the little house and waving for Shundou and Ayame to go on ahead of her. "I fink I'm gonna like 'avin' you 'round, Watanabe-san! Anytimes 'at brat Iyasu gives me trouble, why, I'll jus' send 'im straight t'you! I wager 'e'd be a fine gennelmen by th' end o' th' week, jus' see if'n 'e wouldn't!"

oOo

Ritsuka frowned as Tasuki picked at his breakfast. Her eyes snaked to the empty chair beside him, then back to the sullen seishi. "Aren't we going to wait for Chichiri?"

"He left early this mornin'," Tasuki said. "I dunno when he'll be back."

The others waited for more, but when they didn't get it, Kiori said, "Did he visit Taikyoku-zan? He mentioned something about that the other day."

Tasuki nodded once, glanced at the door of the little dining room, then went back to his meal. Kiori sighed and returned to hers as well, watching as both Ritsuka and Houki did the same. She had hoped that moving out of the main dining hall and into Houki's private one would help to make their meals cozy again, instead of constantly reminding everyone of the long row of empty seats at the end of the table, but it just made the silence all that more noticeable. The room seemed cluttered with it, despite Boshin's attempts at cheerful conversation. Houki did her best to keep the boy company, but Ritsuka was too busy frowning at Tasuki, Tasuki was too busy frowning at his food, and Kiori couldn't seem to stop turning the battered piece of _kesa_-sash over and over in her hand, waiting for the telltale spark assuring her that Chichiri had returned to the palace.

She began to ask, "What did he go there for?" but then she felt the flood of Chichiri's presence and she knew her question wouldn't do her any good. So she just said, "Chichiri's back," and watched as the dining room door opened and Chichiri's maskless, strained smile peeked around the corner.

"_Okaeri_," Ritsuka said. "Food's on."

"_Tadaima,_" he replied automatically, gaze already shifting away from Ritsuka, hesitating for a long moment on Kiori, and then settling on Tasuki. "And thanks, but I'm not hungry no da. Tasuki, when you're done, could you meet me in my room?"

The other seishi was already moving to the door, leaving his mostly-full plate on the table. "I'm done. Let's go."

"Is everything okay?" Kiori asked. "I mean, was Taikyoku-zan... all right?"

"Yes," Chichiri said, though he didn't quite look at her when he said it. He seemed to be looking everywhere _but_ at her, she thought, and couldn't decide at all what that meant. "This is just battle talk no da. I wouldn't want to bore you with it."

"_Secrets don't make frie-e-e-ends_!" Ritsuka sang after him, but the door had already closed. The redhead slumped forward, plopping her chin into her hands. "And liars get reborn as sea slugs," she grumbled. "_Mattaku_! What are we going to do with them?"

"They have seemed rather distant these past couple of weeks," Houki agreed. "Ever since Aoi-kun..."

"Yeah," Ritsuka said. "Ever since that awful night, not that I can get a single freaking word out of Tasuki-chan about it. Every time I try to bring it up he's all, 'It's nothin', I don't wanna talk about it,' and then he's back to the training rings to work himself into a coma or he's running off to the city to drink himself into a coma. Idiot. Between him and ol' Long, Tall and Grouchy, the training rings are one dreary place, let me tell you. Why, if it weren't for YunYun and his friends, I probably would've hanged myself a week ago."

"YunYun?" Kiori repeated.

Ritsuka giggled. "Oh, that's what I call Furosaki Yuki. The RAFT member who used to be a Takkan _taii, _you know? I did it to tease him, but it turns out he doesn't mind it much. Says he likes it when cute girls give him pet names."

Kiori sweatdropped. "He's Aji-san's brother, all right."

"He's a goof, but it's nice having him around," Ritsuka said. "He and his friends still know how to have a good time, which is more than I can say for certain seishi. And it's fun to play the dating game again. Hell, it's been so long since I've properly flirted with someone, I was starting to think I'd forgotten how to do it."

"And have you?"

Ritsuka brushed an invisible speck of dust off her shoulder. "Nah, I still got it."

They laughed, and Houki smiled with them. "Well, it is good to see that at least _you_ have remained cheerful, Ritsuka."

"It hasn't been easy, not with the way Tasuki-chan's been acting." She looked to Kiori. "And I can't imagine Chichiri's been much better."

"Oh, he's fine... on the surface." Kiori frowned into her teacup. "He hasn't been avoiding me like Tasuki's been doing to you, anyway. We still see each other plenty, but it's... all wrong, somehow. He's distracted all the time, and he doesn't like to look straight at me anymore. And anytime I try to bring up something serious, like the legends or the war or whatever happened that night of Akai's fight, it's always, 'Don't worry about it,' with a 'no da' tagged on at the end like an afterthought." She sighed. "I know he's only doing it to keep me from worrying, but..."

"Oh, bullshit!" Ritsuka snapped. "They're not doing it to keep us from worrying, they're doing it because they don't think we can handle whatever it is that happened. It's like they don't have one damned shred of respect for any of us just because—"

Kiori squeezed her eyes shut. "Please don't say 'because we're girls.'"

"It's got nothing to do with us being girls!" she cried. "It's because we're not seishi. We aren't on Suzaku's List of Favorite People, and that makes us, I don't know... weak or something. _Less than_." She drew the mathematical symbol in the air to make her point. "It sucks. This whole week has just sucked."

"I know what you mean," Kiori said. "And the worst part is that I feel so helpless. It's like nothing we do cheers them up at all."

"Yeah, I can't even feed them into happiness, now that the palace has rationed the food supply," Ritsuka said glumly, finishing off her morning meal with a halfhearted swallow.

"I apologize, but Takkan's siege has gone on much longer than expected," Houki said. "We simply cannot let Eiyou's citizens go hungry while we at the palace possess so much."

"I know, I know. Ugh, ignore me, Houki-sama. I'm just looking for things to complain about." Ritsuka's head sunk to the table. "Man, doesn't this country celebrate any holidays? A festival might not do Misters Grumpy and Gus any good, but it sure as hell would cheer _me_ up. What's the date, anyway? Maybe I can pull something off the Japan calendar for us."

"It is the fifth day of the seventh month," Houki said.

Ritsuka's head shot up. "You're kidding." The empress shook her head, watching as Ritsuka's face all but sparkled. "Well that's just... that's just about perfect, isn't it?"

"What is?" Kiori asked.

Ritsuka spun in her chair, clapping both hands to her friend's shoulders. "Tanabata. _Tanabata, _Kiori-chan!" (1)

"You still celebrate that?"

"I don't know about _your_ deprived childhood, but in my home we take holidays very seriously. Christmas, New Year's, Valentine's Day, White Day, Girl's Day, Kid's Day, The Moon-Viewing Festival, Obon, and not to mention that most beautiful of lovers' holidays, Tanabata. And it's just two days away! Oh, this is fantastic!"

"Two days away..." Houki's eyes lit up. "Ah, do you mean Double Sevens?"

Ritsuka whirled on her. "It's a holiday here, too?"

"Yes. It celebrates the yearly meeting of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl in the heavens."

"Same for us!" Kiori and Ritsuka cried as one.

"We typically have a festival in the city to celebrate, but this year, due to the war..."

Ritsuka's hands released Kiori and plopped themselves onto Houki's shoulders. "My dearDowager Empress, have you no sense of propriety? Having fun is most important during a war. You tell those citizens to celebrate like their lives depend on it! And as for us, oh, there's just so much to do! I need to start planning! I've got to put a list together for the cooks! I've got to get some decorations! I've got to..." She clapped her hands together. "Omigod, best idea ever! Presents! We'll do presents! We'll drag everyone into town tomorrow and we'll go shopping for gifts, and then those two will _have_ to start thinking about something other than their own damn problems! We'll _make_ them have fun if we have to, and by the end of Tanabata night they'll be so full of Happy it'll practically be pouring out their ears!"

Kiori sweatdropped. "You really think a party is going to do all that?"

"Of course." And there was so much certainty in Ritsuka's voice that Kiori couldn't help but smile. "Now I'll let Tasuki-chan know about it this afternoon when I see him, but Kiori, it's up to you to talk Chichiri into coming along, and don't you dare take no for an answer. Skipping out is a crime punishable by death."

"I may have to intervene on that ruling," Houki said. "Oh, but Ritsuka, as long as you are going to be in the training rings, would you mind inviting Hataku along as well?"

"Ooooh?" Ritsuka's grin was positively impish as she leaned forward in her chair, coming nose to nose with the empress. "You know, Houki-sama, you sure do like including him in our family events. Any special reason for that? Hm? Hmmmm?"

Houki sweatdropped, pulling away from the eager redhead. "What you are implying is not only illegal, but also quite inaccurate. My friendship with Hataku is a purely platonic one. I _do_ consider him a friend, though, and it seems that he has precious few of those in Konan, so I should like to include him in our 'family events' whenever possible. I hope that is all right." (2)

Ritsuka shrugged. "It's fine by me, Houki-sama, but I can't promise that he'll say yes. That one lives in the training rings, along with that impossible bandit of mine." She looked away. "Hmph! Maybe the two of them should just get married and build a house there. He's always sayin' he doesn't like girls anyway." Houki fought to hide her smile. Kiori didn't even attempt it, but just laughed as Ritsuka shook her head, slapped a smile back onto her face, and stood from the table. "Well, I'll worry about that when I get to it! For now, I guess I'll start gettin' things set up. You two be thinking about what gifts you want to buy for everyone, and I'll see you at dinner, okay? And Kiori, don't forget to talk to your honey-monk about going into town tomorrow."

"If I see him I'll mention it, but I'm gonna be pretty busy today, so you might want to track him down yourself." Kiori glared at her. "And stop calling him my 'honey-monk,' would you?"

"Why? He is."

Now it was Kiori's turn to slump forward in her chair. "No, he's not. We've been over this, Ritsu. He's not interested in me. Period." She shook her head, straightening herself up again. "Anyway, it doesn't matter. I've given up on the whole thing. We're friends, and I'm fine with that."

Ritsuka wagged a finger in her friend's face. "Tsk, tsk, Kiori-chan. Didn't you hear me earlier? Liars get reborn as sea slugs. Minus 20 karma points for you. Better go to the infirmary and save somebody's life to make up for it." Kiori opened her mouth to protest, but Ritsuka was across the room and out the door before she had a chance, calling as she went, "And while you're doing that, I'll be compiling the menu! Ah, I'm such a kind, sacrificing soul! It's rebirth in the Pure Land for me for certain!"

And away she went, chanting "Tanabata, _tanoshii_, _tanoshinderu_" in a sing-song voice, leaving her female friends to stare after her, bemused, bewildered, and – for the first time in nearly two weeks – looking forward to tomorrow.

oOo

If the seishi had stayed for breakfast, they might have caught some of Ritsuka's cheer as well. As it was, they both entered Chichiri's bedchamber in stony silence, neither bothering to speak until the door had been closed and locked behind them. Chichiri took a seat on the edge of his bed, drawing Mitsukake's holy water out of the folds of his _kesa_. Tasuki stared at it for a long moment, a tight pucker set between his eyebrows, then he pulled up the single chair in the room and took a seat across from his friend. "What'd Taiitsukun say?"

"About what I expected no da," he said, turning the jar over in his hands."That doesn't make it any easier to swallow, though."

"So the water really is useless?" Chichiri nodded. Tasuki swore. "An' did she give ya any damn reason why, 'r did the ol' hag jus' boot ya out on yer ass without answerin' nothin'?"

"It's Tenkou."

Tasuki paled. "What?"

"Killing him last year... the gods managed it, but traversing worlds, and then destroying such a powerful force, even if he was just a false god... it left them exhausted. Weak. Suzaku, and the other gods, and even Taiitsukun, to an extent... their strength isn't what it was before no da. They'll gain it back in time, she said, but for now..." He shrugged, leaving the sentence to finish itself.

"B-but that don't make any sense. I mean, you 'n' me, we ain't been... I mean, hell, it's felt like my seishi powers are stronger'n ever these days! If Suzaku's s'posed t'be so drained that he can't even put some juice inta Mitsukake's holy water, then how can we—?"

"Because that's part of the deal." Chichiri smiled, but there wasn't any joy in it. "What was that term Ritsuka taught us when we were playing poker no da? Trump card, I think it was?" Tasuki nodded. "That's what we are. You and me. We're Suzaku's trump card. He's decided to put what strength he has left into the both of us no da. That's why Mitsukake's holy water didn't work. Because the power that was supposed to be in it—"

"—Is in us instead," Tasuki finished. He snarled, shoving himself out of his chair. "No. Th' hell with that. Th' _hell_ with _that_! I don't want it, 'Chiri, not if it means we gotta watch people die because of it! Yer takin' me t'Taikyoku-zan right th' hell now, and I'm gonna tell that sand-throwin' ol' bitch that Suzaku can take it back! He can have it, all th' extra power – an' all the normal stuff, too, what th' hell do I care if I run a little slower? – an' he can put it inta somethin' that's actually gonna do some damned good around here!"

Chichiri's voice was calm as ever, but Tasuki didn't miss the way his hands tightened around Mitsukake's jar. "I said about the same thing no da. Well, minus the cursing." That same thin smile again, the one that made him look like he was in pain. "Minus _some_ of the cursing. It didn't do any good, though. Suzaku's made his decision, and what he's decided is simple: If we live, then Konan wins."

"At th' expense of what? Hundreds-a soldiers 'n' civilians? Aoi-kun's life? _Koji's_?" Chichiri said nothing. Tasuki kicked over his chair, sending it clattering across the floor, though even that was drowned out by his own frustrated snarls. "Gods _damn _it_, _Chichiri! What th' hell is wrong with them? What th' hell kinda monsters are they, that they'd rather lose thousands-a lives 'stead-a just our two? Suzaku's s'posed t'be compassionate, ain't he? So where in th' flyin' _fuck_ is his compassion, huh?"

"He's a god, Tasuki," Chichiri said, keeping his voice low so that Tasuki was forced to stop and listen. "He doesn't see 'today' the way you and I do no da. He sees centuries. Millennia, maybe. People live and die in the blink of an eye for him, and that's going to happen regardless of whether those people live in a time of peace or war. Lives are fleeting. That's the way of things. But the nation itself... Konan is something that can last no da. It's something filled with thousands, millions more lives than just the ones of today. The gods see that. So for him – for Suzaku – the most compassionate decision is to protect not today, but the future. And for that future to exist, then Konan has to win the war. And for Konan to win the war..." He gestured weakly towards first Tasuki and then himself. "The trump card... no da."

Tasuki snorted. "Well maybe you an' Suzaku can be jus' fine 'n' happy with that, but _this _fleetin' human life ain't—"

His words caught in his throat as the room's shutters slammed shut. It wasn't the clatter of the shutters that made Tasuki fall silent, though, but rather the sharp spike of anger in his fellow seishi's life force. He turned back to Chichiri with a startled question on his lips, but one look at his friend, his form prickling with crimson _ki_, made him swallow these words as well. The shutters rattled in their frames, almost as if trying to jump off their hinges, and Tasuki realized with twin stabs of surprise and fear that it wasn't anger he was sensing from his friend. Anger he'd recognize, rare as it was. This, though... this was something new altogether.

Chichiri was furious.

"Don't," he said, still in that quiet tone, except now there was a dagger behind each word, "you dare lump me and our god together. Yes, I can see what he sees. I can understand it. I have no choice but to deal with it. But that does _not _mean that I accept it, and don't you think for an instant that that's the case. Do you actually believe... do you actually think so little of me that you think I would be _okay_ with this?"

"N-no," Tasuki said weakly.

"That I would know that Aoi-kun could have been saved, and easily, too, but that my god decided that mylife was somehow more important than his – that I was somehow _better_ than him – and that I would sit there and listen to that and find that _acceptable_?"

"No, no," he said again. "Chichiri, I never – I didn't mean ta—"

"I hate it, Tasuki. In fact I'm disgusted by it. Because it's just..." His hands tightened their grip, and he had to grind out his next words through gritted teeth. "It's just so damned_ unfair_ for Suzaku to make that decision for us. To pretend that we matter more than they do just because of some symbols on our bodies. It's unfair to them – to Aoi-kun, to Koji, to all the people who have died and all the people who have been hurt by those deaths. Akai, Houki-sama, Ritsuka... Kiori." He swallowed hard after he said her name, eye flicking down to the floor. "And it's unfair to us, too. Selfish as it is of me to say. I was ready to accept the responsibility of their lives. The responsibility of their deaths, though? That I wasn't prepared for."

"I..." Tasuki began, but another look at his friend and he lost the words again. So he just righted his chair, taking a heavy seat in it and staring at Chichiri's deepening frown. He had said plenty, but somehow Tasuki felt that there was even more that he wasn'tsaying.

He kept it to himself, though, and so eventually Tasuki just said, "Look, I'm sorry, okay? I know you don't see us th' way th' gods do. I jus'..." He scratched at the back of his head, searching for the right words. "I dunno, yer jus' so damned calm all the time, it's hard fer me t'know how yer takin' all this. An' you were real good with that 'big picture' stuff durin' th' seishi travels, always puttin' th' miko an' summonin' Suzaku first an' all." Tasuki didn't miss the way Chichiri winced at that. He paused, half-expecting the monk to speak up, but Chichiri greeted him with silence once again. Tasuki turned his eyes to the ground. "Anyway, sorry. It's been a shitty week."

"Yes. It has."

Tasuki forced a smile. "But hey, at least I got t'see ya mad as hell fer once. I think I damn near pissed myself fer a second there. D'you always do that Evil Spirit shutter-bangin' thing when ya get like that?"

"Hm?" Chichiri looked to the closed shutters, blinking in surprise. "Oh. I didn't..." He pressed thumb and forefinger to the bridge of his nose, squeezing his eye shut and taking a deep breath. As he let it out, the shutters creaked open again, filling the room with light once more. He opened his eye, offering Tasuki an embarrassed smile. "My control slips when I'm upset no da. I haven't done that in years, though. Sorry. Today has just been—"

"Shitty. Yeah." Tasuki rubbed at the back of his head again, looking first to the door, then to the jar in Chichiri's hands, and then finally back up to his friend's face. The rage from before had slipped away, no doubt pushed back with that long, gathering breath of his, but there was a tightness in his jaw that betrayed his frustrations. Tasuki wondered how often he'd missed that over the past couple of weeks. "Okay. So what happens now?"

Chichiri shrugged. "We do what we can, I suppose. To protect the girls, and to keep as many people alive as possible. Because we _are_ the trump card no da. So we have to do everything we can to win this hand."

"Oh, well, if that's all..." Tasuki chuckled, and was pleased that his friend laughed a little with him. "Well, there's one good thing. With you bein' buddies with Mizu an' with th' Tsuchi kid turned traitor, we've only got that bitch an' her dumbass new shogun t'deal with. I figure a couple-a super-powered seishi can handle that okay, right?"

Chichiri glanced away and his smile, already waning, fell altogether. "I don't think we have much of a choice no da." He loosened his hold on Mitsukake's holy water, standing and walking across the room so he could set it down on his desk. He looked out the window, staring across the Konan courtyards for a long, silent moment. Finally, almost dreamlike, he said, "Tasuki, why do you think...?"

When he didn't say any more, Tasuki said, "Why do I think what, 'Chiri?"

He shook his head, slipping his mask back on as he did. "Never mind. It's nothing. Anyway, I should be going. I need to visit the shrine no da." He turned to face his friend, false smile in place once again. "What about you? The training rings as usual?"

"Oh. Yeah." Tasuki considered pressing him to finish his thought, but a glance at the mask and he knew it wouldn't do him any good. Maybe before, but not now, not when Chichiri was ready to pretend things were "okay" again. Tasuki sighed, wishing he could put on half as convincing a show as his friend. "So when're we gonna tell the girls?"

"I wasn't planning to," Chichiri said. "This is our problem, and they have enough to deal with as it is no da."

"Doncha think that's a little unfair? I mean, this doesn't jus' affect us. They got a right t'know, don't they?"

"I never told anyone about the holy water, so knowing about it now won't change anything for them no da. I don't want to worry them with it."

"Ain't it a little late fer that?" Chichiri glanced back at him, eyebrow raised. Tasuki scowled. "Ch! C'mon, yer smarter than me about this stuff, so you gotta know damn well that Kiori, Red, _and_ Houki-sama have been givin' themselves stomachaches over th' way we been actin'. How's more secrets gonna help that? All it does is prove the gods right."

This time both of Chichiri's eyebrows shot up. "What? How?"

"'Cause we're actin' like there's some kinda Seishi Gang. I mean, okay, so Suzaku did kinda put th' whole damned empire on our shoulders, but that don't mean we gotta act like we're better'n everyone else. Whether they're kickin' ass, stichin' wounds, 'r runnin' th' freakin' country, you gotta admit that our girls're tough. So why don't we treat 'em like it?"

Chichiri was silent for a moment, then a soft frown touched his masked face. "I never thought of it that way no da."

Tasuki rolled his eyes. "That's 'cause you never tell anyone anything, _ahou_."

"And you always tell everyone everything, _baka_," he shot back, but he was smiling when he said it. Chichiri nodded to himself. "You have a point, though. I don't want to think like the gods no da. When should we talk to them?"

"How 'bout t'night at dinner?"

"Okay. That should give me time to put everything in order no da."

"Sounds great." Tasuki stretched. "An' with that outta th' way, I'm gonna hit the rings. See you t'night."

Chichiri watched him go, but as Tasuki reached the doorway he blinked, studying his friend's back. _'Eh? Did I just defer to... but since when has _Tasuki _been the one to...?' _He smiled to himself. _'Oh, I get it. I'm not the leader anymore no da.'_

"Hey, Tasuki?"

The bandit glanced over his shoulder. "Yeah?"

"Thanks."

He stared at him blankly. "Uh... yer welcome?"

"I am." He motioned toward the door. "Sorry. That's all I had to say no da."

Tasuki shook his head, chuckling. "Three years runnin' around t'gether an' yer still the biggest weirdo I know. Well, whatever. I'll talk to ya later."

As the door closed behind him, Chichiri eased himself into his desk chair, sighing. He relaxed his neck, letting his head tilt over the back of the chair, surprised to already feel the knots working their way out of his shoulders. _'I wonder when it happened, exactly?After Koji died? When Hataku showed up no da? Or maybe it's been more gradual than that, and I just didn't notice until now? It's strange, but...' _He smiled at the ceiling. _'I suppose it's for the best no da. Up till now I've just been playing a part. But Tasuki – well, he's a natural no da. I'm glad to see he finally grew into it.'_

He stretched his arms above his head, letting them fall against his desk. "Daaa... Looks like I'm back to a supporting role no da. Can't say I'm not happy about it, though." His fingers brushed up against his scroll and he glanced down, staring at the rolled-up document. His smile slipped.

_'Then again,' _he thought, unrolling it slowly and pressing it against his desk, _'considering everything else the gods have thrown at me, maybe Tasuki got the better deal after all no da.'_

oOo

Chichiri wasn't the only one feeling less than cheerful that morning. As he sulked down the streets of Takkan, kicking at spare rocks and clumps of dirt whenever they strayed too near, the RAFT member Iyasu grumbled aloud to himself, ignoring the startled glances he received from the occasional passerby.

"Stupid Kita an' her stupid alliance! Sendin' me off t'do the grunt work, huh, an' I'm th' smartest one out of all of 'em! Treatin' me like this, when I'm th' only one who ain't runnin' around screamin' 'bout victory. Pah! Victory, like that'll ever happen. Huh, well, I'll show 'em who's got it right, I'll show 'em who's winners and who's losers here."

Iyasu glanced from side to side, checking to make sure the few people out on the street weren't paying any attention to him, then he ducked down a side alley, slinking between crumbling walls and ramshackle mud houses, winding his way toward the official's mansions and, at the center of the city, its own wall rising up dark and forbidding, to the Takkan Palace itself.

The guards at the gates stared at the commoner boy with his frayed topknot – mussed from his scuffle with Kazuo – his patchwork clothing and grimy hands, but Iyasu just strode right up to them, bowing once, nervously, before saying, "I got business inside."

The guards exchanged an amused glance, then the one on the left chuckled and waved Iyasu away. "I'm sure you do, boy, but that don't mean much to her ladyship, now do it? You'd better run along before you get yourself in trouble."

"You jus' go in an' tell yer Ladyship that there's a bird carryin' a plum branch out here. She'll let me in, all right." The guard cocked an eyebrow. Iyasu rolled his eyes to the sky. "Look, she'll know what I mean. You c'n hang me if she don't."

The two shared another look, this one more skeptical, but they both knew what it would mean to turn him away if he really did have business in the palace. "Keep him here," the left-hand guard said to his friend, then unlocked the gate and slipped inside. Iyasu stared up at the wall, then overhead to the clouded sky – it looked to be another rainy day in Takkan – then finally back down to the guard, who just kept watching him with that puzzled, "Is this some kind of a joke?" expression on his face. Iyasu wanted to smack that look away, but there were more important things for him to worry about. Like why that damned guard was taking so long, for one...

At last the gate creaked open and the man returned, scratching at the back of his head. "Sorry for the wait. Low-rankin' fellows like me don't talk straight to the Lady, you see." He stared hard at Iyasu for a moment, almost as if trying to will himself to believe what he was about to say. "You've, uh, been droppin' the plum branches, then?"

"That's me."

He sighed. "Well I hope for your sake that you're tellin' the truth. She isn't one to get on your bad side, make no mistake of that."

"So yer lettin' me in?"

"Lettin' you in?" the guard laughed. "Son, you got yourself a meetin' with the Lady of Takkan herself."

Iyasu's eyes lit up at the same time that a cold pit of fear dropped into his stomach. He swallowed back his anxieties and latched on to the excitement. "Take me to her."

The right-hand guard stepped aside, allowing Iyasu entrance into the palace. He followed the left-hand guard into the courtyard and along a winding path, eyes taking in the decaying splendor of the palace's gardens, fallen into recent disrepair thanks to its lady's decreased interest in beauty and increased interest in bloodshed. It was still more magnificent than anything he had ever seen, though, and he had to work hard to keep from gaping.

He changed escorts when they reached the doors of the actual palace, and once again Iyasu had to fight not to appear the country bumpkin as this new guard led him through the winding wood and marble corridors, filled to bursting with intricate wall sconces, masterful tapestries, and servants weaving in and out of the many rooms and hallways. After what seemed a marvelous eternity the guard at last stopped before a single door, straightening himself and rapping once on the wood. A voice like poisoned honey purred from the other side, "Come in." The traitorous RAFT member took a steadying breath, smoothed back the stray wisps of his dark hair, and strode into the room.

Setsuka sat at a small table, apparently prepared for their meeting. A _sake_ bottle sat at the center of the table, with two cups and a plate of small sweet buns steaming beside it. The Lady smiled at the trembling boy in the doorway and bade him forward. The poison seemed to vanish from her voice as she said, "Do come in, my little branch bearer. I've waited quite a long time to meet you."

"Bow, you idiot," the guard at his side hissed, and Iyasu all but collapsed to the ground, smacking his head so hard into the floorboards that he yelped in pain.

The guard groaned, but Setsuka just chuckled into her sleeve. "Guard, you are dismissed. Wait outside until I call for you again."

"Yes, m'Lady."

The door creaked shut behind Iyasu, but he was listening too intently to Setsuka to notice. "Oh, please do rise, my boy, and come take a seat. Now that we can properly meet, it seems only fitting that we should do so face-to-face, rather than face to, ah..." She stared at his shivering rear end and fought back an irritated sigh. "Well."

"Oh! Right." Iyasu scrambled to his feet, slinking across the room and taking the offered seat. His eyes fluttered around the room – by far the most elegant he'd seen so far – before landing on the Lady's face. She smiled at the rebel member, a smile that would have easily charmed half the men in the city. "So. You are the one who has been leaving those lovely notices tied to plum branches at my gates?"

"Yes, m'Lady."

"A boy like yourself is the one giving me such valuable information on the rebels?"

"Yes, m'Lady."

"Most interesting." She poured out two glasses of _sake_ for them, sliding one in front of Iyasu. He took a tentative sip, but found his attention focused much more on the sweet buns. His stomach grumbled and Setsuka smiled again. "Oh, do help yourself. I imagine it has been some time since you've had a proper meal."

"Er, yeah – I mean, thank you, m'Lady." Iyasu forgot his manners and dug into the sweet buns, sighing in delight as the first bite touched his mouth. "Mm! Why, I ain't had these since... since I don't even know!" He stiffened, adding around a spray of dough crumbs, "Oh, er, not that th' coin you been leavin' tied t'the branches hasn't been plenty good payment, yer Ladyship, it's just, y'know, supplies ain't what they used t'be in th' city, is all, so, uh..."

Setsuka fought back a sneer at his fumbling speech and grotesque table manners, but managed to keep her words polite and her face free of contempt. "I quite understand. When our meeting is finished, I shall take you to the kitchens, if you'd like. Our cooks can make anything you would fancy."

"Oh, m'Lady, that'd be... I-I mean, that'd jus' be...!"

"For now, however," she said, refilling his already empty _sake_ cup and delicately selecting a sweet bun for herself, "I believe we should stick to business. So tell me, ah...?"

"M' name's Iyasu." He swallowed down his last bite. "Sandou Iyasu. At yer service, m'Lady."

"Iyasu-kun, then." He flushed with pleasure at the familiarity in her voice. "What brings you to my palace in person today? Things have been rather quiet in the city recently. Is there trouble I should be aware of?"

"Oh, yes, m'Lady. It's th' rest of th' RAFT members, y'see. They been tryin' t'figure out if you've lost another Element."

Setsuka's face darkened a shade. "Yes. I suppose it's only a matter of time before they find that one out."

"So it's true, then?" She nodded and Iyasu frowned. "Then yer in fer some trouble. See, they're thinkin', now that yer down t'two Elements, that mebbe they c'n try attackin' the palace. Take ya out fer good, y'see." Her eyes flashed violence and Iyasu held up his hands. "Oh, er, not that they can, a-course! Iknow that, an' anyone with a brain does, too! Hell, I've known that fer years, now. That's why I been sendin' you those notes, see. 'Cause I figured, y'know, when th' time comes, an' you do finally round 'em all up, that I, er, that is..."

"You needn't explain yourself, Iyasu-kun. We must all look out for ourselves in these trying times. I admire your foresight... and I particularly admire how deftly you have displayed loyalty for bothsides these past few months." She smiled, but there was a hint of venom in her voice as she said it. "However, I suppose that since you have come to me personally, you have chosen to stand beside me when your two sides inevitably clash. Is that so?"

"That's right, m'Lady."

"Very well, then." She sat back in her chair, lacing her hands into her lap. "While I have no doubt I could defeat them easily enough, I would prefer to avoid losing any more of my guard than is absolutely necessary. So. You seem intimate with the RAFT and their plans. What do you propose I do to prevent this rebellion of theirs?"

Iyasu chomped down the last of the sweet buns, licking dough and fruit paste off of his fingers as he did. "Oh, it's real easy, m'Lady. Th' leaders is all camped out down at Otoo-san's house – er, his name's Jiro, but that's what everyone calls him, is Otoo-san. Anyway, him 'n' Kita are both there right now, along with that snooty bitch Ayame and th' Watanabes, though they don't matter much. It's Otoo-san an' Kita that you'll be wantin', an' Furosaki Aji, too, an' he oughta be there in another couple-a hours, I'd guess. You storm that house t'day, round those three up, an' that'll be th' end-a th' RAFT, I'd stake my life on it. So if ya jus'..."

The boy trailed off, surprised by the sudden faraway look in Setsuka's eyes. She seemed to realize that he had fallen silent and snapped back to the present. "Oh, I'm terribly sorry, Iyasu-kun. It's just... who exactly are these Watanabes you spoke of?"

"Huh? Oh, no one important. Yer old shogun's family. Kita's taken t'lookin' after 'em, an' they been comin' over t'help with sewin' an' cookin' t'kinda pay her back for it. Shundou an' Hourin, I think their names are, though they ain't any kinda threat." He rubbed ruefully at his ear, still smarting from his morning's brief meeting with the Lady Watanabe. "Not much-a one, at least. Jus' housekeepers, mostly."

Setsuka's eyes trailed down to her clasped hands, where her thumbs had taken to circling one another. Her next question came out in a whisper. "And... how is Hourin-chan, these days...?"

"Eh?"

She shook herself. "Nothing. It's nothing." She stood, turning her back on the boy so she could pretend to study a wall scroll hanging just behind her. "Your plan is a sound one, Iyasu-kun, but... no, I do not approve. It... you see..." She fumbled for an excuse, then settled on, "It will cause too much of an uproar, and there is no guarantee that I would be able to kill all of them. If some were to escape, then the incident would only provoke them, perhaps even stir up larger numbers of followers than they already possess." She nodded once, straightened her shoulders, and took her seat again. "No, I think we shall have to do this much more quietly. About what time do you think everyone shall leave this Jiro fellow's house?"

"Oh, I 'magine most of 'em would clear out by late afternoon, m'Lady."

She nodded. "Excellent. Then it shall be up to you to lure him awayfrom his house. Use whatever excuse you can, just get him to the alleyway between Nijo and Sanjo. I will send a few men there to handle his capture. Once he is secure, we shall plan a similar capture of these other two leaders."

Iyasu's face exploded in a smile. "Oh, I get it! Spirit 'em away so's that no one knows what happened to 'em! That'd leave th' whole bleedin' RAFT reelin'! What a great idea, m'Lady! I knew I wasn't wrong t'throw my lot in with you!"

"And you understand the part you are to play in this?"

"Oh, sure, it'll be easier'n pickin' plum branches." They both smiled at that, but Iyasu sobered up an instant later. "Only, er, m'Ladyship... I know it ain't my place t'be actin' so forward, it's jus', well, if somethin' were t'happen, an' I wasn't able t'get 'em like we want, what... I mean t'say, where would I...?"

She smiled. "Your aid has been invaluable to me, Iyasu-kun. For as long as you remain loyal to me, you shall always have a place in my palace." Setsuka stood, beaming down at the boy with so much sweetness that Iyasu fairly melted into his chair. "Now, why don't we see what the cooks can whip up for you, hm?"

oOo

"Taaaaaaaaaasuki-chan!"

Ritsuka threw herself on the seishi's back, completely ignoring the bow in his hand. The bandit stumbled forward, losing his grip and nearly poking out his own eye with the arrow's shaft. "ACK! Red?"

"The one and only!" She poked her head over his shoulder. "Hey, it's been a while since I did that, hasn't it? I bet you missed it soooo much!"

"Words can't describe my feelings right now, I promise ya that," he grumbled, though not without a crooked smile. "Yer perky t'day. They put somethin' in th' tea at breakfast 'r somethin'?"

"You could say that. But hey, put down your bow for like five seconds, okay? I've got something to tell you and Hataku." She shaded her eyes and looked around. "Say, where is the ol' Shogun-chama anyway?"

"Other side-a th' buildin' with a couple of those RAFT members, teachin' some of ours boys some new tricks. Those guys're a headache waitin' ta happen, but I gotta admit they know their stuff. Ya want me t'come with ya?"

Ritsuka kicked her heels into his sides. "Onwards, my trusty mount!"

The seishi sweatdropped, but decided it wasn't worth the effort to shake her off. And for all his complaining, Ritsuka really wasn't all that heavy. He took off across the clearing with a grumbled curse and a small smile. "Yer sucha pest, y'know that?"

"Always and forever," she said. "But think how boring your life would be without me."

Tasuki chuckled as they reached the fencing rings, dumping Ritsuka to the ground and waving Hataku over. As the former shogun limped his way over to the pair, Ritsuka picked herself up from the ground, flicked Tasuki in the back of the head for the unceremonious "dismount," then dusted off her tunic and announced, voice full of gravity: "We, my good men, are going to have a Double Sevens party in two days, and to make it even more exciting we're going into town tomorrow to get each other some presents. You will be coming with us. That is all."

Hataku's voice remained flat as ever. "And why did you call me over here, exactly?"

"Because our dear empress asked me to." Hataku's eyebrows shot up at that. "So you two have to let everyone know that you're taking tomorrow off, okay?"

Tasuki shook his head. "No can do, Red. I can't waste a single day. Ya never know when Setsuka might attack, an' with th' powers of her dead Elements she ain't gonna be easy t'beat. I gotta be as ready as I can."

"I couldn't leave even if I wanted to," Hataku said, shouldering his practice sword and shooing away a couple of RAFT members who had come to spy on the conversation. "I have soldiers here practically standing in line for private lessons. Please tell Houki-sama that I'm honored, but I have to refuse."

Ritsuka felt her teeth grind together and her ears turn pink. She hadn't really expected Hataku to come along, but to have Tasuki turn her down as well was just about the breaking point. She drew herself up to her full – not very tall – height and jabbed a finger hard into the seishi's chest. "Now look, you stupid bandit! I bet you can't even remember what it's like to have fun! And you," the jabbing finger turned on Hataku, "probably can't even remember what fun _is_!"

"Red—"

"Don't you dare interrupt me!" she roared, and both felt themselves snap to attention. "Now I have had a _really_ crappy week and you bastards haven't made it any easier, so listen up and listen good. I finally got Kiori and Houki happy about something, and I finallygot myself excited about something, and I am not about to have you ruin it by ditching us so youcan play soldier with each other like you do _every other damn day of the week_! Now the two of you are gonna come into town with us tomorrow, you're gonna look through the pretty shops, and you're gonna like it, dammit!"

Hataku sweatdropped. "Isn't this supposed to be voluntary?"

Ritsuka's smile dripped poison. "Oh, it is, but if you don't come then I will also _voluntarily_ kick you in several choice locations, starting with your shins and moving gradually up to the backs of your necks." The pair winced, and Ritsuka's smile immediately switched to sweetness. "Any other questions?" Two very fast head shakes. "Good to know! Now, I've got a monk to track down, so I'll catch up with you later, okay?" She turned on her heel and jogged to the ring's entrance, waving chibily at the defeated shogun and seishi. "Bye-bye, Tasuki-chan, bye-bye, Hatchan!"

Hataku wrinkled his nose. "Hat_chan_? Now just a minute—"

But before he could voice his complaint, Ritsuka was gone.

The former shogun turned back to the training rings with a grumbled curse, only to find himself barraged with hoots and hollers from the RAFT members Yuki, Kirei, and Tori.

"Better not be late for your royal appointment tomorrow, Hatchan!"

"Wouldn't want to get punished by Ritsuka the Terrible, would you, Hatchan?"

Tori giggled helplessly, holding his sides and falling to the ground. "Hatchan, do what Mama Ritsuka wants an' y'might get a bag-a sweets fer good behavior! Ahahahaha—!" Hataku stalked across the ring and grabbed Tori's ear, jerking him up from the ground. "YOWCH!"

"Congratulations, Furosaki, you and your friends have been upgraded to double watches tonight!"

Yuki threw on his most winning of smiles, bowing low to his former shogun. "Oh, Hataku-sama, we were only having a bit of fun. I beg of you, do not punish us for allowing ourselves some amusement during this most dark and dismal of wars."

Tori nodded. "Yeah, an' leggo me ear while yer at it, wouldja Hatchan?" Hataku cuffed him over the head, pinching his ear tighter and dragging him off across the training rings. "Oh, ow, owowowow! _Gomen_, _gomen_, I didn't meeeeeean iiiiiiiit!"

Tasuki turned from the wailing rebel and sighed, though he couldn't quite stop the smile from sneaking onto his face. _'What a pain in the ass. Well__, guess I better do what she says. Huh, maybe it won't be so bad... an' I wonder what I oughta get Red, anyway...?'_

oOo

Iyasu sprinted the last few blocks back to Otoo-san's home, working up a good sweat along the way. He was breathing hard by the time he got to the door, and made a point of banging as hard as he could against the molding wood. "'Too-san, 'Too-san, open up, hurry!"

Kita opened the door, to Iyasu's extreme surprise, Otoo-san peeking over her shoulder. She greeted him with a sneer. "H'oh, come crawlin' back awready, na?"

Iyasu didn't even hesitate. "That ain't important right now! Somethin's happened!"

"Happened? T'who?"

"Who d'you bleedin' think?" he snapped, grabbing her hand and dragging her out the door. "They're cartin' him back t'the palace right now, I saw 'em on my way home, only I think we c'n save him if we hurry! Come on, Kita-san, an' you, too, 'Too-san, this ain't no time fer questions!"

"Aji," Kita breathed. She gritted her teeth, ripping her hand out of Iyasu's and running ahead. "Where'd'ja last see 'im?"

"They was headin' down Hotaru Lane, towards the palace!"

He glanced over his shoulder, happy to see that Otoo-san was following a step or two behind him. He had just a second to see Watanabe Shundou and the rebel girl Ayame standing in the doorway of Otoo-san's home, watching them, then he jerked his head forward again and took off after Kita. He let her lead the way, allowing her to get a nice lead on the both of them. He grinned as she passed the alley just north of Sanjo, never once glancing to the side. Iyasu made a point to look to his left, shouting, "Oi!" as he did and skidding to a halt. Otoo-san pulled up with him, following his pointing finger. "I jus' saw 'em at th' end there! C'mon!"

"Kita!" Otoo-san shouted ahead, but Iyasu didn't wait to see if she turned around or not. He just grabbed Otoo-san's arm and dragged him into the alleyway. He'd barely taken three steps when a shadow slithered sideways and clamped a hand on his shoulder. Iyasu turned to greet him, only to have Setsuka's man clip him across the jaw.

He stumbled backwards and fell against the wall, spitting curses. "You dumb bastard!" he snapped, wiping the blood from his jaw. "I ain't—!"

"Iyasu-kun, run!"

He looked up just in time to see Otoo-san slam his shoulder into the assassin's midriff, tackling him to the ground. Iyasu's eyes widened, but he didn't have time to voice his surprise because a second assassin had slipped out of a chink in the wall, unsheathed dagger glinting in the low light. Otoo-san never even saw him. He just fell in a spray of blood, his throat slashed from one end to the other. Iyasu felt bile rise in his throat.

"'TOO-SAN!"

Iyasu couldn't stop staring at his dying leader, so he didn't see the two soldiers whip around, and he didn't see Kita come roaring into the alley, dagger drawn. He didn't see them go after her, and he didn't see Kita run Otoo-san's killer through the chest, and he didn't see the other assassin, the one who had never had time to draw his weapon, slam his fist into her jaw once, twice, three times. He didn't see the back of Kita's head smack into the wall, didn't see her crumple to the ground, didn't see the man reach down to disarm her. And he certainly didn't see Kita's other hand flash out, jamming a knife into the assassin's neck.

Iyasu didn't even glance down the alley, in fact, until he heard a second gurgle, one that sounded so monstrously similar to the ones Otoo-san had just made. "Wha...?"

Kita was trying to stand, one hand pressed to the ground, the other clinging to the wall. Blood dribbled down her chin, leaking out of a jaw that had to be broken. She fought to speak, but the words came out in a groan. Iyasu thought he might have caught "help" or "father." _Otoo-san._

"His own damn fault," Iyasu muttered. "His own damn fault fer helpin' me. Coulda been captured, wouldn't-a had ta..."

But the lies trailed away as his stomach cramped again. He tasted vomit and swallowed hard. He looked down at Otoo-san, then at Kita, who had given up on standing and had instead slumped against the wall. He couldn't even tell if she was awake anymore.

"Th' job," he mumbled. "I gotta finish th' job."

Iyasu scrambled to his feet, grabbing the assassin's dagger as he did. He glanced at Otoo-san again, then drew in a breath and turned to face Kita. He took two trembling steps toward her, raised the dagger as if to strike—

Then hissed and threw it back to the ground.

"Aw, jus' go an' die on yer own!" he cried, whirling and sprinting off down the alley. He turned north, toward the palace, and disappeared from sight.

So of course he couldn't have known that Ayame stood pressed against the wall at the other end of the alley, listening to the final exchange with gritted teeth and tears in her eyes.

oOo

Ritsuka had no trouble finding Chichiri later that afternoon: he was down by the pond, as usual, sitting under a tree and reading from a small bound book. She tiptoed up behind him, hands raised like claws, but just as she was about to pounce he snapped his book shut and said, "What's up no da?"

She screeched and latched herself to the tree, koala-style. "H-h-h-how-how-how...?"

He slipped his mask back on and smiled over his shoulder. "_Ki_-sensing, Ritsuka. I don't know why you have such a hard time remembering that no da."

"Boo." She stuck out her tongue, plopping down on the ground next to him. "No fair, out-ninja-ing the ninja. Cheater-pants." He sweatdropped and moved to slide his book into his _kesa_, but Ritsuka snatched it from him, squinting at the kanji on the cover. "Oo, a Konan light novel! Is it a steamy romance, a madcap comedy, or a pulse-pounding mystery?"

"It's a sutra book."

"Oh." She shoved it back in his face. "Bored now."

"Maybe that's how you see it," he said, tucking the book into the folds of his robe, "but it's a lot of comfort to me no da." His masked mouth twitched into the closest thing it could muster to a frown. "Usually." He shook his head, forced smile back in place. "Anyway, did you need something, or did you just come out to relax no da?"

"Both, I guess. Mostly I just wanted to make sure you knew about the Tanabata party and the shopping trip tomorrow."

He nodded. "I passed Kiori on her way to the infirmaries no da. She mentioned it to me then."

"So you're coming?"

"I don't see why not. It's a good idea, getting everyone out of the palace for a while no da. I think the others could use a break from the war." He thought back to his outburst that morning and smiled grimly. "So could I, come to think of it."

"No kidding. You and Tasuki-chan have been frickin' sleepwalkers. No fun at all," Ritsuka said. She hesitated for a moment, then leaned her back against the tree and added, "Kiori's been really worried about you."

"Yeah," he said quietly. "I know."

She scowled. "If you know, then stop making her worry!"

"It's not something I'm doing on purpose no da. I've been trying to do the opposite, in fact. Things have just been... complicated, recently." He frowned, staring at his hands, then said, "Ritsuka? Can I ask you a hypothetical question no da?"

"Uh, sure, I guess."

"Let's say..." his gaze trailed to the pond, "let's say there was a flood, and you only had enough time to go to one room in the palace. Who would you save: Kiori, or the entire cooking staff?"

"The cooking staff," she said, so quickly that Chichiri's jaw dropped. "What? A girl's gotta eat, and Kiori can't cook for beans."

Little doom waves emanated off his back. "You're not taking this seriously no da."

"That's because it's a stupid question!" Ritsuka held up her index finger. "First off, Kiori would never be dumb enough to get stuck in a flooded city. She'd have listened to the weather reports and gotten out days in advance."

"Mm-hm. Not serious at all no da."

"Secondly, the cooks have all kinds of bowls and saucers that they could use as rafts, so what would they need my help for?"

"Oh, just forget I even asked."

"And thirdly!" she added, clapping her hand against his back. "I wouldn't _have_ to choose. You'd have already teleported their dumb butts to higher ground, so there wouldn't be anything left for me to do." He glanced at her, half-expecting her to start teasing him again, but her smile was too kind to be a joke. "Look, I don't really get this lame hypothetical of yours, but if you're worried about me and Kiori and Houki, then quit it. We're smart girls, and sometimes we're kinda badass, too. We'll manage okay." She winked. "Aaaand if one of us were to do something crazy like, I dunno, attack a barrier-creating, ki-blast-shooting Element with nothing but a sword and a dream, well, it's always nice to know you guys've got our backs."

"That's comforting to hear." His smile faded. "Though, I wonder if Koji and Aoi-kun would agree with you no da."

"No one bats 1000, 'Chiri." She stiffened as if remembering something, then whipped around, glaring at him. Her open palm turned into a chibi fist and she whacked him over the head. "And what's with the pity party? Aren't you supposed to be Everything'll-Work-Out-All-Right-san? You're bringin' the whole palace down, dammit!" The chibi redhead clambered onto his shoulders, boxing his ears. "And if you're gonna beat yourself about something, beat yourself up about something you can control, like making Kiori all worried 'n' stuff! Just what kind of a man are you, huh? It's shameful! You'd better get her one hell of a nice gift when we go shopping tomorrow, or I'll take the Holy Sword and..." She ground her elbow into his skull to make her point.

Chichiri _daaaa_'d, covering his head with his arms. Ritsuka gave her elbow one last twist and dismounted, dusting off her hands as she went. He whimpered, rubbing at his skull. "I'll never understand why affection and violence are such close friends for you no da." He smiled around his wince. "But I see what you mean. I shouldn't have let my own worries become a problem for others no da. _Gomen._ I'll try to cheer up from now on."

She rolled her eyes. "Nobody expects you to be cheerful all the time, _baka_. We'd just like it if you and Tasuki-chan would have the decency to be upfront with us once in a while. All these half-assed lies are really annoying. You can't pee on my swine and tell me it's pearls, after all." She cocked her head. "Uh, I think I got that one wrong..."

"Da?"

She stood, patting the dirt off her trousers. "Meh, not important. The important part is," her index finger whipped forward, nearly punching him in the nose, "be in the main courtyard at the top of the snake hour, and bring your happy face!"

"I thought you said I wasn't expected to be cheerful all the time no da."

"You aren't. You're just expected to be cheerful _tomorrow_." She waggled her fingers at him, already skipping backwards and away from the pond. "Well, I've got planning to do. Be thinking about a good gift for Kiori, okay? I want her face to be shinin' like the sun when she opens it!"

And with that she whirled on her heel, spread her arms, and zoomed off, mimicking airplane noises as she navigated between the trees and disappeared from sight.

Chichiri shook his head at the energetic redhead, leaning back and taking the sutra book out of his _kesa_. He had it halfway open before he shook his head and closed it again, letting it drop to the ground so he could set his elbows to his knees and his chin in his hands. _'So what _am _I going to get her, exactly...?'_

oOo

Setsuka smiled when Iyasu entered her dining hall, but the smile did not last long.

"M'lady, ya gotta help me!"

"Mm?" She set down her chopsticks. "I take it things did not go as planned?"

"They was both there, m'lady!" he gasped. "Kita never left like she was s'posed ta! I guess Aji didn't come back in time 'r somethin', I dunno, but I brought 'em both with me, thinkin' we'd be all right, thinkin' it'd be like two fish one worm, only ya jus' sent th' two guys, and even with me tryin' t'split 'em up it wasn't enough, not with Kita expectin' 'em, she's too good a fighter fer that."

Setsuka's eyebrow twitched. "Ah. So you are suggesting that this is my fault."

He was too rattled to be pragmatic. "I'm jus' sayin' it like I saw it, m'Lady. An' I saw both those guys die."

"Yet you managed to escape."

"Otoo-san, they killed him, and they banged up Kita good, so I got away all right."

"She's still alive?"

"I dunno. Maybe. She was hurt pretty bad. I don't think she saw me leave. Only they'll figger out that it happened 'cause-a me, sooner 'r later someone's gonna find 'em both down there, an' then... " He swallowed hard, dropping to his knees. "M'lady, ya promised that ya'd help me if things didn't go right. Now I done everythin' I could t'serve ya right up 'till now. Don't go back on that promise, please. I c'n guarantee ya that I'll be even more help t'you in th' future. Only please, don't send me back out there. Not with th' RAFT on practically every street corner. I wouldn't last th' week, I—"

"Oh, shut up," she snapped. "I don't have time to listen to this. You've already interrupted my dinner. If you go on any longer it will grow cold as well."

"S-sorry."

"As you should be." She sighed. "Well, I suppose I did promise you a place in the palace. Guards!"

Iyasu's glanced over his shoulder as a pair of soldiers stepped through the open doors. "Yes, m'Lady?"

"Take this weasel down to the dungeons. I'll figure out what to do with him later."

"Th' dungeons?" Iyasu yelped. "B-but m'Lady, I thought – I mean, after everythin' I done fer ya, I thought—"

"What? That I'd give you a more deserving reward?" Setsuka laughed. "My dear boy, you are a traitor to your own people. What you _deserve_ is for those RAFT fools to string you up in a tree and leave you for the crows. The fact that I haven't had you executed on the spot is... well, quite frankly I'm amazed at my own mercy. Try to show a little gratitude, won't you? Otherwise I might have to change my mind."

Iyasu paled, but as the guards clamped their hands against his arms he knew there was no use arguing. His head fell to his chest and he nodded once. "Right. Thank you, m'Lady."

"You are most welcome, little rebel. Keep up that attitude and, why, I just might let you live a while."

oOo

"...And that's pretty much it."

Tasuki watched the three women sitting across from him, waiting for their reactions. The remaining warriors had retired to Houki's study after dinner, giving them plenty of privacy for the seishi's confession. They had spared no details, Chichiri even explaining in pained tones Aoi's final moments. Now they sat in silence, Chichiri with his masked eyes on the floor and Tasuki with his fixed on the girls.

Finally Ritsuka rubbed the back of her head, sighing. "Is that all?" Tasuki's face hit the table. She snorted. "I mean, seriously. I get that what happened out there was tough on you guys, of course it'd be, but I can't for the life of me figure out why it took you so long to tell us about it. Was it just too hard for you to talk about or something?"

"We didn't want—"

"To worry us, whatever." Ritsuka waved a dismissive hand. "Except that none of us had even heard of this holy water, so when you think about it, this doesn't really change anything." She scowled, pointing a finger at them. "And that's another thing:how come we went all this time without hearing about this stuff? Wouldn't it have come in handy when we were all beat to hell after fighting those Element brothers?"

Tasuki held up his hands. "Hey, Mitsukake gave that t' Chichiri, not me. I fergot all about it."

Ritsuka turned her glare on Chichiri, but he was too distracted to do anything but shrug. "I didn't think about it when I rushed out to help you, and I didn't say anything after the fight because none of our injuries were fatal no da. There's a limited supply – I didn't want to use any unless it was a matter of life or death."

"Like with Aoi-kun."

Both seishi stared at the floor. "Yeah."

Houki shifted in her seat. "Please do not be so hard on yourselves. I am quite certain that Aoi-kun holds no ill will towards you. Neither of you could have known that this would happen, after all." Tasuki offered a weak "mm," but Chichiri remained silent. Houki tried a smile. "And, though I do understand your personal misgivings, I must say that I approve of Suzaku's decision. I cannot think of any two people more deserving of the gods' trust."

Tasuki looked up at that. "Ya really think so?"

Ritsuka smirked. "Are you kidding? Konan is totally screwed."

His head whipped around. "What! Why?"

"You don't fit the character type at all." She twirled her finger at him. "For starters, your face is way too scary-looking for you to be a protagonist. And let's not even get started on your complete lack of princely charm."

"Oh yeah? An' what're you s'posed t'be, huh? You couldn't be th' graceful damsel if yer life depended on it!"

"I can be graceful when I wanna be, I'll have you know."

"Th' last time you tried you wound up soaked in th' pond!"

"So did you, you damned bandit_..._!"

The two redheads were too busy squabbling to notice when Chichiri left the room. Houki had her hands full refereeing the pair, but Kiori, silent throughout the exchange, didn't miss the movement. She hesitated, then murmured, "Be right back" and hurried after him.

She opened the door, spotted him leaning against the walkway's railing, and almost lost her nerve. But just as she was about to close the door again, she swallowed and stepped outside, letting it swing shut behind her. "One time!" she began, much louder than she'd intended. She winced as Chichiri turned around, then steeled herself and edged towards him.

"One time," she said again, gentler now, "a couple weeks after I started working at the infirmaries, Yukeda-sensei assigned me this patient, Kyushin-san. I guess the assistant who'd been taking care of him before hadn't cleaned out his wound right, and it was pretty badly infected. Sensei and I did what we could, but it was obvious that he was dying. Slowly. And he was in such _agony_... Eventually Yukeda-sensei told me to give him this special pain killer. What he didn't tell me was that it was laced with poison." She twisted her hands. "Kyushin-san's last moments were calm. Painless. What Sensei did was for the best, I think. But I haven't been able to use that elixir again, not once. Sensei's had to do it every other time.

"And, um, I'm not telling you this to try to one-up you or anything," she added, at last closing the gap between them. "I just wanted you to know that I understand why what happened with Aoi-kun was so hard for you. You play the part of a soldier when you have to, but you've got the heart of a physician, same as me and Yukeda-sensei. So of course it would be painful, but... but that doesn't mean it wasn't the right thing to do. And I respect you for being able to do it, you and Sensei both."

"It's not that simple no da." Chichiri looked up, struggling for the right words. "When I entered the monastery, I swore – gods, so many things that I haven't been able to keep – but the most important one for me, personally, was the oath I took against killing. We're supposed to value _all_ life, even the ones that try to harm us. I managed to keep that vow during my entire journey with Miaka... but then, in a single summer, I go and break it twice."

"The Element—"

"Was necessary. I know. That doesn't change what happened no da. Either that time or the other one."

"Sora killed Aoi-kun. You didn't."

His hands curled around the walkway's railing. "I might as well have. If Suzaku hadn't decided to play favorites with Tasuki and me, then he might—"

"I'm glad!" she snapped, grabbing his wrist and forcing him to look at her again. "I'm_ glad_ Suzaku decided to play favorites, okay? I'm glad he put all his trust in you and Tasuki, because if he hadn't then not a single one of us would still be here. You'd have died fighting Tsuki, and Tasuki would've died fighting Taiyou, and then probably Ritsuka-tachi would've been killed, too, and then it would've just been a matter of time before Konan fell, and where would that have left Houki-sama or Boshin-chan? Slavery? The executioner's block?"

"You don't kno—"

"And I'm glad, too," she said, pushing on before she lost her nerve again, "that Suzaku gave you that extra power, that he made damn sure you'd survive, because you're the last person I want to have to bury, the very last person I ever want to see in that morgue. And I know that's an awful thing to say, but to hell with it, I'll be awful if that's what it takes to get you to understand." Her hand squeezed against his wrist. "This whole 'valuing all life' thing? It also means valuing your own. You don't think you're any more important than the rest of us? Fine. But that's not how I see it."

She released his arm and moved as if to step away, but Chichiri's hand jerked out, snatching her wrist and tugging her back towards him. She stumbled, nearly running into the walkway railing, but his other hand caught her shoulder, steadying her.

"Kiori, I..." he began, but lost the words.

"It's really..." she tried, but it trailed away in a weak laugh.

They hovered between speech and silence, almost moving toward one another, almost moving away, until finally Chichiri's hand slipped down around her waist, drawing her closer. Kiori gravitated towards him, face lifted, uncertain but willing, wondering, suddenly, terribly, fantastically aware that Ritsuka had been right all along—

And then the something that almost happened, didn't. Chichiri's hand dropped from her waist, falling to his side, and he pulled back so he could meet her eyes from a friendlier distance. Kiori's fingers twitched, about ready to drag him toward her again, but his smile was so baffled that it made her hesitate.

"You're really too nice no da," he said at last. "But even so, I appreciate it."

She forced a laugh. "Well hey, after all the pep-talks you've given me, it only seemed fair."

He released her wrist, hand hovering uncertainly above her arm before moving to hover uncertainly above her shoulder. He didn't quite touch her, but the feather-brush was enough to show that he didn't quite want to _stop_ touching her, either. "I mean it, though. These past few weeks have been... difficult, to say the least, but having both you and Tasuki around has really..." He chuckled, and Kiori was certain she could hear something nervously giddy in that, too. "Well, it shows me that I must've done _something_ right in a past life no da."

"Feeling a little better, then?"

"Feeling a lotbetter no da."

She sagged, chin dropping almost to her chest. "Oh thank God. I don't really do the long speeches thing very much, so I thought for sure it was coming out all wrong. About halfway through I even considered faking sick just to get out of saying the rest of it."

He laughed, and the last of his tension seemed to disappear with it. Kiori couldn't decide if that was a good or bad thing. "Well I'm glad you didn't. And don't self yourself short no da. Long speeches or not, you're a doctor for a reason. You have a special talent for making people feel better, me especially."

She fought back a silly smile. "I guess that makes us even, then."

"Not even close, after the way I've been worrying you and the others these past couple weeks. But I'll try to make it up to you no da." His hand came down awkwardly on her shoulder, as if he couldn't decide whether to hug her or just give her arm a friendly pat. In the end he opted out of both, sliding his arms back behind him so he could grab the railing instead. He coughed, nodding towards Houki's study. "Anyway, should we head back inside no da?"

"Weren't you trying to escape?"

"Hm?" He laughed. "Oh, no. I just stepped outside to get some air. Clear my head a little no da. I didn't expect anyone to notice."

She shrugged, flushing. "Guess I'm just nosy like that."

"One of your many admirable qualities no da."

"_That's_ an admirable quality?"

"It was today no da." He opened the study door, wincing as the sounds of bickering echoed from within. "Almost as admirable as helping me drag apart a pair of redheads before they break the furniture."

Kiori grinned. "Do we get to drag them apart by their ears?"

"Now that just sounds like fun."

oOo

Aji strolled down a Takkan alleyway, at last on his way to Otoo-san's house. His index fingers moved through the air, keeping time as he half-sang, half-hummed to himself.

"_Those guards chased him 'cross half the earth, but he gave them the slip  
For he was twice as fast and ten times as intelligent._"

He paused, chewing his lip. "Hm... well, 'slip' and 'intelligent' rhyme a bit... s'pose I can always fix it later, when I've more time... let's see, now...

"_And back to the leader's house he flew with news they wished to hear  
'Twas the fall of another soldier whom their enemy held dear.  
The Element was dead! Yes, the Element was dead!  
At least that's what the drunken guard before the main gates said_... Hah, bloody brilliant..."

He trailed off as he rounded the corner and spotted Otoo-san's house. Ayame and Kazuo sat on the steps, chins in hands, but they both jerked up at the sound of his footsteps. Kazuo went for his sword, not recognizing the shadowed figure, but Ayame didn't hesitate. She leaped to her feet, clearing the space between herself and Aji in seconds. He had just enough time to spot the tears rimming her eyes before she threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his waist.

Aji looked up blissfully. "Sa, embraced by a maiden before I've even delivered my news! The gods have truly blessed me today! There, there, Ayame-chan, your humble servant has safely returned, just as promised. Now dry those joyful tears of yours, and... s-sa..." His smile slipped as Ayame continued to sob into his shirt, clutching at his back for strength. "A... Ayame-chan, what's...?"

"Aji-san."

He looked over the girl's shoulder and into Kazuo's glassy eyes. Aji knew that look, had seen it across more faces than he cared to count. The humor drained from his voice. "Who?"

"Otoo-san," Ayame whimpered from the folds of his shirt.

"Otoo-san?" He jerked her away, forcing her to look at him. "Otoo-san's been hurt?"

"Killed," Kazuo said, empty with exhaustion.

Aji's hands fell from Ayame's shoulders. "You're kidding."

He snorted. "Yeah, bleedin' funny joke, innit?" Kazuo waved limply over his shoulder. "He's in the house if you don't believe me. Him an' Kita-san."

"Ki..."

Aji left the rest of her name at the back of his throat and spun away from the two, half-running, half-reeling for the house. He stumbled through the door like a drunkard, eyes falling to the pallet in the corner where Kita lay motionless, her face splotched with bruises and a bloody bandage wrapped around her head. Watanabe Hourin knelt beside her, dabbing at a thin line of blood along her chin, but Aji barely noticed her as he collapsed beside the bed, touching one hand to Kita's swollen cheek and grasping at her limp fingers with the other. He tried to speak, but the words were swallowed by panic, and all he could manage was an incoherent string of pleas and moans.

"Aji-san." He jerked up, staring into Hourin's sightless eyes. She groped across the bed until she found his arm, then squeezed it gently. "Please calm down. Kita-san's going to be okay."

"What – I, I mean, how bad—?"

Hourin frowned, setting a wet cloth across Kita's forehead. "Her jaw is broken, and she hit the back of her head pretty hard. She's been unconscious since we found her, but Haha-ue said her injuries don't seem severe. It's tough to tell with a head wound like this, so I don't want to promise anything, but her pulse is regular and her breathing's normal." She smiled. "I think she'll be just fine."

A shudder trickled from his neck to his tailbone. "Thank gods." Aji kissed Kita's hand, then set it softly on her stomach. His other hand trailed across her face, brushing tenderly along her jawbone. "Oh, thank the gods."

Hourin's smile slipped. "But Jiro-san... he..."

Aji glanced over his shoulder and to the far wall. Lady Watanabe Shundou didn't look up as he watched her clean the streaks of blood off Otoo-san's chest. A cloth had been placed respectfully over his face, but Aji didn't need to see his empty eyes to know he was dead. The gaping wound on his neck was evidence enough.

He forced himself to his feet, staggering across the room. He looked down at the corpse of the RAFT's adopted father, the only father that many of them had known. His knees wobbled but he stayed standing, staring, hands and throat and shoulders slowly tightening into knots. Footsteps thumped on the dirt floor but he didn't look up, not even when Ayame pressed a hand to his shoulder and Kazuo broke the silence.

"It was Iyasu," he said.

Aji nodded, eyes following Shundou's hands as they switched a soiled rag out for a clean one, still working tirelessly, soundlessly, to clean up what they could.

"He came by sayin' you was in trouble, so Kita-san and Otoo-san, they went w-with him to help," Ayame said, fighting back tears. "Only Watanabe-san didn't trust him, so she sent me after them, and... wh-when I g-got there, they..."

Aji nodded again, memorizing the sharp, clean slash carved across Otoo-san's throat.

"It appears that Kita-san was able to defeat the assassins," Shundou said. "However, by the time Ayame fetched the rest of us, the boy had already fled."

Kazuo bit his lip. "We was too late t' save Otoo-san."

"You couldn't have saved him anyway," Shundou said. "Wasn't anything you could have done, Kazuo-kun."

"Y-yeah, but..."

"Do you know where he went?" Everyone jumped, less surprised by Aji's question than by the way he asked it. The wordless terror from before had vanished, leaving him calm as the winds before a monsoon. "The traitor," he said, and ice seemed to glaze every syllable. "Do you know where he went?"

"He w-was movin' down the alley, so..." Ayame shrugged. "North, I guess?"

"To the palace. Of course." He glanced sidelong at Kazuo and Ayame. He never once raised his voice, but even so, the two felt themselves stiffen to attention. "Find the other RAFT members and tell them this: Stay away from each other. Turn invisible. No meetings, publicly _or _privately. Once you've done that, I need you to get all our active spies into hiding. If Iyasu really has gone to the palace then it's only a matter of time before his new mistress sends her assassins after the rest of us, too. She'll go after the spies first, so we need them as far away from the palace and their homes as we can get them. Now."

"B-but Aji-san, what about...?"

"I'll be fine. Go. We've lost enough time as it is."

Ayame hesitated, but Kazuo grabbed her arm and tugged her towards the door. Sparing one last, worried glance at her strangely poised leader, she followed.

Aji took a breath as the door shut behind them. "That's step one," he murmured. "Watanabe-san." Shundou looked into eyes of frosted glass, but her own gaze never wavered. "It seems I'm going to be out for a while again. I hate to impose, but could you handle things for me here, please?"

She smiled thinly. "I've buried a husband and three children in the past two decades. If there's one thing I know how to do, it's take care of the dead. Hourin will look after Kita-san for you as well. We'll be fine."

"That's one relief, then."

He started for the door, tightening his loose ponytail into a more formal topknot as he went. Shundou frowned at his back. "I hope you aren't planning anything rash, Aji-san. I know you're upset, but as their remaining leader, the RAFT needs—"

"The RAFT won't exist if I don't put a stop to this." He glanced back, trying a smile. "You needn't worry about me, Watanabe-san. I'm far too much of a coward to attempt a suicide mission, so it seems that I have every intention of returning alive."

She met his promise with a challenge. "Then when should we expect you?"

"No less than a day. No more than three." He swallowed hard. "Any more than that and it's over. We've lost. The remaining RAFT members should flee the city. You should go with them. And Kita... you'll need to tell her... about me..."

"In a blaze of glory, amid a pile of enemy corpses, screaming her name till the very end." Hourin smiled. "Isn't that right, Aji-san?"

He chuckled weakly. "Sa, what a terribly cliched final scene. I suppose now I really will have to survive, if that's the way you intend to remember me." He looked back one last time, at his fallen father, his broken beloved, and the two pillars fighting to hold up what remained. He took a breath. His hand tightened on the door frame. His eyes settled on Kita's closed ones.

oOo

"_'I'll be home soon, love,' he whispered, and closed the door on his crumbling home.'_" Keisuke handed the book to Tetsuya. "End Chapter Thirty-One."

-  
Ritsuka: All right! The streamers are flying, the guests have been invited – or coerced, but I'm not picky – and the menu's been set, so let's get this party under way! After all, there's no better cure for the blues than a little bit of shopping and whole lotta booze. Add my super-secret surprise, and we just can't lose... Hey, did I just write a poem there?  
Still, just as life in Konan starts looking up, life in Takkan starts getting grim. With a mentor gone and a leader bedridden, it's up to the resident spy to work damage control. But what chance does a peasant actor have against an entire palace? Yikes, now _I'm _getting anxious. Think I'll just focus on the party for now.

The Next Episode of _Fushigi Yuugi: The Next Chapter_: "Double Sevens – The Shards of Things Both Saved and Lost."

If this doesn't get the sparks flying, then nothing will!  
-

* * *

**End Notes:  
**(1)Tanabata – most of you probably already know this, but to give an abridged version: Tanabata (lit. "Night of Sevens") is a holiday that takes place on 7/7 in Japan and celebrates the yearly meeting of the Cowherd (Altair) and the Weaver Girl (Vega) in the heavens. The story goes that these two constellations fell so deeply in love that they neglected to perform their celestial duties (tending the celestial cattle and weaving the celestial robes, of course) so the Emperor of Heaven separated them with the Milky Way and only allowed them to see each other once a year. A number of Japanese towns host festivals to celebrate this yearly meeting.  
(2) Empress Remarriage – Houki's not joking when she tells Ritsuka it's illegal. While it was common practice in Imperial China for men to remarry after the deaths of their wives (particularly if she had not produced any male heirs), widows were expected to stay faithful to their deceased husbands and remain unmarried. This practice was carried to the extreme with widowed empresses, who flat-out _couldn't_ remarry, period. Of course, that didn't stop a number of them from taking lovers... but that's a scandal for another time.

_**Ye Olde Author's Note: June 16th, 2010**_

_(Bursts forth from the ground, clawing for a grip on the crumbling soil, at last rising to the surface with a gasp of victory. Very _Kill Bill_, is what I'm tryin to say)_  
I LIVE!  
And I'm sure you're all surprised to see this in your updates box again. Fanfics that go on hiatus for –_ (checks calendar)_ a year? Holy God, but it's been a while! – usually don't see the light of day again, but here I am, solemnly pledging that I _will_ have _FY:NC_ delivered to you all, in its entirety, and likely before 2010 has come to a close. This seems like a less and less insane goal as the days pass, actually, as I've kind of become a writing machine since school ended, and am currently barreling my way through the edit of Episode 36. So there's your solemn promise for a finished fanfic. Now, I think an AWOL explanation is in order.

The short version reads like this: Dee wrote a novel, started a webcomic, finally got smart and decided to change her major to creative writing, whereupon she wrote two short stories, two short movie scripts, the beginnings of a stage play, and oh yeah, designed the art for a university-published book about a study abroad trip to London (P.S. Dee went to _London_! And it was _awesome_!). The even shorter version reads like this: Original Projects are keeping me very busy. This is bad news for my fanfic career, but pretty darn good news for my professional one. So with luck, one of these days I might even be able to point you all to a literary magazine, _manga_, or even (dare I hope it?) novel written by little ol' me out there in the Real World.

What does this mean for my fanfiction? Well, it means things are going into Backburner Land, where projects go to slowly wither and die. I feel kinda bad about it, but _Broken Wings_ will probably never get finished, given the scope of the original plot. I don't want to call it "deceased" just yet, so keep your eyes on the Tangerine Infinity account for more solid updates, but it isn't looking good. I also doubt I'll be fanficcing very much after this summer, beyond the creation of maybe a few one-shots when the mood takes me.  
However – I really love _FY:NC_, and I'm not terribly far from the end of it, which is why I decided to sit down this summer, crack my knuckles, and knock out the rewrite in one fell swoop. The plan is to post a chapter every two weeks until summer ends, and then one a month once school kicks back up. This _should_ get us the conclusion in December, probably on Christmas Day, since it'd be fun to end the rewrite on the same day that I ended the original.  
So that's what's going on Real Worldland. Now that I've gotten explanations out of the way, please feel free to write me with any questions you might have. I'll let you get back to your Regularly Scheduled Author's Note, including Mini RAFT Profiles, literary allusions, and general silliness. And awa-a-a-ay we go!

**Allusions Galore - **As usual, I've found ways to sneak little references into the episode, mostly for my own amusement. But, because all sources deserve their praise – the street names in Shoutei (the Takkan capital) are ripped straight from Japan's Heian capital a la _The Tale of Genji_, which I must have been reading when I edited those scenes (I've been working on this damn chapter off-and-on pretty much since last August, doncha know). Also, Ritsuka's "Bored now" to Chichiri is a grinning reference to Evil Willow in _Buffy the Vampire Slayer. _Because Dee loves herself some Joss Whedon shows.

And now, since it looks like they'll be getting some pretty significant screen time for a while here, some Mini-Profiles involving our favorite Takkan rebels.

**General RAFT Rambling**s – So true story, the RAFT were never once mentioned in the original outline of _FYNC_. I had no idea there were even going to be _characters _in Takkan outside of the Elements, much less that they'd play such a pivotal role in the weaving plot lines. But what happened was this: Kiori got to Takkan to save Chichiri (way back in Episode 15), and your young author went, "Crap! How the heck is Kiori supposed to get inside the palace?" And thus the RAFT was born. :) I like to playfully refer to the gang as my _deus ex machina_, since they have this great knack for showing up just when a character or story line looks like it might be stuck (helping Kiori, saving Hataku, this new arc with Iyasu… ain't they just a bunch of plot movers and shakers?).  
Since I knew they would be minor characters getting introduced in a group, I decided to keep their names short, their personalities colorful, and their speech patterns distinctive, so readers would have an easier time remembering them ("the tough gal with the accent," "the absent-minded father-figure," "the flirting actor," "the smartass," and so on). They have, of course, developed into real characters over time, and into some of my favorite characters, too. I know I'm rooting for them through this mess with Setsuka – may she, of course, die a thousand deaths!

**Mini-Profile: Raza Ankita (Kita)  
**Age: 26  
Height: 5'4"  
Weight: 133 lbs  
Birthplace: Sagara Pasa, a coastal city in Vesraj  
Hair: Black, cropped to her neck (an unusually short length for a woman) with no bangs. She typically keeps it back with a headscarf.  
Eyes: Hazel  
Quick Culture Note: Kita's full name is Hindi, but she stopped going by it after her father died (actually, her surname is just her father's given name). To be honest, I wasn't totally sure what "Earth-side nation" I'd base her home country off of until I sat down to write this profile _(sweat)_, but I think this works well. Keeping with the "Takkan" tradition, the name of her home country is meaningless, though the "raj" is meant to mean "kingdom." Her city name (hopefully) means something like "Oceanside."

Although I sometimes regret giving Kita such an, ah, "unique" accent, I gotta admit I have a lot of fun trying to write cockney in a way that is both true to the dialect and legible for the readers. I can't promise that I've always _succeeded _in this, but again, it's fun to try. And regardless of whether you can understand her or not, I think it's hard not to like Kita. If Aji's (usual) cheerful composure makes him the RAFT's Chichiri, then Kita's toughness, courage, and fierce loyalty to her rebel brethren definitely makes her their Tasuki. No wonder they make sure a great team.

**Mini-Profile: Furosaki Aji  
**Age: 29  
Height: 5'10"  
Weight: 155 lbs  
Birthplace: Shoutei, the capital city of Takkan  
Hair: Cerulean, falls to about the center of his back. He technically doesn't have any bangs, but he keeps it pulled back in a loose ponytail, so the shorter bits tend to come loose and frame his face. He tightens it up into the more professional topknot when he needs to blend in with Takkan soldiers or servants.  
Eyes: Green, usually twinkling with mischief (_laughs_)

I feel like if I tried to add comments about Aji, I'd either wind up spoiling the next few chapters, or rambling for pages and pages about what a wild ride of character development this initially simple character has put me through. He really has developed into something so much more complex and intriguing than the "carefree, flirtatious actor" that I originally made him, and I don't mind admitting that I'm rather proud of how much I've managed to accomplish in so little screen time with this minor side character. I'll talk a little bit more about him when I get to his brother's profile in the next episode, but suffice to say, I'm kind of in love with him. And I imagine a few of you are, too. :)

**And Finally, I Should Remind Everyone - Never Edit at 1am...  
**...Or maybe you should. Without my brain turned to Pop Culture High Alert, I might've never noticed that Setsuka was essentially quoting _Star Wars_ when she told Iyasu-kun that she could easily "crush the rebel scum." The unintentional allusion has successfully been removed. Sleep-deprivation, for the win?

Whew! Long author's note, huh? I'll try to keep the next few shorter and sweeter. That's all for this time, though. Thanks to ThexWhitexPhoenix, Momokochan, Mandamirra, Amaya-san, antyem, Rubinne, Ayriel, and Ritsikas for reviewing. With luck you'll all remember this 'fic and I'll be able to read some more awesome reviews soon. But for now, I'll just say goodbye, and I'll post again on 7/7!

See You on Tanabata! – Dee


	32. Episode Thirty Two: Double Sevens

_**Disclaimer**_**:** I still don't own Konan, Suzaku and all characters and seishi pertaining to them. Kiori and Ritsuka are and shall forever be mine, and that holds for all the other "originals" (you'll know 'em when they appear, trust me). Obviously the story is mine as well.

_**Rating: **_PG-13, for moderate language and violence.

**Musical Selection: **Got lots of new ones for ya this time around. "Alamuhan," by 12 Girls Band makes for a great soundtrack for the market scenes, while the old favorite "Theme of Shuurei" works for the party itself. The other newbies are "Shadow of Doubt" from _Escaflowne_, which we're using for Iyasu and Tsuchi scenes, and "Letter from Mikako" from _Hoshi no Koe_, which is for the scene that begins with Hourin (near the end of the episode). As always, everything's on the blog.

**Previously on _Fushigi Yuugi: The Next Chapter...  
_**-Chichiri discovered that Suzaku, exhausted from last year's fight with Tenkou, put all of his remaining power into Chichiri and Tasuki. This explains why Mitsukake's Holy Water did not work on the dying Aoi. After some hemming and hawing, the seishi explain the situation to the other warriors as well, at last getting the past weeks' tension out in the open.  
-Ritsuka, hoping to cheer everyone up, decides to throw a Double Sevens (Tanabata) party. She cajoles/bullies everyone into coming along, and they agree to meet up the next morning to go into town and buy presents for each other.  
-Meanwhile in Takkan, Iyasu, a member of the RAFT, joined with Setsuka in an attempt to take down the RAFT's leaders. Their plan failed, but Otoo-san was killed and Kita severely injured in the ambush. Iyasu fled to the palace, but his relief was short-lived as Setsuka immediately tossed him in the dungeons. Aji learned of Iyasu's treachery and left home for the palace, determined to stop the traitor before he revealed any more information about the RAFT to Setsuka.

_Episode 32 has arrived! With a Special Guest Appearance from... _Avatar: The Last Airbender! _Yep, the international cameos abound. 'Cause we're an equal-opportunity fanfic, doncha know._

_

* * *

_

**-Episode Thirty-Two: Double Sevens-  
****The Shards of Things Both Saved and Lost**

Yui rubbed her hands together as Tetsuya put his finger on the first word. "Hurry, Tetsuya! I can't wait to see this party." She paused thoughtfully. "What do you suppose Chichiri will wind up getting Kiori?"

"Probably jewelry," Keisuke yawned. "Get a girl something shiny and she's like putty in your hands."

Yui smacked him in the back of the head. "And you wonder why you're single?"

Tetsuya chuckled, waving a hand at the pair. "Calm down, guys, and let's get back to the story already. Now let's see: '_The next morning dawned bright and cheerful at the Konan Palace. The weather and the thought of the trip to the market were enough to erase any worries the remaining warriors may have had, and even the seishi were behaving more like themselves again_...'"

oOo

Chichiri counted up his string of cash once more, just to be sure he'd brought enough. Satisfied with the amount, he tucked it into his _kesa_, glancing over to see Kiori doing the same thing. "How much are you bringing no da?"

"Mm, everything I've got, which is about three _ryo_." (1)

"Why so much no da?"

_'So I can spend as much as I want on you,' _was the answer she wanted to give, but instead she just faced him with a smile and a blush. "Never know what you might find in a market. Ritsuka and I have never really had a chance to explore the city, so I'm gonna need some souvenirs." She held up two other cash strings. "Of course, I also have these from Yukeda-sensei. He wants me to pick up some stuff today."

"He really never gives you a day off, does he no da?"

"Not really, but I like to think that's just because he trusts me." She giggled. "He keeps saying that, if I didn't have to go back to my world after the war, he'd make me his personal apprentice." Chichiri's smile faltered at that, but Kiori was too busy counting Yukeda's coins to notice. "Makes you feel sorta popular, you know? From what I hear, one of the Konan _taii_ likes to say something similar to Ritsuka... though I can't help but get the feeling that he's just awkwardly proposing to her..."

Tasuki shaded his eyes and made as if to search the area. "Say, where is Red anyway?"

"I do not see Hataku anywhere either," Houki remarked, dressed as a well-born commoner once again. "Do you suppose he decided not to come?"

Tasuki chuckled. "I hope he ain't that stupid." He paused for a moment, ears pricking at a familiar voice. He laughed. "Oh, this is gonna be fun."

Ritsuka came around the corner not half a second later, dragging Hataku by the collar and berating him as she went. "I told you I wouldn't let you ditch us, didn't I? And if you're going to find somewhere to hide, then you're gonna have to do a lot better than the kitchens."

Hataku stumbled, struggling to keep up with Ritsuka's march. "I wasn't hiding, I was getting breakfast. I got up early to help Ran-shogun and I haven't had a chance to eat yet."

"Excuses, excuses." She released her hold on his collar and turned to the empress. "I caught this one trying to skip out on Family Fun Time, Houki-sama. Sentence him."

"To a relaxing day in the market, perhaps?"

"I was hoping for a good old-fashioned bludgeoning, but I guess that'll do." Ritsuka glared at the glaring ex-shogun. "Just do me a favor and don't run off again, 'kay?"

"I wasn't running off to begin with..."

"Yeah, he'd never do anything to upset Mama Ritsuka, innit that right, Hatchan?"

The former shogun and the Konan Warriors whirled to see Yuki, Kirei and Tori leaning against the nearby balustrade, all grinning like cats with fresh tuna.

If looks could kill, Hataku's would have beheaded all three. "What are you doing here?"

Kirei winked. "We overheard you yesterday, and we just couldn't bear the thought of leaving our beloved shogun for even one moment."

"You want a day off," Hataku translated.

"Of course, that's only half our reason." Yuki struck a noble pose. "As Konan soldiers and RAFT members, it is our sworn duty to protect the Warriors of the palace from all danger that looms, be that thieves, crooked merchants, or meals that are far too large for one person to eat alone." The young actor tried to leap onto the railing, one fist raised melodramatically – and wound up slipping and falling flat on his face.

Tori collapsed in a fit of giggles. "Oh, if only yer big brother c'd see ya now! He'd bust a lung, he'd be laughin' so hard!"

oOo

At that precise moment, laughter was the farthest thing from Aji's mind. He had slipped into the palace under the guise of one of his aliases – as he walked, a guard brushed past him as if he didn't exist, and an upper-level servant nodded once at him before continuing on his way – but once he'd gotten in he had little idea of where to begin. He brushed out the wrinkles in his tunic, a plain green affair designed for the low-level cleaning staff, and paused, tilting his head and listening to the sounds around him. He heard laughter from a nearby room and slipped inside, smiling at the cries of "Shun!" that echoed from a few serving girls' mouths.

"No one tole me they was collectin' flowers in here," he drawled in a wetlands dialect, earning giggles from the female cleaning staff. The older women just shook their heads and went back to scrubbing the floors, but a couple of the girls ignored their chores and hurried over to say hello. Aji greeted them all by kissing their hands, an absurdly high-born gesture that amused them to no end. "So what was you gals laughin' about?"

"Just storytelling," one said. "You heard any good ones lately? You always tell 'em best."

"Nothin' really." He hesitated as if remembering something, then added, "Though, wasn't there somethin' 'bout a new guest floatin' 'round t'other day?""

One of the others rolled her eyes. "Oh, that's old news. It's just some boy from the city. Ri-san couldn't stop talkin' to th' other guards about it."

"Ri-san? Which one?"

"You know, the one from the west gate." She wagged a finger at him. "You're sweet, Shun, but you're awful slow sometimes. Always so far behind on your gossip. That boy ain't a guest no mores. He's turned prisoner now, Wan-san was tellin' Karin – she 'n' him is friendly these days, y'know."

"I sure didn't." He pulled a mournful face. "Too bad. I sorta fancied her, but if she's beddin' guards than ain't no chance fer me."

The first giggled. "Oh, you'd be surprised what a little-a that folksy charm'll do on a girl. An' if you've givin' up on Karin, well..." She started to swing her arms around him, but one of the older women whistled and the girl jumped back, scowling. "Oh, I'm comin', you ol' biddy!" She stamped her foot and pouted. "Sorry, Shun, it's back ta work. You wanna stick around? We'll tell our story again just fer you."

"Oh, that's all right. Wouldn't wanna get you ladies inter no trouble, would I?"

"Ain't you a darlin'." The two chatty girls plucked up enough nerve to kiss him on the cheek, one picking each. He scratched his nose and made a big show of staring at his feet, which made them all giggle again. They hurried back to their work, sticking their tongues out at their scowling superiors. Aji offered them another quick bow, then hurried out of the room.

As soon as he was on the other side of the door his posture slumped, giving him the appearance of an older man. He nodded grimly to himself. _'The prisons, hm? Minister of justice it is, then.' _He pulled his hair out of his topknot, then bound the top part into a short ponytail. He gave it one final tug, then hurried to the far side of the palace, leaving both Shun and the cleaning staff far behind him.

oOo

"Ooh, Kiori, check out this baby!"

"Wow, I've never seen handmade work this good!"

"Konan's famous for its craftsmen no da. I wouldn't be surprised if you could find a better one than that."

"Hey, Red, this statue of Taiitsukun looks just like you."

"You damned bandit...!"

Kiori stifled a laugh as Ritsuka chased Tasuki down the main thoroughfare. "I never thought I'd say this, but I'm sorta relieved to see them acting like themselves again." She turned back to the market stall, picking up a leather belt and bronze scabbard. "Hm... Chichiri, d'you think Ritsuka would like this?"

The monk studied the item. The scabbard was covered with golden _kanji_, auspicious words like "luck," "power," and "heart," intended to bless the carrier. The belt was jet-black, with an intricate image of a flying Suzaku across the buckle. He nodded. "I think she'd love it no da."

Kiori dug around for the requested coin, exchanging gift for cash and tucking it into her bag. "I forgot how fast money goes. Oh well, Ritsuka's the whole reason we're here, so I guess she's worth it. What do you want to get everyone, Chichiri?"

"Well, I obviously can't tell you what I'm getting you, no da," he said, smiling when she pursed her lips in an exaggerated pout, "but I think I'll try to find Houki-sama that new poetry compilation by Ri Shinshou... Oh, and do you know, are we shopping for Hataku and Yuki-tachi as well no da?" (2)

Kiori shrugged. "Dunno, Ritsuka didn't say who all was invited to tomorrow's party. I think it's a whatever-you-can-afford kind of thing."

He chuckled. "The monk occupation doesn't come with much in the way of spending money, so maybe I'll just find some Konan-made trinkets for them to take back to Takkan no da. As for the others – well, I'm still not sure about Tasuki, but as for Ritsuka..." He stopped at a sweets stand and picked up a round container. "This, I think."

"What is it?"

"A candy box no da," he explained, lifting the lid to reveal eight different kinds of Konan sweets. "They're usually only given at special occasions like New Year's, but I think this qualifies no da. I always liked them as a kid." He stared at the stand for a moment, then purchased a smaller box as well. "Come to think of it, I still do."

Kiori giggled, walking with him past another long row of market stands. "I might have to steal a few of those from both you _and _Ritsuka. So, thinking of getting anything else for yourself?"

"No, not – da...!"

"Da?" Kiori repeated, following his pointing, chibi finger to a palm-sized, pearly-white opal sitting among a pile of smaller, multicolored gemstones. Each was fitted into a metal frame so they could easily be worn as necklaces or bracelets, and all possessed some kind of intricate carving, though Kiori couldn't make much sense of them."Um, it's sort of pretty, but... what's it supposed to be?"

"A magical amplifier, Ojou-san," the merchant replied, since Chichiri was too busy staring at it with a sparkly, half-baked smile on his face. "Everything on the table's meant to help ward off demons, dispel negative energy, and chase off the ghost of your nagging mother-in-law." He swept his hand toward the stones. "These beauties increase the power of spells. 'Course, they work best for the lucky few who already have a little spiritual power up their sleeves. Mostly monks, like your friend here."

Chichiri's hand hovered over the crystal. "I thought these were just a myth no da..."

Kiori sweatdropped, looking to the shopkeeper. "So I take it that one's super-rare or something?"

"Have to import them from halfway across the world. They're said to only exist in places where the gods have personally come to earth." He shrugged. "They're supposed to be the best, though."

"How much no da?"

"Well, this one's smaller than the ones I usually get, so... Two _ryo_ and 500 _mon_, I'd say."

Kiori winced. Chichiri deflated. "Daa... well, at least I can say I've actually seen one now."

"Uh-huh," she agreed, counting her long string of cash behind his back. "It's a real, uh, real shame... okay, that's one, so if I add that, it'd be..."

"Oh, c'mon, you know you wanna go back!"

Chichiri turned at the familiar voice and Kiori hurriedly shoved the money back into her knapsack. She glanced over her shoulder to see Tasuki and Ritsuka heading toward them, Ritsuka nudging him in the ribs as they went. "Those pale little fingers, that rosy face, those big, beautiful lashes..."

"Yeah, yeah."

"Did we miss something?" Kiori asked, stepping out of the flow of the crowd so they could talk uninterrupted.

Ritsuka grinned. "Oh, we were shopping around, sorta wandered into the red light district, and wouldn't you know it? Some gal leans out the second-story window, waving a hankie at bandit-boy here." She batted her lashes and pitched up her voice. "Daaaarling, if you're not too tired by the end of the day, do be sure to stop by for the evening! I'll have the good plum _sake_ waiting for yooooou!" She ribbed Tasuki again. "Like she knew you personally or something. Ha, poor girl has no idea she's dealing with Never-Been-Kissed-san over here."

Tasuki shrugged, surprisingly immune to Ritsuka's teasing. "Guess not."

"So whadda ya say, huh? Gonna take her up on her little offer? Wanna skip your nightly bar-hopping and become a _man_ tonight, Tasuki-chan?"

"Nah, we got plans fer th' next couple-a days. I'm stayin' outta town fer a while, hangin' out with you guys."

Ritsuka ground her fist into his arm. "You're darn right you are!" She skipped past him and over to Kiori. "So, what kinda gifts you picked out so far?"

"Well, I got..."

As the two chatted about their purchases, Chichiri cocked his head, studying Tasuki's half-smile. Before he could say anything, though, Ritsuka had shoved him forward and practically into the bandit's arms. "So 'Chiri-chan, what do you say you buy this guy a sympathy drink? 'Cause I've got gifts for everyone but Tasuki-chan, and the sooner a certain someone scrams, the sooner I can finish up on being generous and start shopping for myself."

Tasuki grinned, grabbing Chichiri by the back of his shirt. "Come t'think of it, a drink sounds great."

The monk yelped as Tasuki dragged him back into the crowd, waving a chibi mitten at Kiori as he went. She tried to wave back, but Ritsuka got her by the collar as well, carting her off in the opposite direction and towards Houki and Hataku, who were studying a stand filled with game boards and toys.

"Hey gang," Ritsuka said, at last releasing Kiori so she could greet them as well. "Doin' a little shopping?"

"I was thinking of purchasing something for Boshin-chan, since he could not come into the city with us," Houki said. She studied a row of balls, finger set to chin. "Unfortunately, he seems to already possess most of these... _yareyare_, I really must tell the maids not to spoil him so terribly..."

Ritsuka giggled. "What about you, Hataku? You planning to buy some fancy stuff for the rest of us?"

"I can't. I don't have a _mon_ on me."

Houki frowned. "We really must start giving you a monthly stipend."

"Please don't trouble yourself. I came here requiring only room and board, and you've been more than kind to me regarding that," he said. "I do apologize for not being able to get you anything, though, seeing as how you invited me to come along."

"Oh, think nothing of it. I invited you because I enjoy your company, not because I wanted extra gifts. But Hataku, will you let me get you something, please? It's no trouble, I assure you. Pick anything and it's yours."

"Ain't she a darling?" Ritsuka cooed. "'Course, _I _got you something too..."

"You also called me Hatchan," he retorted, and all three women had to stifle giggles. He turned back to the game table, studying a Chinese chess board with a half-finished game laid out across it."As for a gift, Houki-sama, there's really nothing I want. You needn't..." He trailed off, sliding a piece across the board and looking to the merchant at the table. "Checkmate."

"Eh?" The merchant leaned over, gaping at the move. "I've been playing that game off-and-on with customers all day, but nobody's actually..." He glared at Hataku. "Did you move something while I was selling that _mahjong_ set?"

Ritsuka and Kiori applauded. Houki smiled. "I did not realize you enjoyed _xianqi_."

"Just a hobby. It helped pass the nights when I was a _taii_ on guard duty."

"And do you have a _xianqi_ set of your own, Hataku?"

He blinked. "Well, no, but—"

She faced the merchant before he could finish. "How much for the ivory set, please?"

"That one's imported from Sairou. Gonna run you about one _ryo_."

Hataku sighed, more relieved than disappointed. "You see? It's far too expensive."

"One _ryo_?" Houki laughed. "Why, Hataku, that's pocket change!"

He pressed his hands to the table, doom waves emanating off his back. "That's... a Takkan shogun's monthly stipend."

"Oh, I... I see..."

"Alas, the class differences rear their ugly heads," Ritsuka said solemnly. She grinned, tugging on Kiori's sleeve. "C'mon, I don't see anything here that I want. We can track down the princess and the pauper again later."

The two said their goodbyes, though Houki was too busy comforting the gloomy shogun to pay much attention. Ritsuka didn't stop to peruse the nearby stands, but instead went straight to a jewelry cart set up at the end of the block.

"Geez, did you have these gifts planned out or something?" Kiori asked, admiring an amber necklace.

"Yeah, pretty much. It wasn't all that hard, though. A hairpin for Houki-sama, a painting for Hataku..."

Kiori smothered a giggle. "Wait, you mean that goofy cartoon with 'Cheer up!' written in calligraphy is for _Hataku-san_?"

"Yep. Hilarious, right? He'll secretly love it." She went on, ticking names off on her fingers. "Oh, and I found this super-cute good luck charm for Chichiri. It's a cat, but it looks just like him. I kinda expected it to say 'daaa' when I squeezed it."

"Does Chichiri say 'daaaa' when you squeeze him?"

"I dunno, find out for me someday. Ooh!" Ritsuka snagged a pair of earrings from the table, holding them up to the light. Jade stones set in gold frames glittered back at her. She toyed with the ruby at the bottom, nodding to herself. "Yep, these're perfect for Tasuki-chan!"

"You think he'll like them?"

"Of course he will! I have exquisite taste, plus I'm sick of him wearing the same damn pair of earrings every day. A little variety never killed a person." She leaned over the counter and shouted at the owner. "Hey, Oyaji, how much for the earrings?"

He scratched his chin. "Hm... fer that pair... I'd say about 700 _mon_."

"Let's try five hundred."

Kiori winced, but the merchant didn't even hesitate. "You're crazy. Six hundred."

"Okay, fine, I'll go as high as five-fifty."

"Five-seventy-five, and I throw in a jar of polish for free."

"Deal!"

Items swapped and hands shook. Ritsuka grinned, tucking the earrings and free polish into her bag. "Well, that's the end of my gifting. How 'bout you, Kiori?" She leaned over and half-sang, half-whispered, "Whatcha gonna get for your ho-o-o-o-o-ney-monk?"

The college girl blushed. "I'm with Hataku: you've gotta cut back on the nicknames. But actually, I was thinking..." She glanced over at the stand littered with enchanted gems, chewing on her lip. "Ritsuka, do you think you could help me out? The thing I wanna get for Chichiri is kind of expensive, and I was thinking that maybe you could..."

"Haggle till my nose bleeds?" She raised her fist. "You got it! Just lead me to the item!"

Kiori took her to the stall, pointing out the amulet. Ritsuka picked it up, studying the sharp lines and sweeping curves carved into the front. She scratched at the back of her neck. "Woo, that's a funny feeling. Sorta makes my hair stand on end."

"Maybe you've got a little spiritual power yourself."

"Or this thing is just that powerful. No wonder 'Chiri wants it. I bet he could blast a hole through Setsuka without leavin' the palace if he had this thing. _Yoshi_!" Ritsuka clenched her fist around the stone and snapped at the shopkeeper. "How much?"

His eyes lit up as he spotted Kiori. "Ah, welcome back, Ojou-san!" He rubbed his chin, glancing first at the amulet and then at the girls. "For a pair of pretty ladies like yourselves, I'll offer a discount. Two _ryo_, even."

"What? That's highway robbery! I wouldn't pay anything over a _ryo_ for it, and even that's asking a lot."

"It's a very rare item, you know." Ritsuka glared at him until he started sweating. "Okay, how about a _ryo _and 750 _mon_?"

She sniffed, leaning back against the table and tossing the amulet carelessly into the air, catching it as it came down again. "Man, you must really think I'm dumb. I happen to know that there's a guy down the street selling this same thing for one _ryo _and 400 _mon_! I passed him up because I heard your stuff was higher quality, but hey, if you _want_ me to look elsewhere..."

His eyebrow twitched. "That damned Shinsun got a hold of one too, huh? Fine, but mine _is_ better quality, so I won't accept anything below one _ryo_ 500 _mon_."

Ritsuka glanced at her friend. "Can we accept that too?" Kiori hurriedly counted up her money, then shot out her hand in a thumbs-up. Ritsuka whirled, mirroring her friend's gesture. "Deal!"

Kiori handed the money to the less-than-pleased shopkeeper, then took the amulet from Ritsuka, tucking it carefully into her bag. "Wow, Ritsu, that's less than half the price he was going to sell it to Chichiri for!"

The redhead put her hands behind her head. "Ah, what can I say? I'm a natural. Who else do you need to pick up stuff for? I'll see if I can give you a hand."

Kiori wound up getting Houki a silk, honey-colored sash, Tasuki a bottle of imported Hokkan _sake_, and Hataku a leather eye patch to replace the fraying homemade one that the RAFT had supplied. Along the way, she found the medicine Yukeda wanted, and watched as her money dwindled to almost nothing.

"Anything else on the list?" Ritsuka asked between bites of a _manju_ she'd picked up a sweet shop.

"Just one herb left, though I've been having a heck of a time finding it." Kiori stopped at a stall covered in dried herbs and spices. "Excuse me, but do you carry any _chibo_?"

The shopkeeper cocked an eyebrow. "Are you kidding? That stuff only grows in northern Kutou, and that place is a mess right now. I haven't stocked it in almost a year."

"Do you know anywhere else I could get some?"

"Maybe at the palace?" Kiori sweatdropped and the merchant laughed. "Sorry. I know that's not very helpful." He glanced over at a scowling man holding a sprig of chrysanthemum. "Anyway, I got other people to deal with. You need anything else, gimme a shout. Otherwise just keep checking around, I guess. Maybe you'll get lucky."

Ritsuka frowned as the shopkeeper turned her back on them. "Man, the good doctor doesn't mind sending you on treasure hunts, does he?" She raised her fist. "Not to worry, though, I'll check another street. Don't run off on me now!"

"You—" Kiori winced as her friend whirled and ran straight into a cartload of cabbages. "...Probably ought to look where you're going," she finished with a groan.

"Eep! Your cabbages!" Ritsuka yelped, crouching down to snatch up some of the rolling vegetables.

The haggard merchant sighed, waving her away. "Happens all the time. Did you have to be somewhere?"

Ritsuka made a puppy-dog face at Kiori, who mimicked both the merchant's sigh and his wave. "Oh, go treasure hunting. I'll stay here and clean up your mess."

The redhead chirped her thanks and ran off, singing the word "_chibo_" so she wouldn't forget it. Kiori stood to dump an armload of cabbages back into the man's cart, only to find Yuki standing in front of her, arms held out. "Allow me."

She handed them over willingly, watching as he, Kirei, and Tori set about chasing down the rest of the stray vegetables. "Thanks for the help."

"We saw Ritchan's collision from across the way and thought you might need a hand." Yuki sighed, dumping the last handful into the cart. "Of course, I was _hoping_ to run to Ritchan's rescue, but alas, she wound up doing most of the running. Not very sporting of her, was it, dashing off before I had a chance to show off my heroic talents?"

Tori snorted. "Huh, if she'd been here, you'd-a just made me 'n' Kirei do all the carryin' while you stood there lookin' pretty."

"And what's wrong with that, hm?" Yuki tossed his hair, though it was somewhat wasted since he had it bound in a topknot. "I happen to be very good at looking pretty."

Kirei shoved him and Tori opened his mouth to retort, but just as he did Ritsuka came charging out of the crowd, crying, "Victory!" with such excitement that even Tori forgot to be impudent.

"You found it?" Kiori asked.

"No, but I got a tip on where we can get some." Ritsuka grabbed her friend's arm and paused, grinning at the rebels. "Hey, YunYun! You guys wanna come questing with us?"

He offered her a low bow. "We humble three are at your disposal."

"Hey!" Tori and Kirei brought up their boots and shoved them against Yuki's exposed bottom, sending him into Ritsuka's arms. Kirei spoke for them both. "Don't go enlisting us in your mating dance. We've got things to do, candies to buy, _sake_ bowls to swim in—"

Ritsuka grinned. "What if I threw in a free round of drinks as a reward?"

The pair mimicked Yuki, bowing low to the redhead. "This humble duo is at your disposal!"

"You sure know how to strike a good bargain." Kiori glanced down at Yuki, who still had his arms around Ritsuka and his head resting against her collarbone. "Um, Yuki-san, are you all right?"

"Quite fine. Just comforta – bwah!"

Tori and Kirei grabbed him on either side of his jacket, dragging him away from Ritsuka. "Quit gettin' yer ugly all over Ritchan," Tori scolded. "We got free drinks ta earn, remember?"

Yuki moped and Ritsuka laughed, grabbing his wrist in one hand and Kiori's in the other. "Oh, don't pout, you're getting a free drink too. C'mon, _minna_, our mystery medicine awaits!"

oOo

Iyasu had spent the night cold and miserable, curled up in the corner of a barren cell, but he scrambled to his feet at the sound of light footsteps echoing down the dungeon halls. He hurried to the cell bars, craning his neck around, but his shoulders slumped when it wasn't Setsuka that came into view but a girl in a triangle-patterned robe. "Oh. What d'you want?"

"Setsuka-sama sent me here," she said. He perked up, but the girl continued, and this time he didn't miss the distaste in her voice. "She's busy with her ministers. My name is Mizu. I'm an Element. I think you should know that right away so that you'll do what I say without arguing."

"An Element?" He leaned forward, eyes wide. "Well that's sorta an honor, ain't it?"

"Don't get me wrong." Her two crystals hummed at her sides. "I really can't stand you."

"Eh? But we ain't—"

"Setsuka-sama told me what you did. There are enemies, like the RAFT and the Konan Warriors, who I can fight without disliking, and then there are worse things, like you, that I can't like at all. So I don't want you to think this is an honor. I'm here because she asked, and she asked because I can do this fastest."

Her green crystal passed through the bars, hovering just in front of Iyasu. "You told Setsuka-sama there were three RAFT leaders. I need the faces of the two that might still be alive. I'm supposed to find them, but I need to know what they look like first." She nodded to the crystal. "Touch that and think about them. It'll come straight to me that way. Oh, and if you say no, Setsuka-sama says she'll cut off a limb."

Iyasu didn't hesitate. He snatched the crystal and stared hard at it, picturing Aji and Kita. Their images passed through the crystal and into Mizu's mind. Hazy memories, half in color, half in monochrome, scenes of laughter and bickering – mostly the latter – flashed in fragments and then vanished. Iyasu gasped and released the crystal, which flew back through the bars as fast as it could go.

Mizu stroked it, glaring at the traitor again. "Your _ki_ stinks. But here." She pulled a handkerchief full of dumplings out of her robe and tossed it through the bars at him. "Setsuka-sama says you can have this. A guard will be by later with water. If I can find these leaders, then you'll get more food. If not..." She hesitated, frowned. "Well, Setsuka-sama said she didn't want to trouble me with what would happen then. So I think you should want me to find them."

"And what about me?" he asked. "Do I just stay down here forever, or...?"

She turned away, arms wrapped around her as if warding off a chill. "I don't know. But Setsuka-sama really hates traitors, so I don't think it's going to be good either way. For now, you should just do whatever she says."

"Wait! What about..." But Mizu had already hurried around the corner and up the stairs, leaving Iyasu alone once again. His head hit the bars and a whimper sneaked out of his throat. "Stupid Aji. If you'd just gotten back when you were s'posed ta, then none-a this woulda happened t'me. It's all your fault, you dumb bastard..."

oOo

"This one no da?"

"That one. Definitely."

"Well, it's in my price range, but... isn't this supposed to be a surprise no da?"

"Meh, I hate surprises. 'Sides, I need a new one. Just get it already."

"Well, if it's what you want..." Chichiri handed Tasuki his new tessen sheath, then turned back to face the marketplace. "Almost done no da. All that's left is..."

Tasuki grinned, nudging Chichiri's shoulder. "You still stressin' over Kiori's gift? I already told ya, she'll like anythin' ya get her. Yer shoppin' for an easy-pleaser, unlike _some_ people."

"Don't know what to get Ritsuka no da?"

The seishi turned away, rubbing at his nose. "Well, I've kinda been avoidin' her recently, so I'm tryin' t'make up fer that... an' b'sides, knowin' her, if I don't get jus' th' right thing then she'll never let me hear the end of how she got me this amazin' gift and I got her somethin' crappy... pain in the ass, is what she is."

"Mm, but she's a loveable pain in the ass no da."

"Ah, maybe so... eh?" Tasuki stopped in front of a jewelry stand, picking up a small jade figurine looped on a thin leather string. "Hey, I think I mighta found somethin'!"

Chichiri studied the statuette with an impressed smile. It was a dancing _kirin_, carved to look almost super-deformed, holding a sword between its claws. The chimera had a rather cheeky grin on its face, as if laughing at some unknown joke. "Ha, that actually reminds me of Ritsuka no da." (3)

"That's sorta what I was thinkin'. An' it's made of lucky jade, too."

The woman at the stand popped up, nodding brightly. "That little necklace is a lucky charm, Nii-san, indeed it is! Makes a great gift for your sweetheart, and for the low low price of 400 _mon_, too."

Tasuki glared at her. "After callin' her my sweetheart, you'd better drop that down ta three-fifty"

She laughed and agreed, sealing the purchase. Tasuki wrapped the necklace in a thin cloth and tucked it into his bag. "All done! Now you jus' gotta grab somethin' fer Kiori an' we c'n go get that drink ya promised me."

Chichiri nodded, examining the jewelry stall once more before sighing and turning back to the market street. "This shouldn't be so difficult no da..."

"Well, ya wanna get her somethin' special, right? Somethin' that shows that yer sorry fer worryin' her these past weeks, right?" Chichiri nodded. "Somethin' that means as much t'you as it would ta her, right?" Chichiri nodded again. Tasuki laughed, flashing a thumbs-up. "Then how 'bout a night with a bottle-a _sake_ and a warm bed?"

Chichiri had left his staff at home, but he didn't mind giving his friend a whack over the head with his fist. "That's not exactly what I was aiming for no da," he muttered, eyebrow twitching away.

"_Atatata_..." Tasuki rubbed his head, peeking through one eye and spotting a stand across the way. "Hey, what about some cloth fer a new dress? Girls like clothes, right?" He grinned. "Maybe we could stop by the Chou place. Nuriko'd love it if we patronized his folks' business."

"Maybe, but..." Chichiri fingered a roll of flower-patterned silk, eyebrows puckered. "It'd be sort of a waste, wouldn't it no da? I mean, it's like she said earlier: once the war is over, she and Ritsuka will go back to their world."

Tasuki's face fell. "Oh." He chuckled weakly. "Is it weird that I kinda fergot? I never did that with Miaka. I guess it's 'cause she was always runnin' around in her school uniform 'r some other clothes from her world." He looked up, scratching his chin. "Huh. Now that I think about it, I can't even remember th' last time I saw th' girls in their old clothes. It's like they're turnin' inta Konan citizens 'r somethin'."

The monk stared at the cloth in his hands. "It is, isn't it? Except... in the end..."

"Chichiri-san, Tasuki-san!" Three RAFT faces popped up in front of theirs, all smiles. Tori had been the one to speak. "Almost done over here? Kirei's gettin' tired-a walkin', helpless girl that she is."

Kirei rolled her eyes. "You're the one whining about how much your feet hurt, you big baby."

Yuki stepped in front of the bickering pair. "At any rate, we just helped Kiori and Ritchan finish shopping and we're all feeling a bit peckish. Care to come with us for some, shall we say, emergency rations?"

Chichiri blinked, jerking back from his thoughts. "Oh. I guess so no da."

"Eh?" Tasuki frowned. "But 'Chiri, you—"

"Still don't have a clue what to get Kio..." He trailed off, a slow smile sneaking across his face. "Actually, I think I might have an idea no da. I'll tell you about it later. For now, let's just focus on dinner no da." He looked back to the RAFT members. "Where are the others?"

Kirei jerked a thumb over her shoulder. "We split up with Ritsu and Kiori so we could find everyone faster. We're supposed to meet up at the Horseshoe House."

Tasuki grinned. "Great food an' even better _sake_. My kinda evenin'." He grabbed Chichiri and Yuki by the shoulders and shoved them forward. "All right, let's get goin'! That place is first come, first served, and ain't no way I'm lettin' Red take all th' good booze fer herself."

oOo

"Ah, Kou-dono, there you are. How's work coming?"

The Takkan minister of justice glared through the evening shadows at the young man leaning on his desk. He snatched a paper out from under the youth's hand. "Vice-Minister Bu, kindly stop pestering me and find a _sake _bowl to drown in. My so-called work is nowhere near finished, you know that as well as the others." He stared down at the latest edict, tugging at his graying beard. "If this even counts as work. Just signed death sentences that I'm to pass on to the executioners. Perhaps my memory is fading, but didn't we used to have _laws_ to uphold around here?"

Bu laughed cynically. "We still have those. They're called Setsuka's Whims." He plucked the brush out of Kou's hand, grinning. "Now leave that for tomorrow and come with us. You tell the most amazing jokes when you're drunk, and we all need something to relax our nerves. The Whims have been even Whimmier than usual recently."

"Which is precisely why I won't leave until the work is done." Kou snatched the brush back, snorting at his latest paperwork. "Huh. An edict regarding the city's resistance force. Marvelous." He set down his brush and stamped the bottom of the page. "Nothing to do but pass it on, I suppose, though I ought to be giving those _rebels_ the government positions."

"Shh!" Bu hissed, glancing over his shoulder at the hunched-over servant with the loose hair sweeping down the minister's office. "She's got ears everywhere, you ninny."

"Ninny yourself. Jin there is deaf as a post, can't hear a word we're saying." Kou half-stood from his desk, calling across the room. "Jin! Jin, look at me, you donkey-faced clod!" The servant didn't even flinch. Kou chuckled. "You see? To be honest I think he might be a bit daft as well. Thorough at his job, though."

"At least let me help you," Bu said, returning to the matter at hand. He picked up the next in Kou's stack, reading aloud. "Here now, let's see, something about a prisoner?" He blinked. "We're taking prisoners again? I thought we just tortured and murdered these days."

"Don't remind me," Kou grumbled. "No, it's some new game of the Lady's. It's more work for me, having to organize staff to actually _visit _that damned western cellar again, but I don't ask questions. My head's rather fond of my neck these days."

Bu chuckled. "Sometimes I wish I was like you and had a bit more to live for. Then maybe I wouldn't be so tempted to tell her Ladyship to piss off all the time." He sighed. "Still, though, there's Haha-ue to care for."

"And a wife before you know it." Kou glanced up with a twitch of a smile. "My second daughter is of marrying age now, you know."

"Oh? Should I tell Haha-ue to be expecting a go-between sometime this month, then...?"

The two fell into conversation, never noticing when "Jin" picked up broom and pan and slunk out of the room, smiling grimly to himself.

oOo

Mizu stared at an abandoned hovel through her crystal, sighing. "Another dead end," she murmured. She touched the crystal and the image faded. "That's all for today," she said, stroking the humming gem. "I'm exhausted."

She hesitated, glancing at the floor, then closed her eyes. Her crystals buzzed once, and when she opened her eyes again she was standing outside of Tsuchi's room. Mizu took a courage-gathering breath and pulled back the curtain. She sensed Tsuchi's miserable _ki_ long before she saw him, curled in a ball and shivering on his pallet.

"It hurts even when Setsuka-sama's ignoring you, huh?" she said, unsure if he could hear her. She took a seat by his bed, touching his arm and gasping at both the pulse of agony and the sharp feel of bones beneath his skin. _'I knew he'd been losing weight, but at this rate...'_ She swallowed back the rest and squeezed his hand, sending her _ki _into him. "I'm sorry I can't use healing spells, but I can make you forget the pain a little bit, at least. Just relax."

Her crystals buzzed fitfully, and perhaps it was this more than anything that finally forced Tsuchi to open his eyes. "Mizu-chan?" She nodded and he winced a smile. "Hey. I haven't seen you in ages."

"Setsuka-sama needs me."

"To do her dirty work, huh?"

"Sometimes. But mostly she just needs the company." She bit her lip. "She's been... different, since Sora-san's death. More unpredictable. It's like she's distracted, maybe? Or annoyed?" She shook her head. "No, that's not it... it's sort of like—"

"Guilt," Tsuchi rasped. He laughed weakly. "I'm tied closer to her than you are right now, Mizu-chan. I can tell. She feels guilty about what happened to Senpai. And she hates herself for feeling it. So it's all split. Like when you stand on a path and there's rice paddies on one side and forest on the other." He pressed his face to his pillow. "Not that it matters. It won't last. It didn't after Hataku-sama. She'll push it away, and then she'll remember me again."

A frightened sob escaped his throat. Mizu tried to be cheerful. "Actually, I wanted to tell you. Once she's more herself, I thought I'd talk to her about you. I mean, since it's just you and me now, not counting Kaji, which you really can't, I thought—"

"What? That she'd pardon me?" He barked a laugh. "She executed _Hataku-sama_. What chance do you think a real traitor would have with her?"

"B-but I just thought – I mean, it's not like you turned on her on purpose. It was that Konan Warrior. She... she tricked you. Right, Tsuchi-kun?"

"Don't lie to yourself. I made my own choice. You know that, Mizu-chan." He paused. "No. It's Mae-chan, isn't it? I like your real name better. It reminds me of how we were before we met that woman, before she turned us into her toys."

"Stop saying that!" she cried. "Setsuka-sama... I know she can be harsh, and I know she's been nasty recently, but, but she has a good side, too! She's really very kind to me, for the most part, and she was going to help Houjun when he was here, so..."

"The monk." Tsuchi sighed. "More lies. That's all she ever does, you know."

"Lies? No, never! Tsuchi—"

"Call me Fuyuko, please. I don't want to be known as an Element anymo – AH!" His back arched as he cried out in pain. Mizu gripped his hand. After a moment he collapsed back to the bed, gasping. "At it again. Figures." He squeezed his eyes shut. "If only I were strong enough to break our bond, then maybe..."

Mizu sent a few soothing bursts of _ki _through his hand. "It's okay. It's gonna be okay."

"No. It really isn't." He propped himself up on his elbow, body quivering from the exertion. His hand clutched at hers, drawing strength from her grasp. There was nothing weak in his stare, though. Setsuka hadn't been able to take that from him, at least. "Mae-chan, listen to me. You've seen what she's done to me, what she did to the others. Taiyou and Tsuki, Kaze, Sora-senpai... She sent them all to die, and she'll do the same to you. Kaze and Senpai wouldn't listen, maybe they were too weak, I don't know, but you..." Her eyes widened at the fierce confidence pouring out of Tsuchi's fragile _ki_. "You were always the strongest of us. Maybe you could break free of her for good, get yourself out of this place..."

Something blasted through him, and Mizu felt his _ki_ pulling away. He moaned and collapsed to the bed again, fingers clawing at her. She blinked back tears, forcing composure. "Shh, we'll talk about this later. Just go to sleep for now, Tsu... Fuyuko-kun."

She pressed her index and middle finger to Tsuchi's forehead, murmuring a sutra taught to her years ago, back when her Houjun had been nothing more than a wandering monk. After his eyes closed and his face relaxed, Mizu drew her hand from his and hurried out of the room. It wasn't until the curtain fell between them that she crumpled to the floor, curling her knees to her chest and sobbing into her fists.

_'I'm sorry, Tsuchi-kun, I'm so, so sorry, but there's nothing... there's nothing I can do because I have to save Houjun first, I _have_ to, after everything he did for me I can't let Setsuka-sama... and to turn away from her now would be...' _Her emerald crystal buzzed at her side and she reached out, cuddling it to her chest, letting its pulsing warmth be her strength. "_I'm_ the one who's weak. Not you, never you..."

oOo

Night came and went with nervous tension, leaving Takkan dark with drizzle and Konan bright with sunshine. Rain clouds drifted by just past the northern Eiyou wall, but never strayed into the palace, as if commanded back by the gods – or possibly by a certain redhead, who had decided she'd murder the first thing that tried to ruin her perfect Tanabata.

"First," Ritsuka said, following Yuki's right foot one step, then two, "we'll all write out our wishes on _tanzaku_ paper and tie them to a bamboo plant."

"I'll wish for RAFT victories and a beautiful wife," Yuki said, leading Ritsuka's left foot one step, then two.

"Next," she said, adjusting her hand on his back as they leaned right again, "will be the feast to end all feasts." She glanced across the courtyard at the RAFT members Sen and Yuu, twiddling a swing tune on both flute and _erhu, _respectively. "Four more bars and then we'll break, you two."

"I do hope this feast will be worth the last two days of decreased rations," Yuki remarked, drawing Ritsuka just a shade closer to himself.

"Then," she said, pulling away and forcing his arm up so she could spin under it, "the presents, which I've taken special care to make totally perfect, yours included."

He drew her into him so her back was pressed against his chest, curling their arms forward until he'd planted both his and her hands on Ritsuka's hips. "I'll cherish it as if it had come straight from the Konan treasuries."

"And finally," he tried to nuzzle her neck but she spun away, releasing his hand one finger at a time, leaving him watching her a bit mournfully, "the super-secret surprise, which I am absolutely not allowed to tell anyone, unless you ask nicely, in which case I just might let you in on it."

The impromptu music ended and Ritsuka turned to the two musicians, applauding. "Hey, that was pretty good. You guys get the hang of this fast, don't you?"

Sen grinned. "We never learned from proper teachers, so improvisin' is kinda our specialty. You got anythin' else you wanna teach us?"

"No, that's all for now, but I might have you guys strike up that ditty at the party tonight. Sound good?"

They nodded and Yuki laughed, shaking his head as he walked up to stand beside her. "My, my. Men and women dancing together? What a novel concept. I really must take this cultural tidbit back to Takkan – I imagine it would be a smashing success." His arm curled around Ritsuka's shoulder, dipping her like she'd taught him. "Now, about that super-secret of yours..."

She wrapped an arm around his neck. "Hm, well, this _is_ a pretty nice way to ask, so what the heck." She pressed her index finger to his lips, getting her feet back under her and angling them into a standing position again. "No squealing, because Kiori'd kill me if she heard I was doing this, but at midnight tonight, all of us will be participating in a special tradition: the Tanabata good luck kiss."

"I'm not familiar with that tradition, though I'd love to hear more about it."

She giggled, untangling herself from his arms. "I might've sorta made it up. Doesn't matter though, I'll just say it's a Tokyo thing. Not even Kiori could prove thatone wrong." She scowled, crossing her arms over her chest. "And anyway, I'm sick of seeing her and Chichiri hem and haw their way into something resembling a relationship. It's time for Matchmaker Ritsuka to take center stage again – and if this doesn't work, then nothing will!"

"You are a truly selfless woman." Yuki sidled up to her again, poking his head teasingly over her shoulder. "But all compassion aside, I don't suppose _you_ have a reason for this little scheme as well, hm?"

"What're you talking about?"

He set his hands on her shoulder and his chin on his hands. "Could it be that there's a certain someone from whom _you_ might be wishing to steal a kiss as well? Perhaps a fellow Konan Warrior?" He lowered his voice to a teasing whisper. "A fellow redheaded Konan Warrior, even?"

Ritsuka flushed, but played it off with a snort. "Hmph! I don't know what you're talking about. I happen to be 100-percent romance-free, especially with whoever-it-is you might be thinking of."

"Indeed? Then would it be too forward of me to request that good luck for myself?"

"I might consider it. But for now!" She jerked suddenly to the side, forcing Yuki to lose his shoulder ledge and nearly tumble to the cobblestones. He recovered in a hurry, trying to retain some dignity as Ritsuka whirled on him, hands on hips. "You don't look too busy. How about you help me put up some decorations?"

He bowed with a flourish. "Sadly, Hataku-sama has me teaching in the rings this afternoon." He smirked, looking up through the wisps of his bangs. "Perhaps instead you could request the presence of a certain Konan Warrior? A redheaded fellow, maybe, with whom you have absolutely no intention of carnally pleasuring yourse—"

Yuki had a naturally flippant way of speaking that made it almost impossible for anyone to get angry with him. This did absolutely nothing, however, to keep Ritsuka's fist from slamming him into the nearest pillar.

She whirled away from him, dusting Yuki bits off her hands, though there was nothing she could do about the red tint that had crept into her cheeks. "Forget it, I'll do it myself. I'm sick of your stupid face anyway."

Even lodged in marble, the incorrigible RAFT member somehow found a way to tease. He unpeeled his hands from the pillar far enough to applaud, calling cheerfully after her: "Such modesty! Such passion! Such a magnificent right hook! You had best watch yourself, Ritchan, or I daresay I'm going to fall head-over-heels in love with you!"

oOo

"Boy, what're you doin' over here?"

Aji winced, then glanced over his shoulder, smiling wide at the guard in the hall. The guard didn't look much older than Aji's younger brother, but "boy" was how they always treated the servants, particularly cleaning staff. Aji ducked his head as was expected, clasping his hands to stomach. "Oh, er, beggin' y'pardon, sir, but I was tole ta tidy up th' prisoner's cell."

"What tidyin' does a prisoner need?"

"Oh, this 'n' that. Emptyin' th' chamberpot, sweepin' out th' cobwebs. Mistress tole me to, she did."

"Good for you, listenin' to your boss, but..." The guard chuckled, pointing to the stairwell on the opposite side of the hallway. "Prisoner's in the north wing. Yer goin' inta th' food cellars."

"Huh!" Aji slapped his forehead, scurrying across the hall like a proper underling. "Thanks so much! Terrible sorry about that."

"Just hurry up and get your work done. No tellin' when m'Lady or her Element might show up again. Wouldn't want to run into them, would you now?"

Aji bowed his way down the first two steps. "No, not at all. Thanks kindly, sir, I'm much obliged." The guard turned his back and Aji turned as well, hurrying the rest of the way down the stairs. He wasn't far now.

oOo

"Oi, 'Chiri? You comin' 'r what?" Tasuki called through his friend's door.

"Just a second no da." He tied the final string on the last of his gifts, giving it a quick tug to make sure the tissue paper wouldn't come off. Satisfied, he tucked it into his bag and opened the door to find Tasuki waiting outside, his own gift sack slung over his shoulder like an impatient Santa Claus. "Okay, let's go."

Tasuki fell into step with his shorter friend as they headed towards the main dining hall, grinning to himself. "Man, this stupid party is all I been able t'think about all day. Ya think it'll go as good as Red was sayin'?"

Chichiri chuckled. "If it goes by as well as Ritsuka _says_ it will, then this ought to rival the Reikaku New Year's Party no da."

"Not a chance, they don't carry that much _sake_ in Konan." He shot his friend a sideways glance. "So... what'd ya wind up gettin' Kiori, huh? Didja go with my suggestion?"

Chichiri sweatdropped. "Actually, what I got her was, well, it's a little hard to explain no da. It's more like, ah..." He leaned in and whispered in his friend's ear. "What do you think?"

Tasuki's fangs flashed in a grin. "Damn, that's perfect, 'Chiri!" He frowned, snapping his fingers. "Why didn't I think-a that?"

"Because I'm the smart one no da?"

Tasuki popped him over the head. "If yer so smart then how d'ya explain that time ya broke that enchanted vase an' wound up summonin' that demon?"

"That was you no da."

He sweatdropped. "Oh, right. Well then how 'bout that time—"

"You again no da."

"Damn." Tasuki glowered for a moment, then raised a finger. "Hah! There _was_ that time in th' avalanche with that Siberian tiger..."

Chichiri's neck sunk into his shoulders, but before he could reply the pair rounded a corner and found themselves at the doors to the main dining hall. Colorful paper cranes and streamers flew outside the entrance, blowing lazily in the summer breeze, and a potted bamboo plant had been stationed next to the door. Four paper strips were already tied to its stalks, folded written-side down, but when Tasuki leaned down to see what they said Ritsuka vaulted sideways out of the doors, kicking him squarely in the face.

"No peeking!" she bellowed, pulling ballpoint pens and _tanzaku_ paper from behind her back. "Now write your own, and you'd better make 'em good."

Chichiri accepted paper and pen, staring at the strip before nodding and writing in slow, deliberate strokes. Tasuki wrestled his out of Ritsuka's hands and didn't even hesitate, but just scribbled his wish in slashing lines, flubbing a _kanji_ or two along the way before tying it off on the bamboo stalk. "Now let's see..."

But before he could get a look at the other strips Ritsuka grabbed him by the collar, dragging him into the dining hall. "Don't be a Nosy Parker, Tasuki-chan, it's impolite, and besides if you look then they might not come true, and anyway there's more important things to do right now." She released him, throwing out her hands toward the collection of dishes on the hall's main table. "Ta-da! Chicken-stuffed dumplings are at the end, so go stuff your face."

Kiori slurped down a bowl of noodles, licking her lips. "Everything is fantastic, too! I swear, Ritsu, if you don't go to culinary school when we get home then the world has lost one heck of a cook." She nodded across the table to the empress. "Houki-sama, could you pass me the rice?"

"Certainly," she said, sliding a bowl across the expansive table. She glanced up as Chichiri entered, tossing Ritsuka her remaining pen as he did, then turned her gaze back to the long table. "Ritsuka, this seems like quite a lot for just us. Did you invite others as well?"

The redhead shoved a pair of dumplings down her throat, then washed it down with about half a glass of sake before answering. "Oh, not a whole lot of people, thought I'd keep it kinda cozy. Hataku should be along – if he doesn't I promised to forge your name on his death sentence – and of course there's the evening's entertainment."

Houki put a hand to her cheek. "I'm afraid to ask."

"I'm not, Mama! Who else is gonna be here, Auntie Ritsuka?" Boshin asked from his seat on Houki's lap.

The redhead grinned. "Who else but the amazing actors themselves?"

A loud groan went up from the table, but before anyone could complain the doors burst open. Yuki strutted in, striking a pose on the landing with Kirei and Tori flanking him on either side. "The party may now begin, O Konan Warriors, for the noble alliance has arrived!"

Tori shoved past him, nearly knocking Yuki from his perch. He plunked himself in a seat on Tasuki's right, since Ritsuka had already claimed the seat on his left, shoveling as many delicacies as he could onto his plate. "I c'd care less when th' party begins, so long's I c'n have some-a this Konan grub! First class, doncha kno—" Kirei pinched his ear. "Eep! Whazzat for, ya big bully?"

She scowled at her friend. "Stand up and wait until you're properly invited to sit down! Gods, didn't you ever learn any manners?" Tori flushed and scrambled to his feet. Kirei slid into his seat and attacked his mound of food with a vengeance. "I must admit that I myself never learned a speck of manners, what a pity!"

Tori scowled, rubbing his smarting ear. "Sometimes I think you all pick on me 'cause I'm the youngest."

"Oh, that's nonsense, mate," Yuki said, sliding into the seat on Ritsuka's left. "We all pick on you because you're such a shameless smartass."

"Hear, hear!" the other rebels crowed.

Houki smothered a laugh behind her hand. "Hm. Excellent choice of guests, Ritsuka."

The redhead grinned. "I thought so." She swiveled around in her chair, glaring at the open doors. "I'm going to give him ten more seconds, and then the palace pond gets a new resident. Ten... nine... eight..."

Her mouth was on "seven" as Hataku limped through the doorway, pausing to cock an eyebrow at the bamboo plant before facing the room. He took one look at the table lined with RAFT members and turned around again. Ritsuka grabbed him by the arm before he could escape, shoving him into a chair next to Houki and slamming both paper and pen down in front of him. "A wish, then dinner."

His eyebrow rose again at the sight of the _tanzaku_, and even higher at the ballpoint pen – unlike the warriors, he was unfamiliar with the foreign technology – but when Ritsuka made little spinning motions with her hands he just sighed and jotted a few kanji down, folding the paper and handing it back to her. She pointed at the door, made tying motions, then pointed back at his chair.

"You're more trouble than you're worth," he grumbled, but stumped back to the door, tied the paper to the plant, and stumped back to the table, though he was all but mobbed by RAFT members eager to take part in the new tradition as well. He sat beside the empress, looking a bit like he'd swallowed a knife. She smiled, sliding a pot of stewed lamb in front of him. "Here, Ritsuka had this prepared for you. Do help yourself."

He blinked at the steaming pot. "How in the gods' names did she...?"

"Hey, I'm a chef," she said, twirling her chopsticks between her fingers. "It's my solemn duty to know everyone's favorite dishes."

Hataku stared at the bowl for another long moment, then offered Ritsuka a grudging smile. "Hm. Maybe you're about the _same_ amount of trouble that you're worth."

"Darn right! Now dig in, everyone, and don't you dare hold back!"

No one could object to that, so the group tore into the food, enjoying their favorites and sampling one another's preferred dishes as well. The meal went by peacefully enough, excluding a few minor RAFT arguments and a particularly brutal fight between Kiori, Ritsuka and Tori over the last of the sweet buns.

After everyone was just about too stuffed to move, the RAFT members insisted that they earn their keep by showing off their "admirable array of artistic abilities," as Yuki put it, along with a few clever weapon tricks. Sen and Yuu impressed everyone with an improvised piece that could only be coined Chinese swing ("Who knew you could play jazz on an _erhu_?" Kiori laughed), then accompanied Kirei through a traditional Takkan dance for good fortune (which even Hataku had to admit was skillfully performed); Tori surprised even his fellow RAFT members by first juggling a trio of knives and then flicking them, one after the other, into the ground around the rebel Genpei's feet (the unsuspecting soldier was more frightened than amused); and then, just as the sun was about to set, Yuki jumped to his feet and insisted on performing a pair of songs for his Konan allies.

"As penance," he said, winking at Ritsuka, "for some uncouth comments made earlier."

She rolled her eyes but smiled, waving for him to take the stage. He cleared his throat a couple of times, then burst into a traditional, lighthearted piece which all the Konan and Takkan citizens seemed to know. For all his boasting, Yuki really did have a beautiful tenor, though it was hard for anyone to take his second piece – a RAFT original – very seriously since Tori insisted on heckling him as soon as he began.

"_I tell you now, the tale of the RAFT,  
And their greatest triumph thus far—_"

"Unlike their greatest failure, lettin' you inta th' ranks!"

Yuki glared at his friend but didn't skip a beat.

"_A ballad of triumph, of sadness and battle  
From the famous Takkan civil war—_"

"Famous? Pah! Th' RAFT's th' only ones who even know about it!"

"_Lord Chou's __might t'was a frightful sight—_"

"More frightful'n yer face, even?"

"You impudent little rip, can't you see I'm trying to perform an epic ballad for them? Come here, I'll skin you alive, and then I'll let Nii-san kill what's left of you – he wrote that, you know!"

"That'd explain why it's so borin', haha – owowow, c'mon Yuki, I was only foolin', y'don't gotta hit me so hard!"

oOo

Setsuka sat draped across her settee, watching the celebrations through Mizu's seeing-crystal. She let her chin and mouth slip behind her arms, muffling her words. "How boring. How pointless. What in the gods' names is wrong with these fools, Mizu-chan?"

"They're just trying to have fun, my Lady."

She snorted. "Pretending. It's all just pretending. None of their problems have disappeared, but look at them." Her hand flopped towards the seeing-crystal as Mizu hesitated on Kiori and Chichiri, laughing and applauding some unknown joke. "Grinning like idiots, just hiding behind a false evening of false joy. It's pathetic."

Mizu tugged at the hem of her robe. "Um, I agree that they all still have things to worry about, but... meaning no disrespect, Setsuka-sama, how can you tell that this night is any less real than the unhappy ones?"

The crystal panned towards Hataku, a _sake_ glass in hand and that same tiny, reluctant smile twitching at the side of his mouth. Setsuka buried the rest of her face in her arms. "Because it has to be." Her hand flapped at the crystal again. "I hate this, Mizu-chan. Turn your eye back to Takkan. See if you can't find that obnoxious rebel this time."

"What do we do if Furosaki Aji has fled the capital?"

"Throw a party," she drawled. "How in the hell should I know?" She pushed herself up, smirking as Mizu switched the image from the Eiyou dining hall to the darkened Shoutei streets. "At any rate, it's irrelevant. He wouldn't. He's made of the same stuff as the rest of our enemies."

"Bravery?"

"Stupidity," she snapped back. "Now stop questioning my orders and start searching. We'll find that rat, even if we have to check every nest in the city to do it."

oOo

"...And this one's from me," Tasuki said, slapping a package down in front of Chichiri.

The monk had been admiring the handiwork of the cat charm Ritsuka had given him, but his masked eyes slid away from it at Tasuki's shout. He stared at the slim, tissue-wrapped gift for a moment, then shoved it back across the table. "Pass no da."

"Aw, c'mon, don't be like that!"

"Tasuki, I know how the Reikaku tradition works no da. You buy the most ridiculous, inappropriate gifts you can find, and then force each other to open them just so _you_ can get a laugh out of it." His hand reached for Kiori's gift, the last one left for him. "So this year I pass. Now let's see what's in here..."

Ritsuka slapped his hand away from Kiori's gift. Tasuki shoved his present in front of the monk again. Chichiri looked pleadingly to Kiori, but she just grinned and hugged her present to her chest. "You don't get this until we see what Tasuki got you. Come on. If you won't do it for Tasuki, then do it for the rest of us. _We_ want to get a laugh out of it too, you know."

Although the party had thinned out somewhat – all the RAFT members but Yuki, Tori, and Kirei had guard duty that night, though Hataku couldn't for the life of him figure out how those particular three had managed to escape the schedule – the calls of "Open it, open it!" echoed as loudly as if the room had been packed. Chichiri sighed and untied the twine bow. "Fine, fine, but..." The tissue fell away and he turned chibi. "Da."

"Da?" everyone cried, craning in to get a look at it.

"Da," he agreed, squeezing the bridge of his nose and holding up the book. "You've outdone yourself this time, you idiot."

Ritsuka and Kiori were unfamiliar with the _kanji_, but the cover art – a naked man and woman locked in an intimate and rather intricate embrace – spoke for itself. Kiori's face lit up like a Christmas bulb and Ritsuka fell out of her chair, laughing so hard that _sake_ shot out of her nose.

"An erotic album." Hataku snorted. "Very clever."

"And just what do you expect me to do with this?" Chichiri asked, but Tasuki was too busy laughing to provide an answer.

Yuki grinned, reaching across the table and flipping the album open to a random page. "I should think the answer to that rather obvious, Chichiri-sama." He cocked his head to the side. "Though you may need a few ropes and pulleys to perform _this _one..."

Houki's eyes lit up at the illustration. "Oh! This is the same one that...!" Everyone whirled to stare at her and she blushed, covering her face with her sleeves. "Nothing, never mind, this is lewd and highly inappropriate for my son, kindly take it from the table before he is exposed to such crude imagery. Really, Tasuki, as his surrogate uncle I wound expect you to have better taste than this."

"Huh?" Boshin tried to clamber onto the table. "What is it, Mama? I wanna see."

She scooped up her son, still blushing from ear to ear as she hurried towards the door. "Well, I have opened all of my gifts, so I shall be taking my son to bed. Good night."

Chichiri slammed the album shut, much to the disappointment of the three RAFT members, and hurried after the empress. "Houki-sama, please, don't go yet no da..."

As the others all apologized and called for her to have Boshin's nursemaid take him to bed instead, Kiori rubbed at her cheeks, trying to erase her blush. She studied the album cover for a moment before giggling and letting her eyes slide to the remaining gifts. Ritsuka was still holding her present for Tasuki, Tasuki was still toying with a little package that Kiori knew had to be for Ritsuka, Kiori herself had Chichiri's gift in her hands, so that meant...

Her eyes trailed to Chichiri's spot and she realized that he had nothing left to give. She sat back hard in her chair, feeling like she'd taken a _ki-_blast to the chest. _'He didn't get me... anything...?'_

She glanced up again, watching numbly as Boshin toddled out of the door with his nursemaid and Chichiri led Houki back to the table. The room hummed with voices, most appeasing the empress with gentle teasing or reassurances, but Kiori felt like someone had stuffed cotton in her ears. She looked at her lap again, biting hard at her lip.

_'Don't be stupid, Kiori. It's just a dumb present. It's not a big deal, so don't you dare start crying, not when everyone is having such a good time. There's got to be an explanation, like he ran out of money, or there was some misunderstanding, or... you know, he's subtly telling you that he hates you...' _She shook her head. _'Agh, no, don't think that! You're being crazy! Think logically, lo-gic-ally...'_

"Kiori?" Ritsuka's voice snapped Kiori back to the present. She glanced up to find Ritsuka waving a hand in front of her face. "Hey, don't go falling asleep on me now, I'm just about to open up Tasuki-chan's present."

She swallowed her anxiety and forced a smile. "Right, sorry. Go ahead."

The bandit shifted in his chair. "Look, Red, don't go takin' my head off if ya don't like it, okay? I ain't so good with shoppin' fer girls, an' you don't really think like a normal girl anyway, so I... uh..." He trailed off as Ritsuka ignored him, tearing the wrapping away. He tried a smile and was surprised at how nervous it felt. "Well... whadda ya think?"

Ritsuka held up the jade _kirin _necklace, turning the statuette back and forth in her hand. She scowled as if she were a jewelry appraiser, letting the silence drag on – then, once Tasuki had squirmed so far forward in his chair that he was practically hovering in front of it, she laughed, slapping him on the back. "Aw, I'm just screwing with you! I love it! First quality, lucky jade, and it looks just like me – well, as much as a _kirin_ can, anyway. Ya done good, Tasuki-chan."

He coughed, feigning disinterest. "Ah, well, glad ya like it, I guess..."

"Someone gets a h-u-u-u-g!" Ritsuka sang, squeezing him around the neck. "Thanks a bunch. Now open your present, and hurry up about it!"

He wriggled in her choke hold. "Is yer present _death_? 'Cause that's kinda where this hug is goin'!"

Ritsuka giggled and let go, allowing Tasuki to unwrap his small package. She leaned forward, lacing her fingers together and setting her chin atop her hands. "Well?"

Tasuki held the earrings between his thumb and index finger, turning them this way and thatas they glinted in the candlelight. While Ritsuka could only pretend to be a jewelry appraiser, Tasuki's years as a bandit had actually made him one, and his eyes widened at what he saw.

_'Damn, the quality is top-notch, musta cost her a fortune, but then again with th' way they're put t'gether these things'll last me years, decades even. An' look at th' way the colors match up with my hair. Hell, they even go with my damned Element eyes. Shit, these're perfect. How many hours did she put inta thinkin' about this? She's beat th' hell outta _my_ gift, jus' like I knew she would. This is really somethin' else.'_

All of this ticked through his brain in a perfectly rational, piece-by-piece order. But somewhere between the thinking and the speaking, Tasuki's words hit a cliff and jumped right off the edge, leaving him with this:

"They're nice."

Ritsuka blinked, cleared her throat, then blinked again. "Oh?" she managed.

"Yeah." He wrapped them back in the tissue paper and stuck them in his jacket pocket. "Thanks, Red. I like 'em." He looked across the table toward the next warrior in line. "Okay 'Chiri, yer next."

"Oh... uh, right no da."

Chichiri shot Ritsuka a concerned glance, but as soon as he caught her eye she scowled and looked away. Yuki leaned forward, tapping the playbook that Ritsuka had given him. He whispered something in her ear that made her lips twitch, though it was hard to tell if she was snarling or smiling. Chichiri glanced sidelong at Tasuki, hoping to give him some kind of cue with his masked eyes, but foundthe bandit pouting as well, though his was directed at the flirtatious RAFT member sitting on Ritsuka's other side.

"Oh, never mind," Chichiri mumbled, surprised to realize Kiori had said it at the same time.

The two shared a private smile, then she looked down again, holding her gift out to him. "Um, here."

"_Doumo _no da." His fingers brushed against hers, surprised by the shock of anxiety that raced through the touch, but his concern was quickly overshadowed by curiosity as his hand came into contact with the package. Goosebumps erupted on his arm. His head jerked up. "You didn't."

She shrugged, but he'd already turned his attention back to his gift, tearing the wrapping away at breakneck speed. As the tissue fell away and the amulet glowed in his hand, Chichiri found himself with the inverse of Tasuki's problem: his mouth was only too willing to work, but his brain couldn't come up with anything to say. So instead of sentences, the group heard what could only be described as squeaks, "da"s mixed with "wow"s mixed with "you didn't" and "but how" and "you really shouldn't," until Tori finally burst out:

"What in th' hell is it already?"

"An amulet. It amplifies spells." Kiori turned back to Chichiri, laughing. "And I'm glad you like it."

"This is so... I-I just... _wow_, but..." He shook his head slowly, holding the amulet out towards her. "I can't... I mean, Kiori, I really can't accept this no da. What it must have cost you – you can't, for me, that wouldn't be—"

"For your information," she said, pressing her hands over his and forcing his fingers to curl around the stone, "Ritsuka haggled for it, so it wasn't nearly as pricey as you think." When he didn't pull his hand away from hers, she gave it a little squeeze, pushing it gently back to his chest. "And besides," she added, "it's what you wanted. So no matter the cost, it was worth it."

She unclasped his hand and he stared down at the amulet. After a moment he nodded, grasping it tightly before tucking it into his _kesa_. "This is unbelievable. Thank you so much no da." He glanced away, rubbing at his nose. "After something like this, I feel like my gift to you is a little silly."

Now it was Kiori's turn to fumble for words. "Your gift?" Her eyes darted around the table. "B-but I don't..."

"Oh, it's not on the table," he said. "What I wanted to give you, well..." Ritsuka and Tasuki both dragged themselves out of their separate pouts long enough to lean forward, drumming their fingers on the table. "It's actually more like a question than a present no da."

Ritsuka raised an eyebrow, wedding bells ringing in her head.

Kiori blinked. "A question?"

"Mm. Actually, it's sort of a question for you _and_ Ritsuka no da."

Ritsuka's eyebrow raised even higher. For a brief second she wondered whether she'd look better in white or light blue, then shook the ridiculous idea from her mind and promptly went back to glaring at first Tasuki, then the table. Everyone was too focused on Chichiri to notice when Yuki's hand glided onto her thigh, giving it a little squeeze.

Kiori set down her _sake _cup. "All right. Um... shoot, I guess."

Chichiri straightened his back to a perfect line, pressing his hands to his thighs as if he were at a job interview instead of a party. "Ever since you and Ritsuka got here, we always assumed you'd leave once the war was over no da. But I've been thinking about it, and you're in a much different situation than the priestesses were. They were sent back to their world by the gods they had summoned, but you don't have any gods _to_ summon no da. I don't think there's anything that will just automatically send the two of you home. We'd probably have to go to Taikyoku-zan and perform a spell no da."

Kiori nodded slowly. "I guess that makes sense."

Chichiri's hands clumped into his _kesa_, and he realized suddenly that he had to look at the ground in order to say the rest. "The thing is, having you here – and Ritsuka, of course," he added hurriedly, "has really been, um, it's been really... well, wonderful, I suppose. I don't... you see, I'm a nomad, mostly, so I don't usually let myself get attached to others, but you – and Ritsuka – have become very... important... to me. And I know that Tasuki feels the same way no da."

Kiori fought back the lump in her throat. "Uh-huh?"

"So, I guess, I guess my question is, ah... if you and Ritsuka wanted to, you could... could sort of stay here no da. In our world, with Tasuki and me. If you wanted to, no da." Chichiri got up the courage to look at her again, jumping when he saw the tears in her eyes. "Kiori? Did I say something wrong?"

"No, of course not!" She rubbed her sleeve across her eyes, laughing. "I'm sorry, it's just... I guess, for a while there, I thought that we were sort of annoying you guys. But you really want us to stay here? Forever?"

"Mm." Chichiri frowned, voice softening. "Why would you think you were annoying us no da?"

"It's just these past couple weeks I guess, the way you've been avoiding us, not really talking about anything serious and all, so I just..." She shook her head. "Oh, never mind, it's not important now! Ignore me, I'm acting so stupid just because of a little question."

"You're not acting stupid," he said. "But you still haven't answered no da."

"Oh..." Kiori forgot to be shy and threw her arms around his neck. "Of course I'll stay! I love it here, you know that! I can't think of anywhere else I'd rather be than with you," her cheeks lit up and she pulled away, adding quickly, "and Tasuki-tachi, of course."

"Of course no da," he agreed, hiding his smile behind a cup of tea. "What about you, Ritsuka?"

The redhead gave Tasuki a good long stare before turning away, frowning. "I'll have to think about it." Kiori opened her mouth to argue, but Ritsuka pressed her index finger to the table, cutting the other woman off. "Look, it's easy for you to just pack up and disappear, but I actually have a family back home. They might be bullies, but they'd freak if I showed up on the missing person's list."

"We can talk to Taiitsukun about that once the war is over," Chichiri said. "I'm sure there's a way for you to send them some kind of message, let them know you're safe no da."

She waffled, then shot a look at Tasuki and found her resolve again. "But think of all the stuff I'd be giving up. My family has a history of cancer, and they don't exactly do the chemotherapy thing around here. Not to mention the severe lack of rock 'n' roll, air conditioning, Brad Pitt, bullet trains, Asahi beer..."

Tasuki flicked a candied pineapple piece at Ritsuka's head. "Stop makin' excuses an' jus' say that you'll stick around, would'ja? It's obvious that ya want to." He grinned. "Th' gods know you'd wither 'n' die if ya couldn't piss me off once 'r twice a week."

She sniffed. "I hate to disappoint you, but you actually _aren't _the center of my universe. When I say I have to think about it, then—"

"Every time you visit Takkan," Yuki threw in, "I will force the new lord or lady to hold a feast in your honor."

"Sold to the highest bidder!" Ritsuka cried, slapping him across the back. "Looks like we'll both be applying for Konan citizenship this week, don't it Kiori-chan?"

Everyone at the table face-vaulted.

oOo

From outside the book, Keisuke rubbed his temples. "Ritsuka, you always have to make my life harder, don't you?" He looked pleadingly to his friends. "Okay, so just how do you explain to someone's parents that their daughter has disappeared into a book, but she's quite happy there, thank you very much...?"

oOo

As everyone picked themselves up from the floor, Houki smiled down the table. "This is quite the pleasant surprise. Excellent idea, Chichiri – and of course, may I be the first to welcome you permanently to Konan, my friends."

Kiori and Ritskua tipped their _sake _bowls at the empress in a mock salute. She returned the salute with her own, and soon the whole group had their bowls in the air, toasting the occasion. Houki clinked hers between Hataku's and Yuki's, joining Chichiri in a small sip of _sake _while everyone else downed theirs, Tasuki and the RAFT members slamming their bowls against the table with a _whump_! Tori hiccuped and Houki chuckled, smoothing her skirts around her lap. "Well, Ritsuka, that appears to be the last of the gifts. What else did you have prepared for the evening?"

The redhead stretched her arms behind her head. "Nothing special, just grazing, drinking, and sleeping... and one other, teensy-weensy little thing." She set her elbows on the table, extending her index finger and letting it sweep from Hataku to Chichiri. "But you all have to promise that, no matter what it is, you're gonna do it. It's a Tokyo Tanabata tradition, and it's bad luck if you don't. So do I have a promise?"

Tasuki raised an eyebrow. "This better not involve Chichiri's new book."

The redhead popped him over the head with a fist. "It's nothing like that, pervert! Now promise, all of you!" The inebriated RAFT members raised their palms solemnly, but the other, slightly more sober members of the group had to hesitate, glancing around the table to gauge everyone else's reaction. After a moment they turned back to Ritsuka, nodding reluctantly.

"Now that we've promised, will you at least tell us what it is before we do it?" Kiori asked.

"As my dearest friend wishes... the ancient tradition..." Ritsuka raised her fist to the rafters. "A Tanabata kiss!"

"_Banzai_!" the rebel trio cried, mimicking her pose.

The others blinked. Kiori's eyes narrowed. "You made that up."

"Did not."

"Did too."

"Oh, I'm sorry, which one of us still celebrates Tanabata? Which one of us grew up in the Tokyo region?" Ritsuka shot Kiori a triumphant grin. "Oh, that's right – it was me. Objection denied, now pucker up and pick your partners! And no cheating, everyone's lips have to touch something or it doesn't count."

"Something, huh?" Tori and Kirei grinned at each other, then smacked sloppy kisses on each other's cheeks.

"Happy Double Sevens, you big fat jerk."

"Happy Double Sevens, you big fat idiot."

No one else moved for a moment, Ritsuka watching them while Yuki watched her. Finally Hataku shook his head and sighed. "It's a foolish tradition, but I've never been one to break tradition." He took Houki's hand and touched his lips to the back. "Besides, I could use a bit of luck."

The empress leaned forward, offering him a peck on the cheek in return. "I have a feeling we all could."

Chichiri smiled at the two friends, then his eye slipped away from Houki and toward the woman on his other side. He watched, chin resting in his hand, as Kiori and Ritsuka stared each other down across the table, Ritsuka with her finger jerking not-so-subtly at him and Kiori with an annoyed blush creeping across her cheeks.

"I know you're making this up," Kiori was saying, while Ritsuka kept waving her hand and saying, "Innocent until proven guilty, and I don't see you coming up with evidence." Then they'd both almost-but-not-quite look at Chichiri before taking up the argument again, apparently prepared to quarrel all night if they had to.

The monk looked down at his half-empty _sake _bowl, smiling quietly to himself. _'Well, it's not like there's any _other _way to keep them from fighting no da. And I guess I can always leave this out of my next letter to the monastery, too.'_

"...because I've been to Tokyo before, that's why! So you—"

"Kiori."

She turned to Chichiri just as he leaned forward, brushing his lips against her cheek in a gesture that wasn't quite intimate but nowhere near chaste. He hesitated longer than he needed to, then settled into his seat again, offering her a shy smile. "Made up or not, a little extra luck never hurt anyone. Don't you think so, no—"

She clenched her fists in her lap and all but dove forward, pressing her lips against his before he could finish. Chichiri didn't try to stop her, but to be fair it was over before he could even consider it. She drew back almost as soon as their lips touched. It seemed for a moment like Chichiri was going to follow her, continuing where she'd left off, but then he blinked and came back to himself. He realized he was leaning forward in his own chair and sat back again with a soft _bump_.

His mask had a limited range of expressions – pleasant, confused, concerned and annoyed seemed to be the primary ones – but he didn't need his true face for everyone to see the bafflement in his half-open mouth and raised eyebrows. He tried a smile, but it felt more like a cocked eyebrow. "Ah—"

"I agree," Kiori said. She seemed to at last realize what she had done, and didn't look at all happy about it. She was more mortified than anything, he thought, watching as her gaze fluttered between her hands and his face. "I, um, agree," she said again. Her eyes landed on her _sake _bowl and she grimaced, shoving it as far away as she could before stuffing her hands back into her lap. "About the luck thing, I mean. You could, um, use it too. I think. So that was, um. You know. For good luck."

"Oh." He stuttered a laugh and she echoed it. "For luck."

"Completely."

They kept laughing, neither quite looking at the other. Tasuki shook his head, wondering if it was even possible for people to approach love without looking like awkward children. He sighed, feigning reluctance. "Well, Red, it looks like it's just you 'n' me left. Guess we'd better get this over wi—"

He turned and found Ritsuka with her hands on Yuki's collar and her lips locked against his. Tasuki's mouth fell open. "HAAAH?"

Ritsuka unlatched herself from what was by far the most passionate kiss of the night, glancing over her shoulder at the choking bandit. "Sorry. Did you need something?"

He pointed from her to Yuki, then back to himself. "I thought... with th' numbers like they were, an' all..."

"What?" She snorted. "Did you _want_ me to kiss you or something?"

"Hell no, _ahou_!" he snapped a bit too loudly. "It's jus' that there ain't anyone else here, so what'm I s'posed ta do now?"

"Mm?" She released her hold on Yuki's collar, studying the table. "Huh. We're uneven, aren't we?" She shrugged, unconcerned. "Oh well. Guess you're just screwed."

"What? That ain't fair! How come I'm th' only one who don't get any good luck?"

"How should I know?" Ritsuka countered, popping a candied chestnut into her mouth. "I'm not the one with the crappy karma, now am I?"

Tasuki spluttered. The RAFT member Kirei sighed, turning the bandit so he was facing her instead of Ritsuka. "Oh, poor thing." She smoothed his hair like he was a pouting child, offering her cheek to him. "Here you go, Seishi-sama. I've got two of 'em, so you can have the other. I bet you kiss better than ol' drunk-face Tori over here anyway."

Tasuki shot one last glare at Ritsuka, who seemed to have forgotten him completely, her attention divided between snacks and Yuki's jokes, then turned back to Kirei with a sigh. "Thanks." He moved in to peck her on the cheek, but at the last second Tori dove forward, jumping between the two and ramming his lips against Tasuki's.

The seishi sprang back like he'd been burned, hitting his chair and tumbling over in it.

Tori threw up a fist. "I win!"

Kirei sweatdropped. "We weren't playing a game."

"Sure we were," he hiccuped, "it was called the Get Extra Good Luck by Kissing a Seishi Game. And I won." He draped himself around Kirei, half-hugging and half-leaning on her for support. "Yep, I'm the winner."

"Perhaps we should have warned the table in advance, but Tori-kun becomes rather affectionate when he drinks," Yuki said.

Ritsuka giggled. "Yeah, that mighta been nice to know." She pressed a hand to her cheek, heaving a sigh. "Shame I'm not a _yaoi_ girl, or that would've been the highlight of my night. Oh, well," and she shot a quick smirk at Yuki when she said her next bit, "there will be highlights a-plenty to come later, I guess." She leaned down, prodding the prostrate Tasuki with her shoe. "You still alive down there, Tasuki-chan? I mean, I've heard of kisses being so good that they knocked people off their feet, but this is just silly."

"Go ta hell," he grumbled into the floorboards.

"Yep, you're fine. Back to your food and drinks, everyone, we've still got bottles to empty and plates to clear. _Banzai_!"

oOo

Iyasu's eyes flicked up at the sound of footsteps, but he didn't bother standing as a slim man in servant's clothes strolled around the corner, stopping in front of his cell. "Who're you?"

"Furosaki Aji, the last time I checked."

"Aji?" Iyasu sprang to his feet, pressing himself against the wall. "Wh-what're you... I – I mean, how come you're...?"

"Kita told me what happened when she woke up," he said, drawing a pin out of his hair and kneeling down in front of the cell door. "About the ambush. And Otoo-san." He looked up, flashing the traitor a relieved smile. "We thought for certain you'd be executed by now, but I had to find out for certain. I'm glad to see you managed to stay alive."

Iyasu relaxed, stifling a giggle. "Y-yeah. They, they took me prisoner, tried t'get information outta me, but I ain't told 'em nothin'." He hurried forward, leaning through the bars so he could watch Aji fiddle with the door's lock. "They was jus' starvin' me before, but that bitch was sayin' she was gonna start torturin' me fer real t'morrow. I ain't so brave as you 'n' Kita, so I dunno if I coulda held up under that."

"Then it's lucky I found you when I did, isn't it?"

"Sure is." Iyasu drummed his fingers against the bars, beaming down at the RAFT spy. He spoke fast, trying to fill the silence with flattery. "Damn, yer so good with locks. An' hidin' out in here, right under their noses! _Suge_! I never told you this b'fore, Aji-san, I guess 'cause I always been too proud 'r somethin', but I really do admire ya a lot. Sneakin' in here all on yer own, an' just t'save me? An' you done it so many times b'fore, ain't'cha, bustin' our prisoners out b'fore Setsuka – may she die a thousand deaths – can get th' noose around 'em."

"We're family," Aji murmured darkly. "Family helps each other."

"Yeah, but still." He laughed. "You know, Kita's great 'n' all, but there's some days when I really think you oughta be th' one leadin' us. I mean, look at ya. So many talents, an' yer real popular with everyone, friendly as ya are. Hell, if you'd been in charge, I bet we woulda won ages ago, is what I think, I really—"

"Tell me, Iyasu-kun," Aji said, speaking over him, "do you know the five qualities that make a good leader?"

He blinked, startled by the sudden question. "Uh, no, I guess not."

"Then I'll enlighten you." Aji continued to work at the lock, pausing every so often to glance up at the boy in the cell. "One: the ability to inspire. Two: the ability to lead by example. Three: the ability to listen and empathize with one's people. Four: the ability to set that empathy aside for the sake of choosing the most beneficial path." He gave his pin one last twist and the door clicked open. Aji stood, meeting Iyasu's gaze through the bars. "And five: the ability to be too good for certain actions. Accepting bribes, or killing in cold blood, as examples. Kita possesses all of these."

Iyasu glanced nervously at the stairs as Aji opened the door and stepped inside the cell. "So do you."

"Unfortunately, no. I'm afraid I'm severely lacking in that final category." The boy glanced back at him, surprised by the numbness in his voice. Aji smiled at him, a smile that was both sad and manic, absolutely sure of itself and absolutely wishing that it was not. "You see, Iyasu-kun, when it comes to protecting the RAFT, there isn't a thing that I am above doing. That is why Kita... well, never mind. I've no time for speeches, and a traitor like you wouldn't understand anyway."

Iyasu's eyes widened at the word "traitor," but before he could defend himself Aji's hand whipped out, grabbing him by the shoulder and slamming him against the cell bars. Aji flicked his wrist and a knife slipped out of his sleeve, settling into his free hand.

"Wait—"

But that was as far as Iyasu got before Aji slashed his throat, turning all his pleas into gurgles. The traitor had time to crumple to the ground, to roll over, to claw at his gushing throat, and to stare with terror at the empty eyes above him, observing his final moments without so much as a glimmer of pity. But then there was nothing left to breathe, nothing left to see, and Iyasu's eyes rolled back into his head. He twitched once, as if still trying to weasel his way to safety, then moved no more.

Aji dropped the blade near Iyasu's limp hand, glancing down at his own shirt as he did. He spotted a single splotch of blood across the collar and scowled. "Sloppy," he hissed, moving out of the cell. He let the door latch shut behind him before turning to the staircase, still scratching irritably at the stain but never once glancing back at the murdered traitor puddled in the dungeons.

oOo

"And you're sure you can handle them okay no da?"

Hataku scowled down at the half-conscious Kirei, her arm slung across his shoulder. His eye slid sideways to Yuki, who was trying somewhat unsuccessfully to keep Tori from snuggling him. "Just as long as Furosaki keeps that other idiot away from me, we should manage all right."

"And Tasuki and I can take Ritsuka," Kiori said, adjusting her hold on the half-dozing redhead. "So I guess we're good to go."

"Except..." Chichiri looked to the bamboo plant tied with _tanzaku_ paper. "What are we supposed to do with these no da?"

"Oh." Kiori slapped her forehead. "I forgot all about those. It varies by festival, but in my hometown we always burned the wishes afterward. Sort of to send them to the heavens, I guess. I bet Ritsuka was planning to do something with them, but..."

"I can do that if you want no da."

"All by yourself? But it's late, and you don't—"

"Here," Tasuki said, slipping Ritsuka's arm off of Kiori's shoulder. "I c'n carry th' drunk t'bed by myself." He tossed her a wink. "You 'n' Chichiri take care-a th' tradition stuff."

The two glanced at each other with nervous smiles, then nodded. Tasuki turned to drag Ritsuka away, but she jerked awake suddenly, glancing up at him and then across the walkway at the departing Takkan-_jin_. "**Wait a minute**," she muttered in English, shoving herself out of his hands.

She strode with surprising grace towards Yuki, cupping her hands around his ear and whispering something to him. He glanced at her a bit uncertainly, but when she just nodded he grinned and said, "Well, if you insist." Tori nuzzled his ear and he grimaced. Yuki glanced back at Tasuki, smiling. "However, I still think you should let me take Tori to bed. I believe our seishi friend has had quite enough of him one for the night."

"Oh, fine. But seriously."

"And happily."

"**Fantastic**," she said, then skipped back over to Tasuki. She almost stumbled into the railing, but righted herself just in time, throwing the bandit a sloppy salute. "You can walk with me if you want, Chaperone-san, but I won't get lost."

"Just remember that you're in the room to the right of our old one," Kiori called after her. She looked back to Chichiri, explaining. "We've had separate rooms for like a month now, but she keeps forgetting and staggering into mine when she comes home tired. Scared the hell out of me when I woke up and she was practically spooning me."

"Sorry, I'm not familiar with that term no da. What is 'spooning,' exactly?"

"She'll show you la-a-a-ater!" Ritsuka sang before strolling around the corner, Tasuki following with a grumble.

The others said their good nights, then Houki went her way and the Takkan-_jin_ went theirs. Chichiri and Kiori shared another nervous smile, then hurried over to the bamboo plant, Kiori showing him how to untie the thin paper strips so they wouldn't rip in the process. Once she had all the strips smoothed out in her hand, the wishes respectfully face-down, she nodded towards the lantern hanging above the door. "We can take the top off and just use that. Do you mind carrying it?"

"Where are we going no da?"

"To the pond. I'm a little tipsy myself, so I don't want to risk starting a fire around all these wood buildings."

He followed her down to the waterside, taking a seat beside her and setting the open lantern in front of them. "One at a time no da?"

"Mm. It's the only way to make sure they all get to heaven."

Kiori fed each of the RAFT's _tanzaku_ in bit by bit, watching the paper uncurl and the gray smoke slowly rise above them. Neither Kiori nor Chichiri tried to read them, but somehow the words really did seem to get carried into the smoke, curling into their lungs before flying to the stars, and breathing hope into them both.

_Victory in Takkan_, or _Setsuka's thousand deaths_ filled the RAFT pieces, though the occasional _let me see my girl again_ and _please let my brother survive the war, too _slipped in here and there.

"Hataku-san's," Kiori said, holding it up and letting the flames eat away at the edges.

_Help me do what needs to be done._

"Houki-sama's."

_Please allow Boshin-chan to grow up in a nation free of war._

"Ritsuka's."

_I hope tonight cheers everyone up again._

"Tasuki's." Though it wasn't so much a wish as a promise:

_I'm gonna protect everyone._

"Mine," Kiori whispered, already knowing it.

_Keep them safe. Especially him._

"And yours." The most enigmatic of all, perhaps fittingly:

_Please let me be wrong._

They sat side by side, legs almost touching, fingers not quite brushing against each other, watching without speaking as the smoke disappeared into the sky. Kiori glanced at Chichiri, his face turned to the stars, a faint frown hovering just beyond his mask. She hugged her knees to her chest, surprising herself when she leaned into him, smiling as her body hummed in the places where they touched.

"_Nee_, Chichiri?"

He glanced over, still as baffled as ever. "Yes?"

She opened her mouth to say more, then shook her head. "Nn," she murmured, setting her chin to her knees and closing her eyes. "Never mind. This is fine for now."

_'But it won't be forever,'_ he finished to himself. He turned his eyes back to the sky, to the constellations of his lost friends, his living friend, and finally to himself. _'Eventually this isn't going to be enough for her no da. And when that day comes... what in the gods' names am I going to do?'_

Kiori's head tilted sideways, resting just slightly on his shoulder. He smiled, relaxing against the grass. _'I guess I can worry about it later no da. After the war, maybe. For now, at least...'_

He waved a hand and the fire in the lantern died, taking the last of their prayers with it.

"Happy Tanabata, Kiori."

"Happy Tanabata, Chichiri."

oOo

But Tanabata ended, as all things do, and morning brought with it a very frustrated bandit. He stumped down the walkway, scratching his head and muttering to no one, earning himself puzzled looks from passing servants and ministers alike.

"Okay, I _know_ things started goin' sour about th' time I got her gift, so I bet it's 'cause I didn't get all gushy about it. That's gotta be it. Why else would she... I mean, not that I care, really, but I musta pissed her off somehow, an' it's jus' easier on everyone if I make nice b'fore it turns inta somethin' stupid. We got enough t'worry about as it is, so that's all this is, really, jus' me suckin' it up fer th' sake of th' whole group, so..."

He looked up and realized he had been standing in front of Ritsuka's door for some time now. He gritted his teeth and took a breath. "Don't yell, _ahou_. Jus' grin an' apologize."

Tasuki raised his fist to knock, but the door opened before he had a chance.

"Oi, Red, glad yer awake. I was—"

A shirtless Yuki stepped into the frame, blinking sleepily at the bandit. "Ah, _ohayou gozaimasu_, Tasuki-sama. You're up rather early this morning."

Tasuki greeted him with ellipses.

Yuki smiled, slipping his shirt on and clasping it closed. "Well! I suspect you're here to pay your respects to the lovely Ritchan, and may I say your timing couldn't be better. I was just off for morning guard duty." He clapped the bandit on the shoulder, sliding past him. "Have a pleasant chat, then, and I'll see you both later today."

And with that he strolled off down the walkways, humming to himself. Tasuki stared after the carefree rebel, only turning back to the door when Ritsuka came forward, still tightening the sash on her sleeping robe. "_Ohayou_, Tasuki-chan." She blinked as sunlight glittered against his ears. Her eyes lit up. "Hey, you're wearing my earrings!"

Tasuki slammed the door in her face.

oOo

Hourin was just picking up her chopsticks when the front door to Otoo-san's home opened with a creak. Her sightless eyes turned to the doorway, taking a hopeful guess. "Aji-san?"

"More or less, I suppose."

Watanabe Shundou poked her head out of the kitchen, frowning as the haggard RAFT leader closed the door behind him. "Aji-san, you're back. I take it things were... taken care of, then?"

He nodded, tugging his hair out of its topknot and slumping back against the door. His eyes slid to the empty pallet in the corner. "Kita?"

"We moved her to the bedroom," Hourin said. "She's a little disoriented, and it hurts for her to talk too much, but she's awake if you wanted to see her."

Shundou moved forward. "We took Jiro-san to the local monastery. They're preparing the rites as we speak. His funeral is in five days. Also, Kazuo-kun and Ayame have—"

"All in good time." Aji waved her away, pushing himself off the door. "For now, though, I'm going to collapse for a bit. Please wake me in three hours. I'll hear the full report then."

The Watanabe women didn't argue, but just let him stagger into the back bedroom, their concerned eyes following him until the door shut between them.

Kita was sitting on the edge of the battered mattress, staring at a painting of Jiro and Mariko on their wedding day, but she looked up at Aji when the door clicked closed. Their eyes met, and that was all. She couldn't smile, and neither could he. So Kita looked away again, back to the picture.

"When I tries t' picture me real dad," she said, her words a pained mumble as she fought to speak around her fractured jaw, "I can't see noffin'. There's only Jiro 'Too-san. 'Im 'n' Mariko. Always."

Aji took a seat on the bed next to her. He didn't so much embrace her as he did crumple into her, arms wrapping around her back and stomach, head sinking into her shoulder. Her hands clenched against the picture frame. Her smile promised tears. "Well. I r-reckons w-we really is orphans now, ain't w-we?"

The painting slipped out of Kita's grasp. Tears rimmed her eyes but she held them back, taking Aji's chin in her hand and tugging him up so he was facing her. She kissed him hard, painfully, her throat working to swallow her sobs even as she pulled him further into her, hands all but latching into his back, fighting to remember life. He kissed her back, but softer, comforting, kneading where she tore, her anger meeting his sorrow until both had burned away into something manageable, something they could face.

Once it had, they pulled away, their faces streaked with tears they didn't remember crying. Aji brushed hers away, hand trailing to stroke at her swollen jaw. She took his hand in hers and pulled it away, back into her lap. "You done somefin' 'orrible agin, ain't'cha?"

"It won't be the last."

"Don't."

"Have to. We can't take chances anymore. Not after this."

She squeezed his hand. "Then we'll end it fast."

"I hope so." He took a breath. "A great number of people are going to die."

"Yeah."

"Some of them will be ours."

"Yeah."

"A fair amount of them I'm going to kill myself."

"I'll 'elp you."

He touched the bandage wrapped around her head. "Not right away. There's planning first, and that's always been my specialty. When it's time to rally the troops, that's when we'll need you. And we'll need you healthy, which is why you have to rest for now."

"'We' this, 'we' that. Sod th' bloody 'we' f' a bit, Aji." She pushed his tangled hair away from his face, kissing him again. "Wot d' _you_ need from me? Right now, like?"

"Right now?" Aji curled his arms around Kita and eased them around until they were laying on the bed together. He curled his face into her neck. "Right now, I need you to help me sleep. I imagine I'm going to need a great deal of help with that, actually."

She curled her hand around his. "Well. S'pose I c'n manage that awright." She brought his hand to her face, kissed it once. "An' after that?"

oOo

_'...The rebel spy closed his eyes. "After that," he said, frost touching his words once again, "we have a lot of work to do."_" Tetsuya shuffled the book back to Yui, who sat beside him, head snuggled against his chest. "End Chapter Thirty-Two."

-  
Chichiri: Just when it looks like we can relax a little, new problems start cropping up. Though I wonder if it's fair to call a fight between Tasuki and Ritsuka a _new_ trouble? Da... Still, if this is the worst thing we face all week, then I guess we can count ourselves lucky no da.  
As we work to keep peace in Konan, Takkan finds herself in a dangerous position. Civil war rages on the streets of the capital city, and its tremors can be felt even in Konan no da. As the dust settles and a victor emerges, we have to reconsider our plans, and... M-Mae-chan! What are _you_ doing here?

The Next Episode of _Fushigi Yuugi: The Next Chapter_: "Imperial Departure? Fighting the War Within."

I wonder if this marks the beginning of the end...?  
-

* * *

**End Notes:  
**(1) Konan currency – _ryo_ (sometimes called taels) are silver coins approximately equal to 1000 _mon_, which are copper coins. _Mon _were generally pretty low in value (sort of like the modern _yen_, which barely equals a penny), so people tended to carry them strung together in clusters. The coins had holes in the middle to simplify this process. Lacking a _ryo_-to-dollar exchange rate system, I've essentially invented the amounts in this story. Just don't think too hard about it.  
(2) Ri Shinshou – no relation to Chichiri, this is just me having fun with history again, as "Ri Shinshou" is the Japanese reading of "Li Qingzhao," a famous female poet from the Song Dynasty.  
(3) _kirin _– a chimerical beast from Chinese mythology (pronounced _qilin_ in Chinese) said to bring good fortune. It's depicted differently throughout history, but it tends to have deer hooves, antlers, and a lion-like face. It can be covered in either scales, fur, or fire, depending on the myth. They are the guardians of the nations in _The Twelve Kingdoms_, and – if Kirin Ichiban beer is any indication – they also brew a damn good lager. :)

_**Ye Olde Author's Note: July 7th, 2010  
**_Ni-hao, minna-san!  
And may I wish you all a very happy Tanabata. Since I actually had the opportunity to post my Double Sevens episode _on_ Double Sevens, I pretty much had to get this chapter out today. I don't know if any of you have adopted the 7/7 holiday into your American calendars, but if you're like me and my friends then I sincerely hope you have a great time scarfing sushi, sipping sake, and watching your favorite JapanFlicks 'till your eyes bleed a little. ;)

This one's quite a bit longer than I usually let the chapters run, but it was the first time in ages that the gang was able to be good 'n' silly, and I just couldn't bear to cut out anymore than I already had (there's a scene where Kiori and Ritsuka beat up some kidnappers that got left on the cutting room floor, along with a few other bits and pieces to the party. Maybe some day I'll post the "deleted scenes" somewhere for funsies).  
Outside of general silliness, though, this episode does a lot to forward relationships, and it sets up the next episode – which is just about bursting with plot points – quite nicely for our Takkan cast, I think. It also featured my very cheerful allusion to _Avatar: The Last Airbender, _which in light of the fact that (a) I love that show, and (b) the movie adaptation came out last week, I felt almost obligated to work that Cabbage Merchant cameo into this episode.

Incidentally, for those of you who haven't seen _The Last Airbender_ movie yet, allow me to assure you that it is so spectacularly, mind-bogglingly bad that you really just have to go see it for yourself. The dialog is some of the most forced I've ever heard, and the storytelling is the kind of thing you'd expect if you gave your 7-year-old cousin a $150 million budget and said, "Go." It's so awful that, at some point during all the face-palms ("Hey Sokka, why is your forehead red?"), it achieves a kind of train-wreck Nirvana, transcending mere badness and raising itself into something legendary. In closing, I actually kind of loved it, though I couldn't for the life of me tell you why. Maybe it's the absurdist in me.  
And as long as we're on the subject of movies, has anyone else seen the new _Karate Kid_? It's actually damn good, but beyond the fact that Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan rock my world, I couldn't help but grin when they went to a Qi Xi (Tanabata) festival in the middle of it. Double Sevens seems to be haunting me this summer. There are several different versions to the story, so it was fun to see that the movie used a different one than I did. The East Asian Studies major in me was quite pleased... and the part of me that enjoys AWOWABLE! romances was pretty well satisfied, too.

I was going to post some more Mini-Profiles, but this note is running kinda longl, so I'll just save those for next time. Thanks to antyem, White Phoenix, inuphantom, LongGunGirl, Virginia Wolfe, and Warrior-of-the-flames for reviewing! I was quite happy to see that my long absence hadn't driven you all away, and even happier that you all enjoyed the new chapter. Hopefully I can hear from you again (be they compliments, critiques, or just you telling me I'm nuts for actually enjoying _The Last Airbender_) after this episode, too!

See you again in another couple weeks! – Dee


	33. Episode Thirty Three: Imperial Departure

_**Disclaimer**_**:** I still don't own Konan, Suzaku and all characters and seishi pertaining to them. Kiori and Ritsuka are and shall forever be mine, and that holds for all the other "originals" (you'll know 'em when they appear, trust me). Obviously the story is mine as well.

_**Rating:**_ PG-13, for moderate language and violence.

**Musical Selection: **"Shadow of Doubt" for Setsuka and/or Mizu scenes and "Letter from Mikako" pretty much any time Aji and Kita are alone together. Also, start playing "Make Advantage" (a new one from _Last Exile_) for the scene that begins "The stroke of the drums" and just let it repeat for... oh, a while. I think you'll kind of know when to switch tracks again.

**Previously on _Fushigi Yuugi: The Next Chapter_...  
**-Good times and fluff bunnies reigned supreme in Konan, as the warriors and their Takkan friends celebrated Double Sevens together. Gifts were given (of note: Kiori presented Chichiri with an amplification amulet, and Chichiri invited the girls to spend the rest of their lives in Konan - which they accepted almost without hesitation), kisses were stolen (of note: a nervous lip-smash from Kiori to Chichiri, a good old-fashioned snog between Ritsuka and Yuki, and an unwelcome surprise peck from Tori to Tasuki... h'oh boy), and more than a little _sake_ was quaffed by all. The evening ended on a high note, but storm clouds began brewing the next morning, when Tasuki went to Ritsuka's bedroom and had a half-naked Yuki answer the door...  
-But the troubles in Konan seem trivial compared to the ones in Takkan. After a good deal of sneaking and spying, Aji at last managed to track down the traitor Iyasu, murdering him in his cell before making his escape. Aji returned to Otoo-san's home, where he and Kita consoled one another - and began to set the groundwork for a revolution.

_They taught me how to write more succinctly in my Fiction I class, so apparently I'm expanding_ FY:NC _episodes to compensate for all those words I _didn't _get to write last semester. (_sweat_) To conclude, please enjoy this super epic, wicked long, and all-around bitchin' chapter. Cheers!_

_

* * *

_

**-Episode Thirty-Three: Imperial Departure?-  
Fighting the War Within**

Yui opened her mouth to begin reading, but had to pause when Keisuke began to hum across from her. It took her a minute to realize he was singing the tune of "Minshuu no Uta" from the _Les Miserables _musical. Her eyebrow raised. "Showtunes? Really, Keisuke?" (1)

"Oh, come on. The RAFT on the verge of a revolution, everyone geared up for an attack? It's the perfect soundtrack for this chapter."

"You do realize that your manliness is fading by the second, right?"

He shrugged. "Hey, I'm a New Age kind of guy. I'm secure in my lack of manliness." And back he went to the song. "_It is the mu-sic of a peo-ple who will not be slaves a-gain..._"

"_When the bea-ting of your heart echoes the bea-ting of the drum_..." Tetsuya joined in, and both finished rousingly:

"_There__ is the life about to start when to-morrow coooomes!_"

Yui rolled her eyes and kissed Tetsuya on the cheek. "You're a nerd, but I love you anyway."

They were on her in an instant.

"Oh, I'm sorry, which of us is the honor scholar here?"

"The honor scholar who knew how to read Chinese before she was in high school?"

"The honor scholar who worships Tolkien as a god and once spent over 5,000 yen on a signed copy of Miyazaki's _Art of Nausicaa_?"

"The honor scholar who—"

"Okay, okay, I take it back! Truce!" She held up her hands in defeat, then lowered them again so she could see the book. "Fine, hear the people singing all you want, but keep the volume down. I need to be able to concentrate on these characters. Now let's see... '_Days passed, and the rebels waited, hiding in hovels and farmhouses, for a sign from their silent leaders. Little did they know that a select, trusted few were already preparing the next move against their hated lady...'_"

oOo

Aji helped Kita into the main room of the home that had once belonged to Otoo-san, but now, they supposed, belonged to the RAFT itself. She sat down with a sigh, closing her eyes to ward off a wave of dizziness, then followed Aji's gaze to the rest of the room. Watanabe Shundou and Hourin sat at the small dining table, a stew pot between them, though no one seemed much interested in eating. Ayame hovered near the kitchen door while Kazuo stood guard at the entrance, constantly glancing out the window for signs of danger. They looked up when Aji cleared his throat.

"I want you to understand," he began, "that I didn't want to have to rely on you. Not to say you aren't perfectly reliable," he added when Kazuo opened his mouth, "but just that I was hoping to keep you out of danger for a few more years. You're too young to have this shoved upon you. However, after what happened with Iyasu, you're also the only people we can trust." Kita snorted and Aji winced. "That _I_ can trust, anyway."

"We can handle it," Kazuo said. "Jus' tell us whatcha need."

"First, I need you to trust us as much as we trust you. Kita and I came up with a plan last night—"

"_You_ did," she said, though with her accent and her broken jaw Aji was the only one who understood her.

"—And the first thing we decided was that, for safety's sake, we won't be explaining the plan to anyone else, not yet anyway. So when I ask you to do something, I need you to believe that it is a piece of a much larger whole. Feel free to ask questions – just know that some secrets, for now, must be kept." Ayame and Kazuo looked at each other, then turned back to Aji, nodding. "Excellent.

"Kazu-kun, I need you to gather five to ten trustworthy RAFT members. They need to be skilled with some kind of weapon, and I'd prefer if they knew a bit about speed and silence as well. Once you've found them, report back here for more orders."

"Here?" Kazuo glanced around. "Is this place still safe? After what happened, I mean?"

"It will be as long as Haha-ue and I are here," Hourin said.

Aji explained. "Hourin-san believes that Setsuka – may she die a thousand deaths – is reluctant to attack them. To support this, Watanabe-san," he nodded to Shundou, "says she has seen several palace guards lurking about, but they never get any closer once they see her or her daughter. Perhaps our enemy feels some twinge of guilt for what she did to Hataku – sa, but I don't pretend to understand how a tyrant's mind functions."

"So we're relyin' on that bitch's conscience?" Ayame wrinkled her nose. "Sounds kinda risky."

"Only choice we got," Kita mumbled, wincing and touching her jaw as soon as she said it.

Aji pressed a concerned hand to her shoulder, but she brushed it off and waved for him to continue. He looked to the final rebel. "Ayame-chan, I hate to ask this, but do you still have those servant's clothing I gave you?"

"Sure do." Her eyes lit up. "Am I goin' back on stealin' and spyin' duty, Aji-san?"

"I believe the correct description would be 'propaganda specialist.' You're to spread as many rumors about the incredible size of the RAFT's forces as you can. Convince the servants – and guardsmen, if you can manage it – that they should leave the palace if they want to survive. If possible, I'd like you to find out who is sympathetic to our cause, and who remains loyal to Setsuka – may she die a thousand deaths."

"Sounds like I'm gonna be busy. When do ya want me to leave?"

"As soon as you're able. I'll be in and out of the palace myself, so we'll be able to discuss plans as they develop. Keep a friendly distance unless I approach you first, and remember to refer to me as 'Shun' when you see me."

Ayame rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I remember all that from th' last time I went sneakin'. But hey, Aji-san, if you're gonna be runnin' all over the place, how's Kazu-kun and everyone else s'posed t' know what's goin' on?"

He looked to his lover with a smile. "Kita will remain here, of course, along with our Watanabe Shield," Hourin had to giggle at that, "doing what she does best. You can tell the rest of the RAFT to look to her if they have any questions, Kazu-kun, and be sure to stop by periodically for new orders. Why, once the swelling in her jaw resides, you may even be able to _understand_ those orders." Kita smacked him on the thigh and he laughed. "Sa, but I'm digressing as always. Any questions?" They shook their heads. "Then you are dismissed."

Kazuo clenched his fists and Ayame whirled, humming to herself. A soft frown settled between Aji's eyebrows. "And the both of you? Please be careful. It's unclear how much our enemy knows, but I'm certain she knows something. There are no 'safe places' in the capital, not anymore. Remember that."

They sobered up, promising him they'd keep their eyes open, then left in a rush of contained excitement. Aji settled next to Kita with a sigh, smiling as Shundou brought them both a bowl of stew. "_Doumo_," he murmured. "Though I suppose it's too much to hope it's laced with _sake_."

"No, but there's rose petal tea in the kitchen to ease nerves, if you need it."

Kita snorted a laugh. "I'll take a pot o' that, if'n y'don't mind." Shundou chuckled and disappeared back into the kitchen. The RAFT leaders ate in silence for a while, then Kita took a breath. "Awright, wot's next?"

"For you? The managing of the city, particularly Kazu-kun's gang. I imagine he'll have them gathered before the day is out, so you have that to look forward to." Aji set down his half-finished bowl and stood again. "As for me, I need to pay a visit to my own humble abode."

"Is that safe?" Hourin asked. "If you need Haha-ue or I to—"

"Thank you, but my home is part of a beehive of one-room hovels in the Takkan slums. It's a veritable maze to the untrained civilian – or palace guard, for that matter. I'll have no problem sneaking in unnoticed. Besides, it's a bit of a mess right now, and I'd hate to see such lovely ladies as yourselves tarnished by the grime."

"A mess, eh?" Kita smirked. "I knows where this 's goin'. Well, I won't keep y' from y'fun. When d'you fink ye'll be back?"

"Late tonight, if all goes well. I won't ask you to wait up for me, but I can't promise that we'll see each other again for a few days."

"I'll be awake. It's me duty as leader t'make sure everyone gits t'where they's s'posed t'be, after all."

"Sa, spoken like a true martyr." Aji slid open the door, offering the room an elaborate bow as he slipped out. "Farewell for now, O Opal of Takkan, and I shall look upon your beauty again when I return."

She threw her slipper at his head. "Oh, jus' go blow stuff up awready, would'ja!"

oOo

Mizu hurried down the hall to Setsuka's study, her blue crystal clutched between her hands. She knocked once, then threw open the door, calling out, "I found him, my Lady!"

The young Element spotted Setsuka in front of an open window, draped across her settee and staring blankly into the gardens. She didn't look up when Mizu entered. "Did you?"

"Mm." Mizu released the crystal and let it hover in front of her mistress. The image of Aji and Kita eating with the Watanabe family came into focus. "You see? Furosaki-san went home, just like you said."

"After killing my prisoner, I shouldn't wonder," she muttered, though she didn't sound particularly sad about Iyasu's death. Setsuka's eyes trailed to the crystal, barely glancing at the rebels before settling on Hourin. Setsuka pressed her face into her arms. "Nothing to be done."

"What do you mean, my Lady? Now that you know where they are, you could—"

"Can not," she said. "Because of the old illness. It's useless and weak, I know, but it's persistent all the same, and I had enough of it after Sora. After him too." Setsuka choked out her next words. "I've done too much to him already. Any more would be..."

Her hand scrabbled forward, clutching at her necklace. When she looked up again the focus was back in her eyes. "Anyway," she said, sounding more composed, if not exhausted, "it's ridiculous. Those rebels are less than worms. Not worth my time."

Mizu frowned, remembering what she'd heard through her crystals. _'Reluctant to attack the Watanabe family... but then, does that mean...?'_

"Do you regret trying to kill Hataku-sama, my Lady?"

"What?" She laughed, but it sounded more like a shriek. "How silly! I never regret anything, particularly when it comes to punishing traitors. At any rate, I'm tired of this conversation, and besides I have a meeting to attend soon. Why don't you run off and play?"

_'With who?'_ Mizu wanted to say, but knew better than to push. So she just said "_Hai_, my Lady," and hurried out of the room, trying to ignore Setsuka's muttered protests as she went.

"Just because I do not want to murder an innocent blind girl and her mother does not mean I have lost sight of my goals. No, certainly not. It's just that it's beneath me, treating the RAFT as if they were a serious threat. It has nothing to do with Hataku, and it certainly has nothing to do with Hourin-chan."

Setsuka pushed herself up on her elbows, staring at her clasped hands. The door had already closed behind Mizu, but the Lady of Takkan didn't seem to realize that she was alone. Her fingers tightened against her knuckles, eyes fixed on them even as her mind wandered. Two voices from another life seemed to come up from the garden and float through the window, filling the silent room with promises, and hopes, and secrets...

"_Nee, Hourin-chan, what does your brother think of me?"  
_"_Well, he says that you're a big headache riding around on a cart full of trouble."  
_"_Why that..!"  
_"_But when he says it, somehow he sounds like he misses you so bad he could die. I'm sure he's in love with you. I'm his sister, so I can always tell these kinds of things. I bet he lays awake at night and thinks about how much he wants to marry you."  
_"_Do you really think so? Oh, Hourin-chan, you've made me so happy! Listen, let's the two of us be sworn sisters."  
_"_Sworn sisters?"  
_"_Yes, it was something I was reading about the other day. We promise to value each other above all other women and to share everything with each other. We help each other, and we _always _take each other's side in an argument. And if we do fight, because sometimes we will, we have to promise to always make up right away, because we can't stand to be angry with each other. You and I should definitely be sworn sisters, especially since we're going to be _real _sisters someday. So how about it? Will you swear?"  
_"_What do I need to do?"  
_"_Well usually there's a blood pact, but I don't much like the sight of blood, so let's instead just hold hands and press our foreheads together, and then we'll say 'Sworn Sisters are we, all this life shall be, I'll value her and she'll cherish me.'"  
_"_Gosh, Ani-ue was right. Your poetry really _is _awful."  
_"_Oh, hush! Now are you going to say it or aren't you?"  
_"_Of course I am! Here, give me your hands. And now where's your – oh, thanks. Okay, at the same time, then. Sworn sisters we..."_

Setsuka's head fell into her arms again. "How perfectly stupid," she muttered to no one.

oOo

Kiori looked up from her breakfast as Tasuki entered the private dining room. She was about to greet him, but he took one look at Ritsuka and Yuki sitting on the other side of the table, snapped, "On second thought, I ain't hungry," and stormed off again, the thump of his boots echoing long after they'd lost sight of him.

Chichiri and Kiori exchanged a startled look, then turned to Ritsuka, who had her face buried in her breakfast. "Um, I don't wanna pry or anything," Kiori began, "but has Tasuki seemed a little... hostile towards you recently?"

"He's always hostile towards me. We fight like every day."

"Yeah, but most of the time it's friendly fighting. Like siblings, or maybe some weird kind of sexual tension."

Ritsuka choked on her tea. Yuki clapped her on the back, keeping his eyes on his own teacup. The redhead thumped her chest a couple of times to clear her lungs before answering. "Okay, first of all, that's the dumbest thing I have ever heard you say, ever. And second, maybe you're right, but what do I care? It's none of my business what kinds of bugs crawl up his ass."

"It is if you started the fight."

"There was _no fight_!" Ritsuka slammed her bowl and chopsticks onto the table. "He came to my room, I said hi, he shut the door in my face, and he's been pissed off ever since. I don't know what his problem is, and quite frankly my dear, I don't give a damn either. He doesn't get to spend two weeks avoiding me and then be the offended one."

Her chair squealed along the floor as she stood, stomping to the door. "Damn it, now my appetite's ruined. I'm gonna go shoot some stuff for a while. I'll see you later."

The door clattered shut behind her, leaving the remaining trio's teeth rattling. Chichiri sighed, pouring himself another cup of tea. "It's just one thing after another around here no da. And this time it's a mystery, too."

"Um..." The warriors looked to Yuki, who had his neck sunk into his shoulders and his index fingers poking together. "I may be able to shed some light on the situation. I may even have to take the blame for it."

He told them about the morning after Tanabata, leaving out the night's details because, as he said rather stiffly, "A gentleman doesn't discuss the bedchamber." He chanced a glance up once he'd finished, rubbing hard at the back of his head. "I'm really very sorry about all of this. Had I known those two had a history I never would have rocked the proverbial boat, it's just that Ritchan assured me she was, ah, '100-percent romance-free,' I believe it was." He ducked his head again. "My transgression is unforgivable. If you like, I shall take my own life in penance."

Kiori snorted a laugh. "That's really not necessary. And don't blame yourself. Ritsuka was telling the truth, basically... Though this _is_ an interesting development." She looked to Chichiri. "So you're Tasuki's best friend. What's this all about?"

"He is kind of an idiot no da. It's possible that it took seeing Ritsuka with another man to get him to realize that he had feelings for her." He shrugged. "Or it might be something else no da. When it comes to things like this it's hard to read him." Chichiri looked to the doors, frowning. "Whatever the case, I'd prefer they not go on fighting like this. Tasuki's upset, and it's obviously getting to Ritsuka as well no da."

"Which means it'll start turning into a problem for the rest of us," Kiori finished with a sweatdrop. "Intervention time, then?"

"I think so no da."

"Any ideas on how we're going to trick them into talking to each other?"

"A few, but I might need your help."

Yuki perked up. "Oh, may I come too, please? I'd rather not be remembered as the Konan home wrecker."

"Eh?" Kiori blinked. "But aren't you worried about the competition?"

"Not at all. Tasuki-sama is a handsome fellow. If Ritchan wished it, I would be more than happy to share her with him."

Kiori and Chichiri sweatdropped. "On second thought, you should probably just stay out of this one."

oOo

The first bomb went off at dawn, though it was certain to not be the last.

Tanda Sei, Captain of the Takkan Palace Guard, had been asleep in his private quarters at the back of the barracks when the explosion shook him awake. He sprang to his feet, still missing his shirt as he tore into the main hall and saw smoke pouring through the front windows. He blustered orders, but his men were soldiers, not firefighters, and the best they could do was scramble to escape through the windows. Alternating between roaring demands and coughing up smoke, Tanda stumbled out after them.

The small troop hurried around to the front of the barracks, half-dressed and armed, but there was no one to fight. Tanda scowled and sent a few of the sprier soldiers to fetch buckets and water from the palace's main buildings, then turned to survey the scene again.

The bomb had been a weak one, more like an oversized firecracker than anything, and the damage from the explosion was fairly minimal. It was the fire that was the main problem, as it quickly ate up the wooden structure, threatening to topple the entire building if rescue crews didn't arrive soon. Tanda scowled even harder, grabbing a nearby soldier and snapping, "I'm going to the palace," before hurrying off across the field, looking very busy and important.

He turned the corner of an outer building and bumped shoulders with a man on the cleaning staff. Tanda shoved him, shouting, "Out of my way, idiot, I've a report to make to our Lady!"

Something fell out of the servant's sleeve, but Tanda didn't have time to investigate. He just sauntered off again, apparently forgetting that he had never bothered to put on a shirt.

Aji kept his head bowed, waiting until the man disappeared before retrieving his dropped explosive. He slipped the slim cylinder up his sleeve, smiling quietly to himself. "The first report of many, I shouldn't wonder."

oOo

The second explosion hit the western gate at midnight. A third followed at the southern gate just before dawn of the next day. Each time, Tanda-taii went off to rail at the guards on duty, and each time he found them either dead or missing. Every corpse bore an arrow through its neck with a red strip of cloth tied to the shaft.

The same thing happened the next night, and the night after that. On the third day, the unknown bomber turned his attention to ministers' mansions, always choosing those belonging to Setsuka loyalists, though none knew how the rebels could have obtained such information. The damage was minimal, the fatalities almost zero, but the message was clear, and fear soon began to permeate the Takkan Palace.

"It's the RAFT, ya know," a young servant was telling her coworkers. "My cousin works at the Soggy Dragon, an' he hears all the rumors."

"The RAFT?" One of the girls scoffed. "But they've never done more'n little attacks before."

"Yep, but that was before Konan."

"What about Konan?"

"Huh? You didn't hear?" The servant nodded sagely. "Yep, Konan snuck some merchants up here, pretendin' they was sellin' cloth, but buried under all that cloth was about a million weapons. Word has it they even managed ta bring some Konan soldiers inta town too, disguised as actors 'n' servants 'n' stuff. The RAFT's numbers are goin' up pretty much daily."

"But then that means – and the palace is gonna...!"

"I'm all for bootin' the bitch out, but what about _us_? What're they gonna do to _us_, Ai-chan?"

Ayame shrugged, returning to her scrubbing. "How should I know? I ain't the rebellin' type. But if what my cousin says is true, then we'd all be safer high-tailin' it outta this place before the real fightin' starts."

"The real fighting?"

"Oh sure, if they got all the firepower they're supposed ta, this can't be the end of it. I don't reckon the RAFT wants us commoner-types dead, but you can't make no promises durin' a war, y'know."

"Gosh, maybe we really ought to get out of here..."

"You think they'd let me get in on the fightin'?"

"Mei-chan, hush, someone might hear you!"

The girls were too busy bickering to notice when Ayame slipped away, off to spread her news to the kitchen staff.

oOo

Tanda stared at the single, bloodied soldier kneeling before him, two other guards pinning him in place. The palace captain's face was growing redder and redder by the minute, and he seemed to be fighting with each of his words, punctuating them as if they were sword strikes. The soldier on the ground held his head high, but couldn't keep his battered shoulders from shaking.

"And you mean to tell me," Tanda spat, "that you're the _last_ of the thirty-man patrol I sent out yesterday?" The soldier nodded and Tanda backhanded him. "Talk! What the hell happened to the others? You can't expect me to believe they were killed!"

"Some were," the soldier gasped, wincing as Tanda raised his fist again. "They struck from the alleys and ran, Taii-sama. We couldn't catch 'em no matter what we did, they knew those streets just too good! They were usin' stones mostly, a couple of arrows but not a lot, I bet they didn't have too many bows. Knocked a few of our men out, but it wasn't 'till they killed th' lieutenant that we got nervous. Then one of 'em shouts, 'Drop your weapons and live.'" He swallowed. "And all but three of us did."

Tanda spluttered. "So the others...?"

"Deserted, Taii-sama. Well, 'cept Rou and Kinshu." He swallowed. "They tried to run and was killed. I stayed to fight, but the kid snuck out of – gods, the ground for all I could tell – and knocked me one with his staff. When I came to, they'd taken my weapon. The kid said I got to live 'cause I was brave enough to fight back. He told me to give you and the rest of the guards a message."

Fighting to swallow his rage, Tanda at last ground out, "Give it to me."

The soldier squeezed his eyes shut and turned away. "He said, 'Consider this our declaration of war. You can join us or you can fight us. We'll win either way, but your chances to live look a lot better with the first choice.'"

He braced himself for Tanda's anger, but when no blow came the soldier looked up again, surprised to find his superior looking more collected than he had in days. "A declaration," he said quietly. "That ought to change things." He nodded once. "Excellent. I'll have this message delivered to the Lady directly."

The soldier mustered his courage. "And me, sir?"

"Mm, right." Tanda turned his back, waving a distracted hand at the two soldiers holding their comrade in place. "I believe her Ladyship has some strict rules about what we do with failures. Rokou, En – throw this lump in the dungeons. I'll be sure to put in the paperwork for execution."

The door slammed shut behind him, so he missed the skeptical look that passed between Rokou and En before they dragged the sobbing soldier to his feet. "Best be going, then," Rokou said, dragging the man forward. "And you'd do well to shut yourself up, mate. We'll never sneak out of the palace with you wailing like that."

oOo

"My Lady, we have to do something about this!"

"The entire west wing of my family's mansion was burned to the ground!"

"Half the kitchen staff has vanished, and that's nothing compared to the missing members of the cleaning crew."

"The soldiers are terrified, they can barely remain at their posts without jumping at the smallest noise."

"Setsuka-sama, are you even listening to us?"

The Lady of Takkan glanced up from her ministers' written list of complaints, blinking as if just remembering where she was. "Right. The rebellion."

"This is far from a simple rebellion, m'Lady. The peasants are waging a civil war."

She snorted. "They're peasants. Clever ones, perhaps, but peasants all the same. How threatening can they be?"

"Threatening enough to have everyone but _you_ terrified half out of their wits!" Vice-Minister Bu snapped. "Setsuka-sama, we understand that your attention is focused on the war with Konan, but you can't use battles abroad as an excuse to ignore the battles at home. If this continues, there won't _be_ a Takkan to win the war, and we'll—"

Setsuka switched from bored to enraged in a flash, hands slamming against the table. "You traitorous scum! Are you questioning the authority of your lady? I have everything under control, _everything_, do you understand me? If I do not wish to concern myself with a peasant uprising then it is simply because it is beneath me to do so. Why, my Element could crush them without leaving her bedchamber!"

"Then why doesn't she?" he snapped.

"Because she is a good girl." Setsuka sat back in her chair. "And good girls should not have to shed blood." She glanced up as the doors to her meeting room opened, a guardsman standing nervously in the frame. "Ah, excellent timing. Please escort Vice-Minister Bu to the dungeons. I shall be trying him for treason in the morning."

Bu paled. He looked to the others for support, but only Kou, the Minister of Justice, would so much as meet his eyes. Kou coughed quietly into his hand, but before he could speak up the guard at the doors bowed low, barking out, "Uh, very good, my lady! But before that, Guard Captain Tanda Sei is here to see you. He says he has an important message from the rebels."

"So they have the gall to make demands now, hm?" Setsuka smirked, waving her hand forward. "Tell the good man to come in. I need to have a word with him about increasing his city patrols."

"That's not going to help," Bu said. Kou shook his head at the young man, but Bu was too furious to hold his tongue anymore. "My Lady, you can't kill a rebellion of this magnitude with more violence. You've tried that for years and they've sprang back every time, angrier and with more of the populace behind them. If you don't start treating them like, like _human beings_, for the gods' sakes, then—"

The air flickered and the Lady of Takkan was behind him, a glowing blue dagger pressed to his neck. "I'm bored with you now," she purred, flicking at his neck with the blade. "Now you can either shut up and await your execution, or I can slit your throat here. Do choose quickly."

"Setsuka-sama," Kou said. "Please."

Something in his plea struck a chord, and his lady's mood performed another pendulum swing, shifting back to apathy. She sighed, letting the knife disappear as she motioned for the guard. "Never mind. Killing you here would be too messy. You are all dismissed. I wish to scold my dutiful Guard Captain in privacy."

The others didn't argue, but just stood and hurried out of the room. A brave few made it a point not to bow to her, but she had turned inward again, massaging her temple as if fighting off a headache, and didn't seem to notice. Kou watched as Bu was escorted from the room, then left as well, walking slowly back to his office.

He took three steps into the room before he heard shuffling behind him. The door clicked shut and he turned, peering into the evening gloom. "Is that you, Jin? Though I don't know why I'm a—" The minister's breath caught in his throat as he felt a knife point press into his back.

"Don't shout," a smooth, cultured voice said from behind him. "Don't try to fight. Just go to your desk and have a seat. I really, desperately don't want to kill you."

Kou did as he was ordered, unable to stifle a small, nervous chuckle as he did. "That would be much more convincing without the knife."

"Had to be done. You can sit down now. No sudden movements though, please." Kou sat at his desk, blinking as he turned and came face to face with his deaf servant. "Jin?"

"Aji, actually. Apologies for the ruse. And for this," he added, slipping the knife back into his sleeve. "Despite appearances, I am quite pleased to be speaking with you."

"Are you one of those rebels?"

"One of many, yes."

"Unbelievable. I could have sworn you were deaf. I tested everything I could on you, just to make sure you weren't one of Setsuka's spies. That bookshelf I sent toppling down should have spooked you for certain."

Aji took a seat in the chair across from the minister, chuckling. "I took an interest in fireworks as a boy, so I hardly notice loud noises anymore. Sa, but my childhood is of little importance." He leaned forward, lacing his hands in front of his chin. "You're the reason I'm here, Minister. I need your help."

Kou opened his mouth to tell the rebel to get out of his office – but then he thought of Vice-Minister Bu, the promising young man whom he had hoped to make his son-in-law. Now he'd be lucky to get a painless death. Kou leaned forward in his chair. "I'll listen. I can't make any promises beyond that."

"There's little to listen to. I know that you hold no love for your lady, and I know that most of your fellow ministers feel the same. I also know that you are good friends with many of the older men, as well as a mentor for the younger fellows. A natural leader, of sorts. Add to that the fact that you are the Minister of Justice, the man charged with meting out judgment to the rest of the nation, and it would be an easy thing for you to incite a revolt. Everything is clustered at the top of the hill, Minister. You simply need to be the one to give it a push."

"You're talking about treason."

Aji went cold. "Setsuka – may she die a thousand deaths – betrayed this country a long time ago. The commoners have known that for years. Now it's the aristocracy's turn. Find your spines and do what's best for Takkan."

"My family—"

"If it comes to that then they can flee the capital with the help of the RAFT. But I don't think it will."

"So you think we can win?"

"No," Aji said, and it suddenly struck the minister just how exhausted the younger man seemed, as if he had piled years into his last few days. "Without your help we don't have a chance. We can take the city, but we simply don't have the manpower to take the palace. We are determined, and we are hopeful, but we are not strong, Minister. Not strong enough, anyway."

Kou swallowed. "And _with_ my help?"

Aji considered this for a moment. "There are risks. In-fighting. Cowardice. Treachery, of course. And we still don't know the extent of that last Element's abilities. It may be that we haven't a chance either way."

"But you don't believe that."

"Sa, I'm a zealot, Kou-dono. I never believe anything that's inconvenient for my cause." He leaned forward. "That having been said, I think you are a wise, tactful man with just the right amount of suicidal bravery to lead a rebellion. I think you know who to trust and who to quietly eliminate. I think you know how to plan and when to strike, and when to withdraw without giving up altogether. No, Minister Kou, I don't think you will fail. And if you don't fail, then neither will we." He leaned back in his chair, spreading his hands. "And if we don't fail, then the lady falls, Takkan is saved, and both your youngest son and my little brother can finally come back from the Konan battlefields. Now, how does that sound for a final act?"

Kou said nothing for a long moment, but instead stared down at his desk, at the stack of edicts and execution orders. He closed his eyes. He took a breath. He murmured, "Gods give me strength."

He looked up again. "Tell me what you need me to do."

oOo

Ritsuka stepped into one of the palace's sitting rooms, peering through the evening shadows. "Kiori? You here yet? Huh, maybe I got here before she did." She wandered over to the nearest lamp, checking the cabinets for flint and tinder. She had just drawn it out of the drawer when the thump of boots made her look up.

"Oi, Chiri?" She blinked as Tasuki walked through the doorway. "What th' hell didja need ta talk t'me abou—"

The door slammed shut behind him and all the lamps in the room flared into life. Ritsuka screamed and dropped the tinderbox, scrambling to hide behind the nearest settee. She pointed wildly at the lamps, then at Tasuki. "What did you _do_?"

"Nothin'!" He glared at her, then back at the doors. He tried the handle but it was locked. "Damn it, Chichiri. Yer gettin' yer robe set on fire t'night."

"Chichiri's the poltergeist?"

"No, he's just a busybody, an' I'm willin' ta bet he had some help from Kiori." He scowled at Ritsuka and stomped across the room, taking a seat as far away from her as he could. "Th' hell with it. I'll sit here 'till they get bored an' let us out."

She looked at him, then at the space between them. Ritsuka lifted her collar and sniffed. "Do I stink or something? I mean I know I was at the training rings today, but I always freshen up afterward..."

"Shut up."

Ritsuka gave up on joking and chucked the tinderbox at his head. "What the _hell_, Tasuki-chan? You've never been this pissed at me before, and I didn't even do anything to deserve it this time. So what's this all about, huh? You're not still angry about that Tanabata kiss thing, are you?"

"This has nothin' ta do with some stupid kiss!" he snapped back. "This has ta do with what came after it."

A disbelieving laugh hit her lips. "Whoa. Wait. No way. You're upset just because I slept with YunYun?"

"This ain't a 'just' thing, Red! It's kind of a big fuckin' deal!"

"To you, apparently." Her eyes lit up. "Waaaaait, I get it. This is one of those possessive friend things, isn't it? You're jealous 'cause I've been spending my free time with someone else." She stuck out her tongue. "Well nuts to you, that's what you get for ignoring me. So yeah, I made a new friend, now stop pouting and deal with it. You don't—"

"I'm _not jealous_!" he finally exploded, smacking a hand against the chair arm and whirling on her. "Do you have any idea what this means, Red? Any at all? You act like it's nothin' but what th' hell happens next, huh? Yuki's gonna go back to Takkan one-a these days. Are you gonna go with him? Get his family's permission ta marry him 'r somethin'?"

"Don't be dumb. Neither of us is that serious about it. We're just having fun." She cocked her head. "Why are _you_ so serious about it?"

He paced the room with seishi speed, moving so fast that Ritsuka got dizzy trying to watch him. "Because it ain't... damn it, look, I don't know how things work in yer world, maybe this don't matter so much there, but you ain't livin' in yer world anymore, all right? You decided ta stay here, which means you also decided ta follow our rules. An' here in Konan a girl can't sleep around with whoever she wants just 'cause it's fun!"

"But you menfolk get to pop down to the brothels any time your pecker gets twitchy, huh?"

"Don't pull that shit with me, Red. I never said it was fair, but yeah, that's how things work here. You wanna crusade around the nation an' try t'change that? Go for it. But 'til ya do, ya gotta understand that women – an' not just women, but anyone who wants t'be seen as respectable – they either go to th' brothels, they get married, or they keep it in their damn pants. You ain't s'posed ta be doin' what yer doin' with Yuki, and you sure as _hell_ ain't s'posed t'be doin' it so openly. What if it gets out t'the other soldiers? What if they decide yer th' palace's brothel girl?"

"Then I'll tell 'em to piss off."

"What if they don't listen?"

"Then I'll tell Houki-sama to tell 'em to piss off."

"What if it's too late fer that?" He growled, scratching at his head. "Look, around here, sure, there're a few scumbags who don't care one way 'r another about a girl's wishes. But there's also a lotta guys who'll respect a girl as long as they figure she's th' respectable type. But th' second they think she might be a harlot, they—"

Ritsuka grabbed him as he paced past her, whipping him around and smacking him across the face. Her voice choked, though Tasuki couldn't tell if it was on rage or tears. "I'm not a harlot, you son of a bitch! For God's sake, I didn't even have sex with him!"

He blinked, and some of the steam seemed to hiss out of him. "You didn't?"

"Not that it's any of your business, but no. We fooled around for a while, but I was still pretty drunk so we didn't do anything else." She scowled. "Besides, it turns out I need to get some kind of anti-pregnancy charm first. Yuki told me about them right before we fell asleep. And that's all we did – sleep."

"Ya mean he didn't...?"

She snorted. "Yuki's not one of those bastards you're talking about, you know. He's actually a nice guy. And he's funny, attractive, smart, he doesn't _ignore me for two weeks_, oh, and while we're at it, he actually treats me like I'm a woman, which is a nice change from the other guys in this place."

"I thought you hated that."

"I hate being treated like a _girl_. There's a difference." She shook her head and threw up her arms. "Agh! I don't even know why I'm telling you this! It's so stupid. You're freaking out over absolutely nothing, and now you've got _me_ freaking out over it, too. Why do you even care about all this?"

"Because yer..." Tasuki turned away, stalking across the room. His hands tightened on the back of the chair. When he spoke again, Ritsuka thought he was saying something different from what he'd been about to say. "My big sis Fuyou was almost raped as a kid. She was one of those girls who matured early, the ones who look like first-tier courtesans b'fore they've even started bindin' their hair. She flaunted it with th' villagers. A few of 'em got some liquor in 'em and decided th' teasin' was an invitation."

He chuckled weakly. "Maybe it's an exaggeration ta say she was almost raped. Someone groped her outside th' inn, and a few other guys said some pretty crude shit ta her. She came runnin' home, and then Ma 'n' Manka Nee-chan went out an' beat 'em half ta death. We didn't have any problems after that, but still..."

He turned back to her. "You might dress like a guy, an' ya might even act like one sometimes, but yer still a girl, Red, an' a good-lookin' one, too. I don't think you realize how many of th' soldiers got th' hots fer ya. They leave ya alone now 'cause they figger yer untouchable, but if that changed, I... Look, it's bullshit, and it ain't yer fault, and it ain't fair, I know. But you gotta be careful about this stuff. That's just how it is around here."

"And _that's_ why you've been so angry?" He nodded. Her fist thumped against the back of his head. "You're an idiot." She smiled. "But hey? Thanks for worrying."

"Yeah, well..." He stared at the chair, grumbling, "I jus' hate th' idea of you gettin' hurt, is all."

She blinked at his back, unsure what to say to that, then she shook her head and pushed her impish smile back into place. She skipped to the side, craning her head around so she could peer up at him. "This is all very touching, but it's not nearly as juicy as it could be. Are you sure you aren't just a teensy, tiny bit jealous, too? After all, I've seen the little pouts you keep throwin' at YunYun, and it _is_ a known fact that you've been lusting after me pretty much since I got here."

He bopped her over the head. "Any more dumb remarks like that, an' I'll burn th' room down b'fore 'Chiri has a chance ta let us go."

"Charming as ever, Tasuki-chan. No wonder Tori-kun fell for you."

"...Gods damn it, Red..."

oOo

Kita chanced a glance out the window of the RAFT headquarters, eyes widening at the mob of people milling about in the streets. "Bloody 'ell, I fink they doubled in th' last five minutes! Kazu-kun 'n' Ai-chan sure's 'ell did they jobs right, na?"

"Don't sell yourself short, love," Aji murmured from his seat just below the window. "You spoke to nearly all of them at one time or another. It's nearly impossible to ignore the cause when one hears your Liberty Speech."

Kita crouched down beside him, squeezing his hand. "Well, long 's we're 'andin' out 'sponsibility, 'spect I best gives you some too, like. Don't 'magine we'd be 'ere without'cha."

His head sunk against her shoulder. "I only did what was necessary. It's nothing to be proud of."

"Ye've sacrificed more 'n any of us so's you c'd protect us. That's somefin' t'be right proud of, I finks." Kita kissed the top of his head. "It'll be ovah soon, one way 'r t' other. Then y' won't 'ave t'do this awful work agin."

He didn't say anything right away. The house hummed with silence. The Watanabe women had gone home for the day, Kita assuring them that they'd done more than enough and that the rest was up to the RAFT and the gods. For the moment, at least, the lovers were alone.

Finally, Aji buried his face in Kita's shoulder, murmuring, "I'm exhausted, love. It feels like I haven't slept in weeks."

"I'll 'elp y'sleep t'night."

"Tonight and every night?"

"Mm."

"And if I asked you to drink with me, would you do that, too?"

"Uh, yeah, I s'pose so."

"And if the cups were tied with a red string?"

She chuckled. "Wot? Like in a weddin' ceremo..." Kita jerked back, gaping at him. "No. Aji, no, y'can't be... no, it ain't fair, y'can't ask me that now, not when I'm 'bout t'go out 'ere an'..." She felt her voice beginning to wobble and tried to push it back. "An' w-we all... an' all this, an' w-we m-might not even..."

"Exactly." He took her hands in his. "We may walk out those doors and never come back. And while it is my dearest wish to die in your arms, that will be an impossibility today. For the sake of the RAFT, we will go our separate ways to fight our separate battles. But for now, while we're here, for the sake of no one but ourselves, I want you to give me an answer. That way, if I am to die, at least I can know the future we might've had. At least I can have that."

Kita pressed her hands to his cheeks and kissed him, lingering so he wouldn't see the tears that threatened to spill over. After a long moment she drew back, kissing him lightly on the jaw before leaning her head against _his_ shoulder, this time. "_Aho__,"_ she murmured. "As if y'didn't awready know me answer would be yes."

Aji pulled away so he could look her full in the face. The exhaustion drained from his features as if the heavy lines had never existed at all, and for the first time since Otoo-san's death Kita thought he looked like the too-skinny boy who had come up to her at the marketplace, handed her a bouquet of wildflowers, and all but promised her that she'd marry him. She had smacked him clear across the road that time. This time, though, she just wrapped her arms around him and kissed him again.

"Well? Was it worf th' thirteen years' wait?"

"Worth every blessed minute of it."

They were about to embrace again when someone knocked on the front door. Kita drew away just as Kazuo poked his head around the frame.

It had only been two weeks since the RAFT's onslaught on the palace had begun, but in that short time the boy seemed to have both hardened and matured, growing into himself and his role as RAFT captain. He stepped inside, all straightened spine and broad shoulders, a staff slung across his back. "Sorry ta bother ya, but it's time t'go. You two about done sayin' yer goodbyes?"

Aji hesitated, but Kita gave him a quick peck on the cheek and stood. "I'll see ye on th' inside."

"Mm." He stood as well. "And you be sure to keep an eye on this little army of ours. I daresay we've got half the serving staff and a good portion of the palace guard out there, so don't let them think they can order you around."

Kazuo laughed. "Yeah, like anyone's ever thought that." He jerked his head to the door. "You comin' then, Kita-san? Th' army can't go nowhere without it's leader."

She and Aji exchanged one last, wishful look, then Kita turned to the front door, already grabbing her bow and staff, and Aji headed to the back, already tightening his hair into a topknot. They stopped in the frames, squared their shoulders, and then stepped out their doorways, to face whatever came next – and to fight for the chance to meet again.

oOo

The stroke of the drums from the wall top had Guard Captain Tanda Sei running from his room almost as quickly as he had the morning of the fire, strapping on his sword and bellowing for all the off-duty soldiers to "get off their asses and follow him." They rushed in a nervous swarm to the main gates, only to scale the wall and feel their mouths drop at the sight that awaited them.

A small army was marching to the Takkan palace, a three hundred man mixture of civilians and deserted soldiers, rebels and former palace servants. Some bore swords and bows, others no more than a sling and stones in their hands, but each was walking with a purpose, never wavering as they followed their two leaders: a woman dressed in a guard's borrowed breastplate and helmet, and a boy similarly dressed, holding aloft a flapping red flag. The flag was both a standard and a signal, the soldiers realized, as more Takkan citizens filtered into the streets, joining the RAFT's march.

Tanda laughed. "What a joke." He turned to his nearest lieutenant. "Give the order for the men to ready their bows. As soon as they're within firing distance, take the traitors down."

The lieutenant lowered his head. "Taii-sama, perhaps we'd best wait and see what they want. The men have family and friends within the city, and they're likely to be hesitant, what with the chance of hittin' a loved one out there..."

"H'oh, giving orders now, are we?" Tanda belted the young lieutenant across the helmet with his sword hilt. "That's funny, I don't remember asking for insubordination. Now you give the command, or I'll give it myself – aye, and I'll start _my _attack by chuckin' your head down at their bitch queen!"

One of the soldiers down the line gritted his teeth at Tanda's remark, but his fellow guardsmen were too busy readying their bows to notice – or to realize that they had never seen the soldier in their lives. Aji strung arrow to bow, a bit clumsily for a "trained soldier," and shot a nervous look back at the palace. _'It's in your hands now, Kou-dono.'_

oOo

Setsuka watched the oncoming attack through Mizu's crystal, chuckling to herself. Mizu was not quite so calm. "Shouldn't we do something, my Lady?"

"I'll not have you dirty your hands with their blood." Setsuka smiled again, toying with her necklace. "Besides, you've nothing to worry about. Those fools can smash their heads against our walls for as long as they like, they can't break through." She stretched out on her settee, turning her eyes to the ceiling. "Either they'll grow dispirited and go home, or our army will return from Konan and lay waste to them. Either way it's of no concern to us."

A burst of hostile life forces sprang into Mizu's range, growing closer by the moment. Her eyes whipped to the doorway, her crystal's image blurring as her attention turned elsewhere. "That... might not be true anymore."

The Lady of Takkan glanced at the door just as Justice Minister Kou came through, flanked on either side by over half of the capital's highest-ranking officials. He carried a scroll in his hand, which he slapped down rather unceremoniously in front of Setsuka, letting it unroll across her lap. She stared at it, unimpressed. "And what exactly is this supposed to be?"

"A list of grievances, compiled by myself, my associates, and the people of Takkan." Kou drew himself up. "Rei Setsuka, under your rule this nation has starved, its people have suffered, and even your most trusted subordinates have come to live in fear of the throne. You have violated the compact made with your subjects, and thus you have violated the will of heaven itself. We have no choice but to strip you of your title as Lady of Takkan. Effective immediately."

Setsuka read the edict as Kou spoke, eyes widening with every word. Finally she looked up, bafflement quickly turning to rage. "This is treason."

"You're quite right. And we will be certain to treat you just as you wish for all traitors to be treated."

She threw the edict back in his face, scrambling to her feet. "Ridiculous! Obscene! You don't have the right!" She looked wildly about the room, searching for a loyal face. "This is not in your jurisdiction. Where is the Minister of the Left? The Minister of the Interior?"

"You'll be getting no help from men who sold their souls for promotions." Vice-Minister Bu stepped out of the crowd, picking the edict up from where it had fallen. "Your lackeys have been silenced. That's all you need to know."

oOo

In a meeting room at the other end of the Takkan Palace, the handful of Setsuka loyalists sat huddled together, staring up rather fearfully at the room full of cleaning ladies, each wielding a broom as if it were a staff.

"Ai-chan, when do we get to whack 'em?" one girl asked, swinging her broom experimentally.

From her seat in front of the doors, Ayame clucked her tongue, wagging a finger at the girl. "No, no, Mei-chan. We don't get to whack 'em unless they try to escape. Them's the rules."

"Oh." Mei whirled back on the ministers, glaring. "Well, how come one of you won't try to escape, huh?"

oOo

"With luck, they will remain unharmed," Bu ended with a twitch of a smile.

Setsuka backed away, pressing herself up against the wall. "Ungrateful scum. After all my father did for this nation—"

"Work that you have nearly undone in the last five years," Kou added.

"_I am the Lady of Takkan_!" she shrieked. Sora's blue dagger shimmered in her hand. She crouched as if intending to lunge forward, but something froze her in place. Setsuka's eyes widened, her head snapping around to see Mizu standing behind her, humming with power. "Mizu-chan! You can't be—"

"They have weapons, my Lady." One of her crystals glowed and the men's robes fluttered, revealing knives and daggers hidden beneath their outer cloaks.

"I don't care! _Release me_! I won't let them get away wi—!"

"An Element lives to serve its Lady!" Mizu cried, and the tears in her eyes made Setsuka pause. "And I can't serve you if you're dead, Setsuka-sama. You can punish me later, but for now I have to protect you."

It was the only argument Setsuka could never rebuke. Her head drooped and the knife disappeared from her hand. When she said nothing, Mizu spoke for them. "What're you going to do to her?"

"For now we're placing you both under house arrest," Kou explained. "Some of my family's personal guard are standing outside this room. They have orders to keep you both here for the moment. After that, she'll go on trial – a _proper_ trial, for once – and we'll see where that leads. I must warn you, Element, that it does not look promising. While you are largely an innocent, your mistress has committed countless atrocities, both in this nation and abroad. I doubt even the all-compassionate Suzaku could forgive her for some of it."

"I understand. Thank you, Minister."

"We appreciate your cooperation. I must admit we weren't at all sure how you would react to this, Element."

"Mizu," she said quietly. "Please call me Mizu."

Kou nodded, his face softening a fraction. "You truly are a good child, just as your lady said." He turned, nodding to the ministers around him. "Kitan-sama, Denpo-sama, I want you both to stay outside with the guards. If Setsuka tries anything, alert the rest of us at once. Bu-sama, you come with me. We need to stop a massacre from happening. The rest of you, back to your duties. We still have a nation to run."

Mizu waited until the men had left and the doors had been locked before releasing her hold on her lady. Setsuka slumped to the ground as soon as the spells vanished, burying her face in her hands. "Impossible," she muttered to no one. "Impossible. I am the Lady of Takkan. I am. _Me. _My father, he gave me, and they... how could they... all traitors, everyone is a traitor, there's no one left..."

"There's me." Mizu grabbed her hand, forcing Setsuka to look at her. "And we don't have much time. Take what you need – clothes, toiletries, anything from your room that you'd miss. I'm going back to my room to get my things. Then we'll leave."

"Leave?" Setsuka looked around her chamber. "I can't leave Takkan. It's my home."

"No, my Lady. It's a tomb."

"But where shall we go?"

Mizu looked away. "I don't know. But we've got some time to think about it. I'll be right back. And please, Setsuka-sama, don't try to fight them. I don't know if you can win Takkan back or not, but you definitely can't do it today. And I can't stand the thought of you dying." She turned her eyes back to her mistress – her robe crumpled, her hair coming undone, her hands grappling at her three remaining gems for strength – and had to fight to hold back tears. "Especially not like this."

Then she winked out of the room, leaving Setsuka to stare, and think, and try to salvage what remained of her once-glorious future.

oOo

The Takkan guard fired down on the crowd of peasants, though their attack was so halfhearted that Tanda fairly flew from one end of the ramparts to the other, roaring threats and insults in an attempt to put the spirit back into them.

On the other side of the wall, Kita crouched behind a makeshift barrier of upturned carts, knocking another arrow to her bow. Kazuo sat beside her, unarmed but still holding aloft the RAFT's standard, a silent sign of strength for the troops. "Ain't got much fight in 'em, do they?"

"'Ere's a reason we done put th' deserted soldiers 'n' th' pretty servant gels up front. Right nice of 'em t'volunteer for th' job, too!" Kita let off a shot before ducking down under a hail of arrows. "Got no problem aimin' f'me, though."

Kazuo started to say something, but a distant rumble made him stop. Both cocked their heads to the side, listening to the soft thrumming from inside the palace. "Drumbeats," Kazuo said at last. "You reckon they're sayin' t' stop fightin' or callin' fer reinforcements?"

"Reckon we'll know soon 'nuff. Now 'old that banner 'igh, Kazu-kun, 'n' we'll jus' see if'n me foolish fiancee done 'im's job right."

oOo

The guardsmen heard the drumbeat too, louder and more clearly than their enemies could. And they all knew exactly what the frantic _rat-a-tatta_ meant.

"Open the gates?"

"Does that mean we're surrendering?"

"Surrendering to our own people? That's a little silly, innit?"

"H'oh, lookie-there! Th' gatekeeper's quick at followin' orders!"

Everyone lowered their bows and a few of the soldiers even cheered as the main gates creaked open, welcoming the rebels inside. The RAFT's makeshift army let out a whoop of joy, streaming forward behind their leaders' crimson banner.

"No, no, no, no!" Tanda roared, laying about at every soldier he could reach. "This is insane! Setsuka-sama would never surrender! It's a trick, you idiots! Now ready those bows! Get yourselves down to the gates! We'll give those filthy peasants a taste of a _real_ battle, and send them home with their heads un—"

"I think that's quite enough, Taii-sama."

Tanda whirled at the voice, jumping back as he found a spear leveled at his chest. The guardsmen at the end of it took off his helmet with his free hand, revealing a face Tanda had never seen before. "Who th' hell?"

"Just one of those filthy peasants you love so much." Aji smiled, rotating the spear shaft between his hands. He held the weapon awkwardly, as if he wasn't quite sure what to do with it, but his confident smile said he wasn't worried about that. "And those drumbeats are no trap. The ministers have overthrown your beloved lady. Setsuka – may she die a thousand deaths – has fallen. So I'd suggest you drop your sword, otherwise you may very well be next."

"Setsuka-sama... has...?" The guard captain's face went slack with despair – but then just as quickly the misery vanished, leaving him with narrowed eyes and cheeks flushed to purple. He roared, ignoring the spear point as he jumped back and drew his sword.

Aji stabbed at him, but he was untrained with the weapon, and Tanda had been fighting against them for most of his life. He knocked the spear aside and dove at the rebel spy, sword slicing upwards in a singing arc. Aji stumbled backwards, lifting his weapon in a weak attempt at a block. The sword went through wood and skin. Blood spurted. The spear fell in two pieces and Aji fell beside it, clutching the remnants of his right hand. He gasped. Tanda snarled. The sword came up again—

—And Kita's staff came down on Tanda's back.

The Guard Captain grunted and whirled, but Kita was already moving in front of him, grasping the staff at its center. She hit down and right, knocking the wind out of him, and then up and left, smacking him hard across the chin. Bones cracked and spittle flew, but not before Kita had slammed the butt of her staff into Tanda's neck, crushing his windpipe as easily as she'd crushed his jaw. He fell with a sound between a hiss and a gurgle, never even seeing the face of the woman who had so quickly ended his life.

Kita didn't spare him a second glance. As her army poured up the walls, dispatching the few soldiers who still wanted to fight – but mostly just slapping backs and laughing as they reunited with fellow guardsmen – she hurried over to the huddled form of her lover.

He looked up when she crouched in front of him, pale and shaking but still trying to smile. She pried his left hand away from his right and grimaced at the sight of his mangled fingers. His thumb and most of his forefinger had survived the attack, but his middle finger had little more than a digit remaining, and his last two were gone altogether.

"Oh," Aji moaned, voice wobbling between octaves. "Passing out now."

"Not yet'cha ain't." Kita pressed his bleeding hand to his knee, forcing it to stay flat. "'Old it there." She tore three long strips from the bottom of her own tunic, tying the first tight around his wrist to slow the blood flow. She crumpled the second into a loose wad, pressing it where the bleeding was most intense, then – after all but dragging his left hand forward to hold the cloth wad in place – she used the third strip to bind it all together. "We'll get'cha a real doctah soon," she said, giving the bandage one last, less-than-gentle tug. "But that oughta do f'now."

"Ah. Quite all right passing out now yes?"

"Fine, but jus' f' a minute." She rolled her eyes as his head thumped against her shoulder. "Always wit' th' bloody theatrics. Couldn'-a jus' kept y' 'ead down 'till we was inside 'n' everyfin' was safe agin, could'ja?"

"He was... going to make them fight. Couldn't risk... losing people. B'sides," he added, "said terrible... things... about you."

"H'oh yeah, an' lookit me all proud, like, wit' me honor defended and me 'usband missin' 'alf 'im's 'and."

"...Sa."

He relaxed against her, though she couldn't tell if he was unconscious or just looking for an excuse to end the argument. She thumped her fist lightly against his head, but even as she hit him her hand was uncurling and sliding down to rest against his back. "Well," she murmured, "least this time I didn' arrive too late."

"Kita-san!" Kazuo hurried over to them, his face flush with joy, but his smile hesitated when he saw the blood on their clothes. "Is everythin' okay? You ain't hurt, are ya?"

She looked over Aji's shoulder, smiling crookedly. "Naw, but this idiot is. Wot's up? Somefin' y'need?"

"It's over!" he blurted out. "Ayame's down at th' foot-a th' wall with a pair-a ministers. They're sayin'... they're sayin' it's done! Th' revolt worked! We've _won_!"

Kita sat back hard at the word "won," her hands falling limply to her sides. She blinked again and again, throat working to swallow, stomach fluttering between her throat and her knees, fingers twitching as they tried to get a grasp on this new, sudden, impossible possibility. She looked up at Kazuo and thought to say something, but all she could manage was, "No foolin'?"

He laughed. "Yeah. An' don't look so surprised, would'ja? _You're_ th' one who made it happen. Well, you 'n' Aji-san, anyways."

She tried to echo his laugh but it almost turned into a sob. She gripped Aji's shoulders. "Aji, y' 'ear that? We did it. We really won!"

She threw her arms around his limp form, so excited that she kissed the first thing she could find, which happened to be his ear. She laughed, a real one this time, and went ahead and kissed him there again. She started to pull his head up so she could kiss him properly, but hesitated when he tensed beneath her. "Oi, you awake now? Didja 'ear me, dummy? We..."

But she didn't get any further than that, because Aji's shoulders started to tremble, then to shake, and then they were all but crashing up and down, his face buried in her shoulder and his uninjured hand clutching at her back. Kazuo moved forward, looking a bit frightened, but Kita shook her head once and he backed away again, pointing to the stairs. She nodded and he left, shooting them one last, nervous glance before hurrying to meet Ayame.

Once he'd gone, Kita let her strength desert her. She clung to Aji as hard as he clung to her, rocking him quietly, half-laughing, half-choking, though she found herself strangely void of tears, as if Aji had taken them all for himself. She couldn't think of anything to say, so she just held him, waiting while he sobbed out all the lost friends, all the lost years, all the evils he'd taken on to keep the RAFT together and his comrades clean, untarnished by the sins that came with a rebellion, the sins that now, suddenly, finally, had all become worthwhile.

But everything has its limits, and eventually Aji came to the end of his long-suppressed grief. His tears dried up, the ice and the steel whispered out of him, and when Kita turned his face to meet hers she found him looking strangely relieved, despite his red-rimmed eyes and pallid skin. She kissed him once, hard, then pulled away, watching him. "You awright?"

"I think so," he said, wobbling a laugh. "It's just, after playing the part of the rebel spy for so many years, I was rather afraid I wouldn't be able to step out of it when the time came."

"And?"

He smiled. "Furosaki Aji has officially retired, and is quite ready to see what a life off-stage might feel like." He moaned, resting his head against her shoulder again. "Sa, but do you suppose we could start that life in the palace infirmaries? My hand is throbbing rather miserably, and it's making the world twirl in some truly terrifying directions."

"Y' big baby." She threw his arm over her shoulder, helping him stagger to his feet. "Fine, let's talk to y' minister mates 'n' see if'n they can't points us t' th' doctah-types. But once ye're patched up proper, like, I needs ye on y'feet 'n' by me side. We mighta won th' war, but there's still a right mess t'take care of."

oOo

Setsuka swept forward as Mizu returned to her chamber, grabbing the girl by the arm. "I know where we're going."

"I was thinking about it too," Mizu said, smiling at the spark that had returned to her lady's eyes. "There are some out-of-the-way villages on the shores in Sairou that might be nice, and I thought the peace and quiet might be good for you, my Lady, so—"

"Peace and quiet?" Setsuka laughed. "Whatever for? I am quite well, Mizu-chan, you needn't worry about that. These little setbacks were merely put in place to test my dedication. I am quite certain of it." She nodded as if to convince herself, then strode toward her luggage. "No, I have a better idea. There are a number of abandoned homes in the Konan countryside, deserted when our army set up camp. I'm quite certain that at least one of them is some lord's personal villa. We shall set up residence there. It will put us closer to the Takkan Army – who are still, I should remind you, under my control – and to our enemies in Konan."

"Konan?" Mizu's face fell. "So you still want to fight?"

"Of course." Setsuka picked up her satchel, dragging it back across the room so it sat next to Mizu's smaller bag. "I have it all planned out. We will temporarily retreat. Then, once I've defeated those warriors and Konan belongs to me, I shall have the joint armies return to Takkan, reclaiming the capital as my own."

_'That's the plan for now,'_ Mizu thought, watching as Setsuka bustled about the room. _'But I wonder what it'll be tomorrow? Her ladyship has been so unpredictable lately, there's no telling what'll happen.' _She clenched her fist. _'All the more reason why I have to look out for her.'_

"Then we should get going. Those ministers will be back soon." Mizu hesitated, glancing at the floorboards. "Oh, but Setsuka-sama, Tsuchi-kun is—"

"Still firmly under my power, no matter how far we travel."

"Yes, but the rebels..."

Setsuka's lip curled into a snarl. "I'm sure Tsuchi will feel quite at home with a pack of traitors." She grabbed her luggage and closed her eyes, already beginning to shine silver. "End of discussion. Let's be off, Mizu-chan."

The young Element clasped her hands to her chin, sent one last, soothing burst of _ki_ into Tsuchi's room, and then slung her bag over her shoulder. Her crystals buzzed, but she kept her face as placid as the palace pond. "_Hai_, my Lady."

oOo

If the past week in Takkan had been its busiest, then the opposite could be said for Konan. As if trying to make up for the bloodshed in the northern nation, the warriors had spent the week in almost lazy peace, letting the sticky summer days waft by overhead. Now, as evening and its cooler breezes arrived, the warriors – along with Hataku, who had been coaxed along for once – sat in Houki's study, listening to a tale from the seishi's travels.

"...So there we are, covered in algae an' mud an' th' gods know what else, an' there's this water demon strung up between us, spittin' curses that were 'bout t'make _me _blush, when who do ya think comes runnin' down th' path but the old geezer himself, swingin' his stick an' whoopin'—"

"Ho'way, there's three o' the varmints now!" Tasuki and Chichiri said as one, mimicking the wetlands accent to perfection.

"Well, by now Tasuki looks about as angry as the water demon," Chichiri said once the laughter had subsided. "So he... says..."

Smiles dropped as Chichiri trailed off, head turning almost dreamlike to the north. Tasuki leaned forward in his chair, all seriousness. "An Element?"

"Mae-chan." The knot between his eyes grew even deeper. "And Setsuka."

Hataku and Tasuki were on their feet in an instant, and even Ritsuka reached for her hip, forgetting that she wasn't wearing the Holy Sword. "Setsuka? Is she close? Did she break the barrier?"

Chichiri held up a hand for silence, still feeling around for a better answer. "Not close," he said at last. "She's right on the edge of my range. It makes it difficult to pin her no da. I doubt I'd have even noticed if she wasn't pulsing with so much evil energy no da." He pressed index and middle finger to his lips, focusing. "But what I _can't_ understand is what they'd be doing there. It's nowhere near the Takkan camp, and too far from the palace to be an attack..."

"Unless she's planning one," Hataku said.

"Maybe, but from there? It doesn't make sense." Chichiri looked around at his companions: Tasuki aching with violence, Hataku grim with resolve, and the women tense, waiting. He offered them a smile. "Well, only one way to find out no da. I'll just head over and snoop around a little, see what's going on for myself."

"I'll come with ya," Tasuki said.

Ritsuka grabbed the back of his shirt, dragging him to his chair. "If you went then you'd wind up taking a swing at Setsuka, that Element would step in to help out, and it'd probably end with you both getting killed." She pointed a finger at Kiori before she could even speak. "And stop worrying. Chichiri can handle himself."

"She's right no da. I'll only be gone for a few minutes. If it looks dangerous, I'll come right back. Okay?" Kiori and Tasuki both nodded sullenly. Chichiri flashed them one last, reassuring smile, then swept out his _kasa_ and vanished.

oOo

Setsuka stood in the walled, overgrown garden of her new home, surveying the place with approval. Just as she'd promised, the two had found an uninhabited mansion with little trouble. Creeper vines had already taken over the walls and trees, and dust covered the abandoned furniture, but most of the roof had managed to stay intact during the long months since the war's beginning, and the garden still housed a surprising variety of plant life.

She plucked a lychee from a nearby tree, then made a face and spit it out again."Sour." She looked to Mizu, who stood in the main doorway. "Not too bad though, wouldn't you say? It's hardly befitting a future empress, but even my father had to live in tents during the early days of his conquest." She frowned at the trees. "Not much in the way of food, though. I think I'll pop over to the Takkan camp and see what I can find for us. Try to get settled while I'm gone."

Mizu nodded, venturing further into the gloomy mansion as Setsuka disappeared. The Element had just found a little room that she'd decided she wanted for herself, and was using a spell to clear the ceiling of cobwebs, when a familiar life force made her head snap up. "Houjun?" She whirled, running back the way she had come and all but throwing herself into the gardens. When she saw nothing but trees, she cupped her hands to her mouth and cried: "Houjun!"

There was a pause, then, "Mae-chan?"

Tears welled up in her eyes as she watched a figure make its way through the mists. Chichiri stepped through a gap in the creeper vines and their eyes met for the first time since the war had begun. Neither spoke. Neither moved, not a muscle or even a tendril of their life forces until Chichiri at last stepped forward, slipping off his mask and meeting her with a shy, almost guilty smile. "Long time no see, Mae-chan."

And then she forgot that she was Mizu the Element and that he was Chichiri the Konan Warrior. She was simply Ukizaki Mae, and he was simply Ri Houjun, and she was simply welcoming him home from his travels.

She cleared the space between them in five long strides, crying and laughing as she threw herself into his arms, hands latching into the soft folds of his _kesa_. She blubbered incoherencies, apologizing, sobbing, asking how he was doing, telling him again and again how badly she'd missed him. He didn't say anything but just let her get out everything she'd been aching to say, offering her nothing but a quiet hug that forgave and excused everything and promised, somehow, that it was going to be all right.

When she'd finally run out of words and had fallen into sniffling, Chichiri said, "I missed you too. I'm sorry I was away for so long. I went to visit you after my seishi travels, but the Ukizaki family said you'd gone off for training. I assumed they meant at a temple somewhere. Had I known – had I even guessed where you really were, I—"

"No, don't blame yourself." She drew away from him, wiping her sleeve across her nose. "I should've tried writing more. I wanted to, only I wasn't sure where to send the letters. And then this awful war started, and I..." She trailed off, eyes widening in horror. "You shouldn't be here."

"Why not?"

"Because. Setsuka-sama. She'll be back soon, and if she sees you here, she might – and you'll—"

The monk wiped her teary eyes with the side of his _kesa_, just as he'd done all those years ago by the river. "I'm not worried about her. But what in the gods' names are you _doing_ out here, Mae-chan?"

She sniffled, forcing herself to take a step away from him. She hated the way he winced when she did that. "We were driven out. The RAFT, and then those ministers..." She shook her head, taking another step back. "But I shouldn't be telling you this. Houjun, you've got to get out of here, right now! You're supposed to be my enemy!"

"I am?" He chuckled. "That's news to me. My fight isn't with you, Mae-chan, it's with Setsuka and anyone else who threatens Konan." He closed the distance between them, setting a hand to her shoulder. "Actually, I'm glad we met when we did. I think the fighting is about to get serious, and I don't want to risk you getting hurt. Why don't you come back to the palace with me? You'll be a lot safer there, and I'm sure you'd get along with my friends."

She slapped his hand away, crystals buzzing at her sides. "_No_! We can't, I couldn't! I'm bound by fate to protect her Ladyship, until I die or she does."

"That's a lie," he snapped back, stepping forward even as she tried to put distance between them. "My friend, Tasuki, he's an Element too, but he—"

"But he's_ not me_!" Mizu shrieked, eyes squeezed shut and crystals screeching at her sides. "He's not me and Tsuchi-kun isn't me and maybe they can both be strong but I can't, I just _can't_, and even if I could I wouldn't, because..." She looked up again, softening suddenly. "Because Setsuka-sama needs me."

"After all she's done—"

"She was nice, once," Mizu said, talking over him. "And I think she can get better again, to the way she was before. But she can't do it alone. She needs someone. It's not me that she reallyneeds, I know that, but right now I'm all she's got. So I can't leave her, not after all the kindness she's shown me. I can't desert her when she's like this."

Chichiri's fists clenched at his sides. "You don't understand. If you don't come back with me, then—"

Their heads jerked up together, turning towards the mansion. The color drained from Mizu's face. "Setsuka-sama." She looked to Chichiri, voice a desperate hiss. "Please, get out of here. You have to, before she—"

"Mizu-chaaan!" Setsuka half-sang, voice growing louder as she moved to the entrance. "I brought back a few things for dinner. Nothing very nice, unfortunately, but we shall have to make due until Konan is ou..." She turned the corner, spotted the seishi, and froze. The basket of rice fell out of her hands, spilling open as it hit the ground, but she didn't seem to notice. "It's you."

Chichiri's smile was anything but friendly. "Nice to see you as well, Setsuka. I'm sorry that the last time we met I was such a poor guest, but I suppose it's forgivable seeing as how I was half-dead." He raised his staff, a spell already rising to his lips.

"_NO_!" Mizu stepped in front of Setsuka, arms spread and crystals humming with restrained power. "If you attack her, then I'll... I'll have to... Houjun, please, just stop it! I don't want to have to choose sides."

Chichiri frowned at the girl, her eyes and lips trembling against tears, then at the woman behind her, hands clapped to her mouth, looking like anything but a merciless dictator. His arms dropped back to his sides. "I won't fight her now, Mae-chan, but I won't let your mistress hurt anyone else either. If she attacks us, I _will_ stop her." He grimaced, as if it physically hurt him to say the rest. "Even if I have go through you to do it."

Setsuka pressed a hand to Mizu's shoulder. "W-what are you doing here?"

He slipped on his mask. "I was just leaving no da. Enjoy your life as an exile." Chichiri shot another pleading look at Mizu, a look that penetrated through his mask. "I sincerely hope we don't have to meet again." And then he was gone, leaving nothing but a faint trail of _ki_ in his wake.

The Element let out a long breath, at last letting herself relax. She looked to the shaking hand on her shoulder. "My Lady, are you all right? Hou... Chichiri's gone. You can let go of me now."

Setsuka drew her hand back like she'd burned it, tightening it around her necklace. "Yes, yes. Of course. Everything's fine now. It's fine." She straightened again, cold strength returning. "Impertinent intruder. Well, no matter. Shall we make dinner, Mizu-chan?"

The young Element watched as Setsuka turned and marched back into the mansion. Only after she'd disappeared did Mizu crumple to the ground, burying her face in her palms. "I can't fight either of them," she sobbed into her fists. "So what in heaven's name am I going to do?"

oOo

"...And now I'm back no da."

"Hm." Hataku almost smiled. "So the RAFT finally had their revolt, did they? Furosaki and his gang ought to be happy to hear that."

Tasuki's fists bumped up and down against his thighs. "An' now she's in ridin' distance of th' palace... I could set out now an' have her b'fore th' night was over..." He saw Ritsuka's glare and waved her off. "Ah, relax Red, I ain't gonna do nothin', not without a strategy anyway. Even _I_ know it'd be suicide t'walk in there with that Mizu kid standin' guard."

Houki hugged her dozing son closer. "I must admit it is a bit frightening to think about. I suppose this means the war is nearing an end."

The Konan Warriors felt their eyes snaking almost automatically to Chichiri, waiting for him to say something reassuring, but the monk remained silent. After some hesitation, Kiori pressed her hand to his arm. "There isn't anything you could have done, short of knocking her out and dragging her back here. Mae-chan will be all right. None of us are going to hurt her, and I don't think Setsuka would do anything to her either."

"That's not what I'm worried about no da."

They waited for more, but when he didn't offer it, Ritsuka said, "So what now?"

Tasuki stood, cracking his back. "Now we go back t'playin' th' waitin' game, leastways 'till we c'n figure out a way to get th' bitch away from th' kid so we can strangle one an' save th' other." He nodded out the window. "It's kinda late fer a war council anyway. Might as well sleep on it. Who knows? Our next step might look obvious in th' mornin'."

oOo

"It _was_ obvious no da," Chichiri said as soon as he sat down to lunch the next afternoon. Military meetings and infirmary duties had kept most of them busy that morning, so it was the first meal the warriors had managed to take together. "What our next step should be, I mean. It came to me last night. I couldn't sleep, so I tried to at least put the sleeplessness to good use no da. And I think I've figured it out." The others motioned with their chopsticks for him to go on, so he looked to the empress. "Houki-sama, do you remember what your scroll said, about the caged bird leaving it's home no da? I think it might be time for you to do that again."

"Ehhh?" Kiori cried, at the same time Ritsuka snapped, "Are you out of your sutra-lovin' mind?"

"Normally I would be, but think about it like this no da. Setsuka is within a day's ride now, and only an eye-blink of a teleportation from the palace. I don't know if she could break the barrier, but I think that Mae-chan could no da. If Setsuka does decide to attack – and I think it's safe to say that she will, and soon – then Eiyou would be the most dangerous place in the nation for Houki-sama and Boshin-chan to be."

Houki frowned. "But where in the world would I go? As you both said, Setsuka is very close, and if she should choose to attack me then I would be completely bereft of your protection."

"Don't worry, I had a lot of time to think about that last night, and I think I've figured out the safest place no da." He took a breath, then smiled. "Shoutei, the capital city of Takkan."

Kiori and Ritsuka fell out of their chairs and Houki's chopsticks slipped out of her hand, but Tasuki just grinned, shaking his head in admiration. "Damn. That's so crazy, it's actually brilliant." The others all stared at him, demanding an explanation. Tasuki spread his hands. "Now that Takkan's chucked Setsuka out, it's one of the last places she's gonna wanna go. Not only that, but th' RAFT'd welcome a Konan Warrior with open arms."

"Plus," Chichiri went on, "there's still an Element in Takkan no da. I think that might be the one you have to claim, Houki-sama." He saw Kiori stiffen, so he hurriedly added, "Not that you'd have to kill him. From what Kiori and Hataku have told us, he's on our side now, so you shouldn't have any problems no da."

"Well, I suppose that makes sense..."

Ritsuka shook her head, crossing her arms over her chest. "It does, but I think you're forgetting one tiny detail, Chichiri." She held up a finger. "Even on horseback, Takkan is still days away. Between point A and point B, Houki-sama could get into a whole mess of trouble. And I don't think having you or Tasuki leaving the palace to act as her bodyguard would be the best plan either."

Silence settled on the table. Then a slow, sneaky smile hit Tasuki's lips. "But what if she didn't have t'go alone? What if we sent her out with some-a th' best soldiers in th' palace? And as an added bonus, what if those soldiers even knew their way around the Takkan capital?"

Chichiri sweatdropped. "That's so crazy, it's actually brilliant no da."

"Oh." Ritsuka slumped. "Well, I guess that does make the most sense. They're always talking about how homesick they are anyway... and you really would be safe with them, Houki-sama. They're goofballs, but they can kick ass when they have to."

Houki sighed. "I suppose I have no choice. My son's safety is far more important than my personal sanity." She nodded, blowing on her tea. "After we eat, we shall speak with them. If they decide to accompany me to my destination, then Boshin-chan and I will leave as soon as we are able."

Kiori giggled. "I wonder how our soldiers are gonna take the news?"

oOo

"Wahoo! We're goin' home!"

"Ya mean it? Honest, we're goin' back t'Takkan?"

"_Oh there's a long long road between me and my darling  
But I'm narrowin' that distance day by day..."_

Houki stifled a giggle behind her sleeve, interrupting Kirei mid-verse. "Am I to take that as a 'yes'?"

The female rebel offered a bow. "I can speak for everyone present when I say that we'd be delighted to be your bodyguards, Houki-sama. However," she glanced to Yuki, who was standing under an awning and talking to Ritsuka, "there's one idiot who I can't vouch for."

"But settin' ugly-mug t'the side fer a sec – an' b'lieve me, I wish I c'd do that permanently – when do ya need us ta leave?" Tori asked.

"As soon as you are able."

Kirei and Tori exchanged glances. "Guess we should say our goodbyes first, then."

The group took a breath, then said as one, "_Sayonara, _everyone!"

Tori whirled and raced for the stables, the other rebels on his heels. "I call th' pretty chestnut mare, that'n's a great ride!"

"Last one saddled up has to cook tonight!"

"Yikes, but what if Sen winds up bein' last?"

"Then we all die of poisoned food and don't have to worry about explaining to Kita 'n' Aji why we deserted th' army."

"Here's hopin' fer poisoned food, mates!"

Houki looked to the seishi, about to speak, but Yuki and Ritsuka returned to the group, Yuki strolling just a step or two in front. He had a wary smile on his face, as if he wanted to be happy but wasn't quite sure if it was appropriate. Ritsuka just looked confused. "I take it the others already accepted your proposal, Your Majesty?" She nodded. Yuki sighed. "Then I'd best be off, otherwise they'll be arguing about horses 'till sunrise."

Yuki turned to the other warriors, offering them one of his more elaborate bows. "The freed nation of Takkan awaits. I suppose I shouldn't keep her waiting. Chichiri-sama, Tasuki-sama, Kiori-san... Ritsuka." Their eyes met for a second before he looked to the others again, still with a smile. "It has been a pleasure. I will send my dear brother and his lovely lady your most heartfelt regards, and I truly hope that we will meet again."

"Take care of yourself, Yun," Ritsuka said.

His smile faltered. "You as well, Ritchan." He slapped his hands to his knees and stood, grin in place once again. "Well, I'm off! We'll meet you at the western gates as soon as you are ready, Majesty."

And with one last Takkan salute he was off, chasing after his friends with all the fervor of a knight errant. Kiori glanced at Ritsuka to gauge her reaction, but the redhead just watched him with a little half-smile, neither sad nor happy, just accepting. Kiori wanted to ask her about it, but Houki had already turned to face them. "I suppose I should not keep my companions waiting." She bowed to the other Warriors, nudging Boshin to do the same. "I shall stay in Takkan for as long as necessary, and return when I hear that Setsuka has been defeated. Farewell, and stay safe, my friends."

Boshin waved the chubby hand that wasn't attached to his stuffed bear. "Bye-bye Uncle Chichiri, Auntie Kiori, Uncle Hataku, Auntie Ritsuka, Uncle Tasu…" The seishi bandit waited hopefully. "Uncle Tasuki-Scaryface!"

Tasuki sweatdropped. "Ah, why do I even bother?"

Hataku shifted uncomfortably. "Houki-sama, may I ask a favor?" She motioned for him to go on. "When you get to Takkan, would you mind sending word to my mother and sister? To let them know I'm safe? If it's not too much trouble, I mean."

"No trouble at all. And will you, in turn, do _me_ a favor as well?"

"Gladly."

Houki pointed an accusing finger at her Konan allies, turning chibi for one of the first times in her life. "Make sure that these four do not perform any acts of wanton self-destruction while I am gone! I really fear that they will kill one another _and_ themselves once I leave, so I must put someone with a level head in charge."

The quartet face-vaulted. "Are we really that untrustworthy?"

"Oh yes, quite!" Houki smiled, waving a mitten hand at her friends. "Well, I suppose I should be going now. I hope to see you all again soon. Come along, Boshin-chan, we still need to prepare our luggage, and we don't want to keep our escorts waiting."

Hataku was the only one left standing among the face-vaulted warriors, looking horribly amused as the empress departed.

oOo

"So Ritsuka," Kiori said once the remaining four warriors had slipped away from the impromptu send-off ceremony, "what did you and Yuki talk about?"

"Oh..." She smiled weakly. "He asked me if I wanted to go to Takkan with him." Kiori's jaw dropped. Tasuki tried very hard to look uninterested. "Yeah, it freaked me out a little, too. I didn't realize he was that serious." She chuckled. "Actually, I don't think he really was. I think he just knew it was the chivalrous thing to do, and I get the feeling he's kinda been raised on chivalry."

"Well," Tasuki grumbled, "why didn't you do it?"

Ritsuka looked at her hands. "I don't really know. I mean, he was a nice guy. I liked him, but... I dunno. I guess I just wanted to be in Konan more than I wanted to be with him." She shrugged, lacing her hands behind her head. "Anyway, you guys need me to protect you from Setsuka. It would've been cruel for me to ditch you.

"It's no big deal," she insisted, even though no one had said anything. "No broken hearts or anything. We had fun, and now it's over. Simple as that. I'm already over it."

Kiori shot her a sidelong glance. "You wanna have a sleepover tonight?"

Ritsuka caved like an avalanche, throwing her arms around Kiori's neck. "Omigod, yes! Please! Beer, dancing, action movies, pillow fights, and every kind of junk food we can find! If I'm going to die alone and unloved then I might as well get good and fat while I'm at it!"

Kiori looked over Ritsuka's head at the two seishi, rolling her eyes. "She'll be fine, we just need to have a pity party. I'll see you both tomorrow, okay?"

"Sure. Feel better no da."

"I feel fiiiiiine...!" Ritsuka insisted, still clinging to her friend as Kiori walked down the promenade, dragging them both out of sight.

Tasuki sighed. Chichiri couldn't help but shoot him a small smile. "This must be a relief to you no da."

"Yeah, I'm glad we figgered out a way ta keep Houki-sama an' Boshin-chan safe." Chichiri sweatdropped. Tasuki blinked. "What?"

"I'm trying to decide if you're acting stupid, or if you just _are_ stupid no da."

"Eh?"

He sighed. "Never mind." He glanced toward the sun, just now touching the top of the western wall. "Well, I'm not quite ready to retire to my room no da. Think I'll take a walk to clear my head. Care to come along?"

"Sure. I'm feelin' kinda restless myself."

They set off, though not in silence. "About anything in particular no da?"

"Not really. Jus' the war. An' Houki-sama. D'you really think she'll be safe? There's still those Element repercussions she's gotta worry about."

"Houki-sama will be fine no da. She's the one I'm least worried about."

"Yeah, it's us here in th' thick-a things that gotta watch ourselves, huh?" Tasuki chuckled. "So it's back t'the first four. Ya think that's unlucky?" He went on before the monk could answer. "Kinda went full circle though, didn't it? This whole thing started with you, me, an' the girls, after all." (2)

Chichiri's hands clenched at his sides. "It'll begin _and_ end with four. I'll make sure of that no da."

"Don't put all yer money on it," Tasuki muttered. He glanced away, watching the summer breeze trickling its way through the trees. "You've... figgered it out too, haven't ya? About th' Elements? Hell, I bet you figgered it out back when I beat Taiyou." Chichiri nodded. "Then... you know what's gonna happen... doncha?"

"It doesn't have to." He turned their steps off the walkway and towards the pond. "There are countless possible outcomes to every situation, you know that no da." Chichiri sighed, voice lowering to a whisper. "Though, if all the outcomes are bad ones..."

Tasuki jerked to a halt, staring at his friend. "Y'know, you been sayin' weird oracle-y things fer a while now. D'you know somethin' the rest of us don't, 'Chiri?"

He shook his head, taking off again and forcing Tasuki to keep up. "No. I don't _know_ anything, not for certain. I'm just... frightened, is all. For you. Ritsuka. Kiori. Mae-chan. Myself. It's making it difficult to be optimistic. No da."

Tasuki couldn't think of anything to say to that, so they walked in silence for a while, circling the pond slowly, neither particularly eager to return to their rooms for the night. As they reached the ivy-covered gazebo where they'd had their infamous water fight so many weeks ago, Tasuki stopped, pressing his hands against the railing.

"Y'know somethin'?" he said. "I'm scared, too. Maybe not fer th' same reasons, but yeah. When I take a second ta really think about it, I can't remember th' last time I was this scared."

Chichiri leaned against the railing to Tasuki's right, eyes on the water while his friend's drifted to the skies. The bandit took a breath. "Hey. Th' other day, after you went to Taikyoku-zan, you started ta ask somethin' but then didn't. 'Why d'you think...' you said, an' then ya stopped. It's been buggin' me ever since. How's that question s'posed ta end, 'Chiri?"

At first Tasuki thought Chichiri was going to ignore him. But then he slipped off his mask, holding it between his hands and staring at the soft material. "Why do you think..." He took a breath. "Why do you think it's so much harder this time? With this seven? With this war?"

"Harder?" Tasuki snorted. "Maybe it's harder fer _you_, but I cut my eyeteeth on that seishi journey. Or did you ferget th' ass-kickin' in Kutou, th' cryin' in th' Hokkan snow, th' cryin in' the Sairou temple, th' almost-dyin' in the desert, th' almost-dyin' in a foreign world, an' that little water-possession-followed-by-settin'-myself-on-fire bit with Tenkou?"

Chichiri said nothing, waiting, and eventually Tasuki quieted down, frowning softly. "But yeah," he said. "I know what you mean. Maybe it's 'cause we're th' ones in charge this time. All that responsibility's gotta come with some weights attached, I figure. Or maybe it's jus' 'cause, with the seishi battles, it was like – I mean, all of us 'cept Miaka had known fer _years_ that it was gonna happen. I think without realizin' it we'd all sorta prepared ourselves for dyin'. So when it actually happened, sure, it hurt like hell, but somehow it wasn't a surprise, not really."

Tasuki's hands clenched against the railing. "I wasn't ready fer this one, though. None of us was. Koji 'n' Aoi-kun didn't have any warnin' th' way th' seishi did. Th' war just happened. An' when it did, it wasn't just a slap in th' face – it was a goddamned spear." He fingered the headband wrapped around his wrist. "An' it's still bleedin', too.

"Or maybe," he added quietly, glancing at his friend, "we jus' feel like we've got more ta lose this time around."

"Ritsuka?"

"Kiori," Tasuki corrected. "An' not just her. Me 'n' Red 'n' that Mae-chan girl, too. That's why yer so scared, ain't it? 'Cause it ain't about the big picture stuff fer you this time, like it was with summonin' Suzaku. This time it's about savin' people you couldn't stand ta lose. _Na_?"

Chichiri smiled grimly. "And sometimes you're not stupid at all no da."

"So why so upset? Whenever I'm in a shitty mood, thinkin' about protectin' you guys is always what cheers me up again. Ain't that somethin' ta clench yer fist an' get excited about?"

"I don't know."

"How can you _not_?"

"Because I haven't..." He struggled to find the words. "At the monastery, they teach us to practice non-attachment, and for the past ten years I've been trying to do that. By the time you met me I'd actually gotten pretty good at it no da." He pressed a hand to his temple. "For Suzaku's sake, back at the Kutou Palace I was willing to hide like a coward and let you _die_ just so I could protect the priestess. I'm not sure if it gets more detached than that."

"Oi, 'Chiri, I don't—"

"Blame me, I know. But you also can't tell me you'd have done the same thing. I'm not sure if any of the others would have either no da. And maybe my ability to remove myself _from_ myself – to think like a god, you could say – is the reason we didn't all die that day, but that doesn't excuse what I did. Which is why I've been meaning to apologize for it. You've proven yourself time and again a better friend than I ever have no da. So thank you. And I'm sorry."

Tasuki rubbed at the back of his head. "Er, it's really fine... an' I get what yer sayin' I guess, but y'know, ya don't seem that way anymore. Not so much, anyway." He chuckled. "Hell, sometimes I even think ya kinda like me. Y'know, on my good days."

"That's what frightens me."

"Hey, I happen t'be a pretty likeable guy, I'll have you know."

Chichiri almost laughed. "That's not what I mean." His half-smile slipped into a frown again. "What I'm feeling right now – panicked, angry, helpless, terrified – it's the most _attached_ I've felt in years. It feels like it did with... with what happened with Hikou. And that scares me. A lot. I know I'm not a child anymore. I can control myself now no da. But even so, I'm worried that, when Setsuka _does_ attack... if I have to choose between saving Konan or saving one of those important people, then..."

"So save 'em both." Chichiri glanced up, staring at Tasuki's confident grin. "Konan. The important person. Save 'em both. Save all of it. Why th' hell not? Yer a goddamned Celestial Warrior. Who's t' tell you that you've gotta choose?"

The grin was contagious. Chichiri felt it on his face before had a chance to stop it. "Oh? And what about you? Talking about the Elements as if you don't have a say in what happens no da." He cocked his head, teasing. "Or are you starting to take after a stupid monk you know, who likes to give good advice but doesn't know how to follow any of it himself?"

Tasuki laughed. "Guess you got a point there." He held out his hand. "All right, 'Chiri. Let's do it. Let's you 'n' me be storybook heroes. We'll beat th' bad guys, save th' country, get th' girl an' live happily ever after. Deal?"

He hesitated, then clasped his friend's hand, surprised to feel yet another chunk of weight slip off his shoulders. "Deal no da. And Tasuki?"

"You thank me again an' I'll deck you."

"Da... then never mind."

"That's what I thought."

oOo

"_'The two friends shared another quiet smile, a smile that made promises neither was sure they could keep. Then they turned with twin courage-gathering breaths and returned to their rooms to await the dawn – and whatever new challenges it might bring.'_" Yui took a breath, giving herself time to digest what felt like a waterfall of new developments. "End Chapter Thirty-Three."

-  
Tasuki: Th' Konan Warriors have been scattered, but th' war ain't over yet. As Houki-sama sets off fer Takkan, th' four of us at th' palace prepare ourselves for the final fight against Setsuka. It'd prob'ly be a lot easier if we weren't all so worried about everythin'... ah, maybe a little fightin'll loosen me up! C'mon, 'Chiri, it might do you some good too!

Us folks in Konan ain't th' only ones with heavy stuff on our minds. As the exiled Lady of Takkan struggles t' find a new route to victory, her last loyal Element is left alone to fight with memories an' regrets. An' in the Takkan capital itself, the RAFT settles inta th' palace, an'... Hey! Look who's come back!

The Next Episode of _Fushigi Yuugi: The Next Chapter_: "Splintering Paths – In Honor of Lost Yesterdays."

Looks like things're finally comin' to a head...  
-

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**Notes:**  
(1) _Minshuu no Uta _(民衆の歌) - Literally, "Song the People," it's the Japanese title for "Do You Hear the People Sing?" from _Les Miserables_. And yes, there's a Japanese version of the musical. YouTube it sometime if you're curious. :)  
(2) Unlucky #4 – As a rather paranoid character from one of my original stories put it: "Four is _shi _in Japanese and _si _in Chinese, which also means death when you spell it like this 死 instead of like this 四, which makes it one of the Bad Numbers." Tasuki is commenting on this superstition.

**Ye Olde Author's Note: July 23rd, 2010**  
Ni-hao, minna-san!  
So I think it's safe to say that this is the most epic episode I have ever written. I still can't believe that I managed to fit an entire revolution into 20 pages. The RAFT are sort of awesome like that, though. And did anybody else actually cheer when they took the palace? Because I kind of did while I was writing it. I also alternated between humming "Do you Hear the People Sing?" and "Red and Black," both rousing revolution tunes from _Les Miserables_. I happen to be a showtune nerd myself, so I really couldn't resist sneaking that reference into the opening sequence. And since there actually is a Japanese Cast Recording of _Les Mis_ (it's an international musical phenomenon, doncha know), it made something like sense for our Tokyo Book Club to know the little ditty. I hope that those of you who've seen the musical were humming along. As for those of you who haven't... what are you waiting for? It's only the best musical in the history of _ever_. Find a nearby theatre and make your lives more cultured, STAT!

I promised more RAFT Mini-Profiles, and who better to tackle next than the Unholy Trinity?

**Mini-Profile: Furosaki Yuki**  
Age: 21  
Height: 6'0"  
Weight: 165 lbs  
Birthplace: Shoutei, the capital city of Takkan  
Hair: Teal, about shoulder-length; very neat, nearly always in a topknot  
Eyes: Green

Yuki, who may have lost some fans these past couple chapters (_sweat_), does have a lot in common with his brother, but beyond their singing and acting abilities the two have very different talents that I think have shaped them in very different ways. Yuki is the more athletic and extroverted of the two, prone to "doing" instead of just "planning," which has made him a more natural leader than his brother. Whereas Aji always seems to be acting a part, Yuki means nearly everything he says. His friends tease him pretty mercilessly about it, but he's not arrogant so much as he is confident – he knows what he's good at, and he has no problem admitting it.  
I kind of love Yuki, though maybe not as much as I love his brother, and I think that if he can get through the war without Setsuka, Hataku or Tasuki killing him (_laughs_), he'll probably go on to become a very successful bureaucrat in Takkan. The gods know he has both the brains _and_ the confidence for it.

**Mini-Profile: Takada Kirei  
**Age: 20  
Height: 5'3"  
Weight: 119 lbs  
Birthplace: Shoutei, the capital city of Takkan  
Hair: Rust-brown, falls to the middle of her back, usually bundled at the base of her neck.  
Eyes: Grey

Kirei, the only female RAFT member in Konan, joined the army as a cook so she could look after her two "mates," Yuki and Tori. The most grounded of the Unholy Trinity, she's always willing to bring the other two back to reality, calling Yuki out on his boasting or following Tori's smart remark with a comeback of her own. She never seems to get upset, but rather takes everything in stride with a smile and an eye roll. And while her friends might not realize it, her deft handling of their eccentricities is probably why they've survived as long as they have.

**Mini-Profile: Yoh Tori  
**Age: 19  
Height: 5'8"  
Weight: 145 lbs  
Birthplace: Sanda, a farming community outside the Takkan capital  
Hair: Dark fern, almost black; messy bangs that fall into his face; falls to just above his shoulders in the back, held back in a low, skinny ponytail  
Eyes: Brown

Tori was a wonderful accident, the "Impudent Takkan Soldier" who slowly became an actual character. When I first wrote _FY:NC_, I wasn't planning on putting RAFT members in the Takkan army. Then I realized that Tori _was_ one, and that his _taii_ friend was Aji's brother, and... well, everything sort of went from there. They kind of spring up out of nowhere in the original, but I made it a point to make their appearance more gradual in the rewrite, something I'm quite happy about, since I love writing for these guys.

But back to Tori. Simply put, his character image was "a smartass," and that pretty much remained constant. He treats life like a joke, refusing to let anyone take themselves too seriously. This has a lot to do with the advice Aji gave him (see his chat with Akai in Episode 29 for details). Perhaps Tori took it a bit _too_ much to heart, but it's kept him cheerful throughout the tragedies that have befallen him and his fellow RAFT members, and – though they'd rather die than admit it – I'm sure it's helped keep his friends cheerful as well. He's a good guy. He just doesn't know when to keep his mouth shut. :)

Guess that's all the chatter I've got for today. Thanks to Ayriel, White Phoenix, inuphantom, antyem, and Kea for reviewing (and Virginia Wolfe for the review-by-PM). I hope this plot-packed episode was to your liking, and I'll see ya'll again in another couple of weeks!

Cheers! –Dee


	34. Episode Thirty Four: Splintering Paths

_**Disclaimer**_**:** I still don't own Konan, Suzaku and all characters and seishi pertaining to them. Kiori and Ritsuka are and shall forever be mine, and that holds for all the other "originals" (you'll know 'em when they appear, trust me). Obviously the story is mine as well.

_**Rating:**_ PG-13, for moderate language and violence.

**Musical Selection: **Nothing major this time around, just some old classics. "It's Only the Fairy Tale" makes a comeback for the Mizu scene and "Shuurei's Theme" works well for any outdoor eating scene (yeah, there's more than one). And I didn't bother posting it on my blog, but pretty much any _Final Fantasy_ battle music works great for the fight scenes. I've been using _FFXIII_ simply because I love that soundtrack, but you can pick your favorite and have fun. :)

**Previously on **_**Fushigi Yuugi: The Next Chapter**_**...**  
-The RAFT and the Takkan palace ministers worked together to overthrow Setsuka, forcing her and Mizu to flee the palace. The pair took up residence in an abandoned mansion just north of Eiyou.  
-Concerned for the empress' safety, Chichiri suggests that Houki and Boshin take refuge in Takkan's capital (the safest place from Setsuka at this point) until the war ends. The pair leave Konan with the RAFT soldiers (Yuki, Kirei, and Tori among them) serving as their bodyguards.

_So I just finished _A Very Potter Sequel_, and I'm pretty sure I'll be singing songs from both it and the original _Potter Musical _for the rest of the summer, if not the rest of the year. It made _Entertainment Weekly's_ "must list," so I certainly hope it made yours. And if you have no idea what I'm talking about... well, you really should. It's about the most magical fan-based creation in the history of ever. Just go to YouTube and search for "A very potter musical." You'll soon be singing along too, I promise._

_

* * *

_

**-Episode Thirty-Four: Splintering Paths-  
In Honor of Lost Yesterdays**

Yui passed the book over to a yawning Keisuke, who took a moment to study the thickness of the remaining pages. "Well, well, chapter thirty-four. Any idea how many are left?"

She chuckled, shaking her head. "Nope, and I don't think there's any way to find out – if we skipped ahead, I imagine we'd just run into a bunch of blank pages."

"Guess the best way to find out is to keep going." Keisuke set his finger to the first character, smiling to himself. "Oh, you're gonna like how this one starts off: _' Not a cloud could be seen that summer morning, the sun shedding its light indiscriminately upon Konan and Takkan citizens alike. As warriors and rebels attended to their days, a young traveler standing somewhere between them surveyed the rolling plains, eyes shifting across her four horizons...'_

oOo

"Guess this is as good a place as any to take my breakfast," the traveler said to herself, plopping down on the bluff and reaching into her knapsack. She dug around until she pulled out a sweet bun, munching on it as she turned this way and that, enjoying the scenery. She sipped at her water skin and frowned, noting its lightness. "Mm, I'm running low." She hefted her knapsack in her other hand, testing its weight. "Light on supplies, too. Guess I'll have to stop in a town sometime soon. Now, which way should I...?"

She stood again, slapping her hands to her thighs. "Only one way to find out." She drew her sword from the sheath on her back, admiring the new steel as it shimmered in the sunlight. She rubbed a finger along the blue sapphire set in the hilt, smiling softly to herself. "Okay, Aoji, you've steered me this far. Point me to my next stop."

She set the blade point first against the ground and let go. The sword didn't hesitate, but keeled right over, its hilt pointing to the north. She shook her head. "Always that way. Guess the spirits are trying to tell me something." She heaved a good-natured sigh, retrieving her sword once again. "You're the boss, I guess. Takkan it is! It ought to reach the capital by tomorrow, if I keep a good pace..."

Yamada Akai, former Palace Champion and Konan Warrior, sheathed her feather-light blade and took off down the path, skipping here and there as she hummed a bandit song that she still didn't know the words to.

OOo

Mizu sat in the abandoned mansion's courtyard, shaded from the blistering sun by the leaves of a magnolia tree. She had a book between her hands, eyes narrowed in concentration, but after a moment she just sighed and set it down. Her blue crystal hummed at her ear and she cupped it forward, cradling it between her hands. "Sorry, I don't mean to worry you. It's just that I'm so lonely these days. At least before I had others to talk to, even if Taiyou-san and Tsuki-san were kinda scary, but now there's nobody. Even Setsuka-sama's off somewhere, trying to get her plans straightened out."

The green crystal thumped her ear, vibrating soothingly against her neck. She shook her head. "It's okay. She seemed stable enough this morning. Kept talking about her new strategy against Konan." Mizu cuddled the blue crystal, letting her head tilt sideways to rest against the green one. "But I don't want to think about that right now. About her, and Houjun..."

She felt tears trying to come up and she hurriedly pushed them back. She stared at the blue gem between her hands, lips curling in frustration. "Oh, if only I'd never been born with you. If I'd just been a normal girl, then none of this would have happened." She clenched the blue crystal between her hands, ignoring its humming whimper of pain as her grip tightened, threatening to crack it...

vVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVv

"Oh, Houjun-san, you're timing is perfect." Mae's adopted mother took his hand and all but dragged him up the stairs to Mae's room. "We're so worried about her, and I think you might be the only person who can help."

"What happened no da?" he asked, fumbling to take off his hat in the low-ceilinged stairwell.

"Raiders attacked our farm the other day. They had the three of us holed up in the main room, and I thought for sure they were going to kill us, when out of nowhere Mae-chan started screaming. Those crystals of hers screamed with her, and..." She swallowed, hesitating outside her adopted daughter's room. "Well, let's just say it took us a day to clean their blood from the walls."

Houjun swallowed. "I always knew there was something about those gems, but to have that much power..."

"Mm, and poor Mae-chan's been holed up in her room ever since. Maybe you could so something for her. You're special yourself, after all."

"I suppose that's true no da. I'll see what I can do."

"Suzaku bless you, Houjun-san." She held open the door for him, waiting until he'd slipped through before leaving the two alone.

Mae lay curled in a ball in the middle of her bed, her face turned towards the open window. Her green and blue crystals hummed fitfully at her sides.

"Mae-chan?" he called, tiptoeing inside. "It's good to see you again no da."

"Did Haha-ue tell you?" Her voice was hoarse with tears. "About what happened?"

"Yes." He took a seat on the edge of her bed and slipped off his mask. "I understand that you must be horrified. But listen, Mae-chan, power like that isn't necessarily—"

"NO!" she wailed, curling up tighter when his hand fell on her shoulder. "I murdered those men, Houjun, _me_! I don't know how, but these crystals, they just—" She sat up suddenly, snatching the green one out of the air. "They're evil! They must be, I just know it, and that means that I'm evil too!" She squeezed it in her hand, wincing as its sharp edges sliced open her palm. "I want them to disappear – I want them to just _die_!"

She slammed the crystal against the wall, giving a shout of triumph as a long crack opened up along its side. The crystal shrieked and a moment later Mae shrieked with it as her left arm crumpled upwards like an accordion, the bones snapping as easy as dried tinder. She screamed again, releasing the crystal so she could clutch at her shattered arm. She felt her knees give out, had just enough time to see Houjun dive forward to catch her, and then her eyes rolled backwards and she fell into darkness.

Mae woke up to find her left arm in a sling and her green crystal buzzing in front of her face, a comical bandage slapped to its cracked side. She batted it away with her free hand, then struggled into a sitting position. Her eyes immediately landed on Houjun sleeping beside her, his body in a chair but his arms and head curled up beside her pillow. She smiled, pressing her hand to the scarred side of his face. "Onii-chan."

His good eye fluttered open sleepily, but he jerked awake as soon as he saw her sitting over him."Mae-chan! You're all right!"

She smiled weakly. "I guess so."

"Oh, gods, I was so worried. You were out for a full two days, and I thought..." Houjun trailed off, enveloping her in a hug. "Those crystals don't just follow you, they _are_ you, no da. You can't get rid of them anymore than you can get rid out your heart. You could have _killed_ yourself doing that."

"I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"Neither did I until now. When you cracked that one, I felt... it was like your _ki_ was being ripped apart. Those things are vessels for your life force. And Mae-chan, I'd never taken a good look at it before, but your life force is _bursting_ with spiritual power no da."

"Like yours?"

"More than mine. It's amazing."

"Amazing..." She tried to smile, but it turned into a whimper. "It's scary. Being able to do what I did back there. Do you ever get scared, when you use your powers?"

"I did at first. Maybe I still do, a little. But I've gotten a lot better at controlling it, so it's not so bad anymore no da." He pulled away, still clasping her shoulders in his hands. He smiled, but without the mask to help him it was still the same pained smile he'd been forcing since the flood. "I've come a long way in my studies no da. I could teach you how to use that power, if you want me to."

"I don't want to kill anyone again. Not even on accident." She grabbed his hand in her unbroken one, smiling as she pumped it up and down. "Okay, Sensei! When do we start?"

Houjun chuckled. "Can't keep you down for long no da." He hugged her again. "Before we begin, though, can you promise me something? I know that sometimes gifts can feel like curses, especially the kind of gifts that can do as much good as they can evil no da. But even if it's painful, and even if you hate what the gods have given you, please don't ever break those crystals." She felt him shudder against her. "I don't want to lose the only thing I've got left no da."

She pressed her head into the folds of his _kesa_, returning the embrace. Somehow she thought that he needed it more than she did, now. "Okay, Houjun. I promise."

vVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVv

Mizu sighed, releasing the blue crystal once again. "No, I wouldn't really hurt you. I made a promise to him that I wouldn't." She let her head thump back against the tree trunk and her gaze unfocus on the leafy canopy. "Not that promises mean anything around here anymore... Oh, Setsuka-sama, please get well soon."

oOo

The central courtyard of the Takkan Palace hummed with life that afternoon as civilians and officials alike milled about, moving between the inner buildings and the outer facilities as they delivered missives, shared meals, reunited with family members, or simply paused to gawk at the architecture. Yet for all the bustle, the focal point of the storm was not the courtyard itself, but rather a pitched tent set up on the grass between the courtyard and the gardens – and, more particularly than that, on the two people within it.

Kita stood at the entrance like a bodyguard, hands resting on her hips when they weren't gesturing from one end of the palace to the other, directing the Takkan citizens who approached her.

"Still no sign o' Setsuka? – may she die a thousand deaths. Like as not she's flown th' coop, but best t'keep y'patrols a-goin', Kazu-kun. Y' needs any 'elp jus' tell 'at new Guard Captain, Shin-wot's-'is-name.

"Bringin' food t'th' pot, eh? 'Ead north 'till y'smell cookin' an' follow y'nose. Blind gel 'n' 'er mum'll be at th' entrance, they'll take y'name an' y'donation an' getcha somefin' 'ot t' eat. Run along, now, I've no time t'be listenin' to y' belly growlin'.

"No, no, you'll keep those main gates open as long as I says ta! We's welcomin' ever'un t'the palace this week, gots t'send a message of equality, like.

"H'oh no, Bu-dono, Kou-dono, don' ye be comin' t'me wit' no papers! If it ain't figures f'buyin' 'n' sellin' then I can't read it. Best be on y'way inside, it's me 'usband ye'll be wantin'. Oi, Aji, comp'ny for ya."

Aji glanced up from a pile of papers as Kita stepped aside, allowing Minister Kou and Vice-Minister Bu entrance to the tent. He dropped his brush back into its ink well and set his papers to the side, struggling into a more upright position on the mound of pillows that served as his seat. He flashed them a smile full of carefree charm, and despite his pallid face and the sling that held his bandaged right hand, he looked more cheerful than he had in weeks.

"Good morning, ministers! And how did the meeting go?"

"Surprisingly smoothly," Kou said with a strained smile. "However, business took longer than expected, so we haven't been able to review your reform proposals just yet. Bu-dono and I will examine them tonight before meeting with the council. For the moment, though," he nodded to Vice-Minister Bu, who handed the injured rebel a roll of paper, "we have the list of nominees for the new ruler of Takkan, as per your request."

Aji scowled as he struggled to untie the document with his single hand. "Terrible bother, these war wounds. A shame the one who bit my hand wasn't a more fickle loyalist, isn't it?" He waved the ministers on before they could offer sympathy."Well, no matter. Your doctors and their miracle elixirs have left me largely pain-free and healing quickly, or so they promise. By the by, those didn't happen to be the Element-made medicines, did they?"

"Essentially, yes, though Tsuchi hasn't made them in months. Everything we have now was crafted by Setsuka. We'll be out before too long, I regret to say."

"Tsuchi?" Aji blinked. "Isn't he the one in the basement room? I believe a maidservant mentioned that yesterday, though I was feeling rather woozy so I could be mistaken."

"You're not, and he is, but..." Bu rubbed the back of his head. "Well, the boy's not in any condition to be doing work, magical or otherwise. Setsuka hasn't treated him kindly, it seems."

"Pity. I'll have to visit him soon, see if we can't remedy that. Sa!" He slipped his bandaged hand from its sling and pinched the bottom of the scroll between his thumb and forefinger, at last spreading the paper across his lap. "Here we are. Let's see... Kou-dono, I don't see your name on here."

"I'm quite happy where I am, thank you," he replied rather stiffly. "Besides, we decided at the meeting not to nominate anyone from the capital's inner ranks. Favoring one could stir resentment among the others, and the last thing we want is to incite another revolt. Better to bring in a fresh face."

"A sound idea. Are they in any particular order?"

"Well..." Bu grinned wryly, leaning over and pointing down the list. "Our second, third, fifth, and sixth choices, respectively."

Aji glanced up. "What happened to one and four?"

"Er, sorry, it's a bit of a joke," Bu explained. "At the meeting, all the old fellows kept saying how much they wished Hataku-sama were still alive. I'm sure you didn't have much love for him, being a rebel and all, but we all saw how deftly he handled Setsuka. I've never seen a man walk the line between loyalty and morality as well as he did."

"Helped me wheedle half her prisoners out of the cells, citing legal technicalities, and always knowing to catch Setsuka in a good mood when he mentioned them," Kou added. "I always thought there was something of the subtle genius in him, the way he understood both the politics and the people of things. Losing him in the war was a blow that Takkan won't soon forget."

Aji chuckled to himself. "Oh, you'd be surprised how quickly nations forget such things. But leaving our first choice in Konan for the moment, where he should be... this Kou Anrin sounds familiar. Why do I know that name?"

"She's the female governor from Seida Province," Minister Kou said. "The first female official in Takkan history, in fact. That's probably why you've heard of her. She's shrewd, sympathetic, and has quite a head for numbers. Seida Province is the only area that can boast economic gains since Setsuka came to power. All-in-all, Kou-dono would make an excellent choice." He chuckled. "And I'm not just saying that because she's my younger sister."

"The lady governor, that's right. Toushi-sama truly did have some progressive ideas, didn't he?"

Kou snorted. "He did, but that wasn't one of them. Toushi-sama never would have allowed it, despite my sister's countless petitions. It was his daughter who finally nagged him into it."

"_Setsuka_?" Aji yelped, so surprised that he almost forgot to add, "May she die a thousand deaths."

"Mm. You wouldn't know it now, but we had high hopes for that girl. Not much patience for playing politics, but she was full of ideas, and enough boldness to make them work, too." Kou's face darkened. "Then her father passed away and she attacked that Elemental legend like a woman possessed. Even Hataku-sama was estranged from her, and it was no secret that those two had been lovers for years."

Kita face-vaulted in the doorway. Aji chuckled. "If you're going to eavesdrop, love, then you may as well come inside."

"I 'eard 'female gov'nuh' an' took an interest," she admitted, righting herself and stepping inside. "Didn' 'spect ta 'ear this nonsense 'bout 'Ataku." She plopped down behind Aji, leaning her chin on his shoulder so she could see the list of names. "Well, reckon I'll f'give 'im for it. We all does dumb fings in our younger years. Now 'ere, 'oo's this third chap?"

"Governor Rou, a young man from the outer provinces," Kou said. "I don't know much about him myself, but he worked under the Minister of the Right before he was reassigned, and the minister had nothing but praise for him. His lineage is most impressive, can be traced right back to the younger son of a Hokkan Emperor."

Kita scoffed. "Yeah, that 'n' twelve _mon_'ll buy ye a bushel o' rice." She pointed to the next name, struggling to read the kanji. "An' th' fourth choice?"

"That's the fifth choice, love. Number Four isn't on the list."

"Ah, yes. That's another joke, actually, though this one's mine," Bu admitted. "A few of us younger fellows were talking about one of the military's captains. I'd only met him a few times – Hataku-sama sent him to some of our poetry competitions, said he wanted to see the looks on our faces when we were trounced by a peasant soldier – but there was something about him that always struck me as... sort of magnetic, I suppose. A bit young for the job, maybe, but he was awfully popular with the other ministers and myself. And he _did _trounce us in the competition, so I know he must have gotten an excellent education from somewhere." He shook his head. "He deserted the army a while ago, though, so it's irrelevant now." He chuckled. "Rumor has it that he's fighting for Konan now_. _A bit unfair, really, that Konan should take Hataku-sama _and_ Furosaki-taii, though in very different ways, I suppose."

"Furosaki... taii?" Aji felt his eyes shrink to marbles. "Sa... his first name wouldn't happen to be Yuki, would it?"

"Er, yes, actually. Is he a relative of yours?"

"Some days I wonder." Aji pressed hand to face, massaging his temples. "That idiot. He was supposed to be spying on our Takkan _enemies_, not our Konan friends."

Kita grinned, clapping him across the back. "Aw, chin up. I'm sure Yukkun's jus' fine, an' takin' care-a th' others jus' like 'im's promised. Y'don' needs t'worry about 'im so much."

He peered at her through his bangs, smiling crookedly. "Worry about _him_? Unlikely. I'm more worried about those poor Konan Warriors who had the naivete to welcome him and his companions into their home."

Kita raised an eyebrow. "Eh?"

"This _is_ the same gang of miscreants who once devoured an entire supply tent in one sitting, stole every Takkan soldier's uniform and tossed them in the compost heap, and sent Setsuka - may she die a thousand deaths - a rather graphic edict listing the many different things things one could shove up a certain body part," Aji reminded her. "And _that _was one of their slower months."

Kita sweatdropped. "May Suzaku 'ave mercy on their poor sanities."

oOo

Yuki looked down at his horse and sneezed.

Houki glanced at the young rebel. "Oh, dear. I hope you are not coming down with anything."

Tori sniggered. "Nah, someone's just talkin' about him b'hind his back. Happens all th' time ta our Yuki. I mean, with a face that hideous, it's kinda hard _not_ t'talk about it—" Yuki popped him over the head. "Yowch!"

"I'm quite all right, Houki-sama, though I appreciate the concern from so lovely a lady as yourself." Yuki's nose twitched and he sneezed again. "Hm, on second thought, perhaps I am catching something."

Sen looked up, frowning in mock concern. "You don't think it's the Hungrititus, do you?"

"Huh?" Boshin looked from one rebel to the other. "What's Hungri... hungri... what is that?"

Kirei pulled a mournful face. "Oh, it's a terrible, crippling illness, Emperor-chan. First it's the sneezes. Then your stomach starts to grumble and make all sorts of gruesome noises, like something's living inside of it." Yuki clutched his abdomen, moaning piteously. "Then you get these horrible headaches," Yuki doubled over, now holding his skull, "your vision goes blurry," his eyes rolled upwards, "and before you know it you're hallucinating about hotpot."

"I'll take leeks and water chestnuts in mine, please..." Yuki muttered, all but dangling from his stirrups by this point.

Boshin stared at Kirei in horror. "_Hontou ni_?"

"Oh, yes indeed. And it's 100-percent fatal, too, unless of course you do something to save the poor soul stricken with it."

"I don't want Yuki-san to get fataled! How we help him? Huh?"

Tori set a hand to his heart. "Yer a noble, kindhearted emperor, an' no mistake. There ain't many who'd wanna save this ugly bugger—" Yuki rode up behind his friend and kicked him without Boshin noticing. "Eep!" Tori shot him a glare, but by the time he'd turned back to Boshin he was all seriousness again. "But here's how ya do it: ya look up at yer Mama with big puppy dog eyes an' y'say, 'Please, Mama, call a lunch break.' Simple, but effective!"

Boshin nodded, rotating in his seat in front of Houki so he could stare up at her. "Please, Mama, call a lunch break!"

Houki was too busy stifling her laughter to reply, but she did manage to nod. A cheer arose from the rebels, all of them praising the imperial family's compassion. They steered their animals into a small glade of trees, Yuki making a big show of falling off his horse and crawling toward the food packs.

Boshin handed the "dying" RAFT member a dumpling. "Here you go. You be okay now, right Yuki-san?"

The actor dove into the food with a will, smiling up at the boy. "Your kindness is only matched by your handsome looks and keen intelligence. _Arigatou_, Boshin-chan."

Tori whispered something in the boy's ear. Boshin smiled and patted Yuki's head. "It's the least I can do for a moron with a face like a donkey's—"

"TORI!"

oOo

The Takkan army attacked Konan the next morning, their first attempt in nearly a week, but the heat forced them back to camp after just a few hours. Hataku watched the battle from the gatehouse with Ran-shogun, noting the improvement in the Konan soldiers and the decline in the Takkan ones, both in morale and overall numbers.

He finished tea and his discussion with the younger Konan leader just as the two armies were dispersing. After far too many "thank you"s and bows than Hataku would have liked, Ran took his leave and Hataku was free to take his.

"Hey!" Ritsuka cried, swooping down from the ramparts and clapping him on the shoulder. "Perfect timing. We're having lunch in the west courtyard. You should come, I wanna get your take on this strategy of Takkan's."

"You mean the nonexistent one?"

"Yeah, that one," she said, waving to Tasuki and Chichiri as they reached the bottom of the stairs. "You three go stake out a comfy patch of grass. I'll grab a basket from the kitchens and a Kiori from the infirmary and be right out."

Tasuki shook his head as she dashed away. "I will never understand how she can be so chipper all th' time. It's like her body don't even realize she jus' fought a battle."

"If you can even call it that." Hataku shook his head, following the seishi to their picnic spot. "I don't know if it's desertions or illness, but every time I see them it seems like their numbers have been cut in half again. Never mind counting them in the thousands – they're down to the hundreds by now, I'd guess."

"Doesn't stop them from giving us trouble, though," Chichiri said as they reached the courtyard. He spread his _kesa_ on the ground, gesturing for the other two to take seats. "If nothing else, they're still keeping the farmers and merchants in the outer provinces from traveling to Eiyou. If we don't get rid of them before the end of summer, the capital could be in for a hard winter no da."

"I'm b-a-a-a-ack!"

They looked up as Ritsuka hurried toward them, dragging a basket under one arm and Kiori under the other. Kiori looked to be half-asleep. She barely reacted when Ritsuka plunked her down next to Chichiri. She didn't even budge, in fact, until Ritsuka slapped first napkin and then lunch in front of her. Kiori moved, dreamlike, for the food, devouring two skewers full of dumplings before at last looking at the others and smiling wanly. "So, how was your morning? I spent mine holding down a squealing soldier while Yukeda-sensei pulled an arrow out of his right cheek." She all but inhaled two more skewers, muttering around the second, "And no, I'm not talking about his face."

"I don't even wanna _know_ how he managed that," Ritsuka said. She drew out a water skin, taking a slug from it before passing it over to Tasuki. "Man, what a waste of a morning. It's not even like they're really hurting us anymore, just making our lives annoying."

"An' distractin' us from what we _should_ be worried about," Tasuki grumbled. Everyone automatically glanced to the north, though only Chichiri could pinpoint Setsuka's pulsing _ki._

"They aren't even fighting for their country anymore, not really." Kiori sighed, and didn't even seem to notice when Ritsuka swiped the final dumpling off her skewer. "I wish someone would tell them to give it up and go home already."

Tasuki and Chichiri's eyes met for a brief second, then they looked away again, Tasuki with a twitch of a smile. "Yeah, wouldn't that be nice."

"Not that it would ever happen," Chichiri added innocently. "Still, it's nice to dream no da."

Hataku raised a knowing eyebrow but said nothing. Kiori blinked at them, then at Ritsuka. The redhead shrugged. "Hey, don't look at me. I don't understand Seishese either."

Kiori turned her head down to her empty skewers, peeking through her bangs to study Chichiri. _'More cryptic remarks,'_ she thought with a frown. _'I wonder if he thinks he's being subtle? Well, maybe he is to some people, but me... and definitely Tasuki, we're not—'_

Ritsuka poked her in the ribs, knocking her out of her thoughts. "Wake up, sleepy-face, we've gotta go invent our own secret language to use against them."

Tasuki chuckled. "Red, yer women. You already got one-a those."

"I think he's right no da. Anyway, you don't need to worry about it. We really weren't talking about anything special. Just agreeing with you no da." Chichiri put on his brightest smile. "By the way, where are you two going to be this afternoon?"

"Actually, I've got to get back to the infirmaries." Kiori stood with a sigh. "Then I'm hoping for a bath and a nap."

"The same, except without the infirmaries," Ritsuka said, standing as well. "How 'bout you guys? Care to join me in Dreamland? Or maybe you'd rather help grumpy guys get arrows pulled out of their butts?"

Kiori flushed. "Some of those people are seriously hurt."

She rolled her eyes. "Please. You haven't had a real injury in that place in like a month. The Takkan soldiers lost whatever passion they might've had after Hataku got the ax." She drug her leg and imitated one of the whinier soldiers in the palace. "'Sensei, Sensei, I think I rotated my whatchamacallit! Oo, it hurts, make the pain go away!'" She straightened, switching to Kiori's speech patterns. "'Let me have a look, you poor thing... um, sir?' 'Yes, Sensei?' 'There's a rock in your shoe...'" Ritsuka mimed flicking it away, then threw her arms around her friend. "'Oh, Sensei, you saved me! You're my angel of mercy!'"

Kiori shoved her friend playfully away. "That only happened," she blushed, "twice." She turned back to the laughing seishi. "Anyway, what've you got planned?"

Tasuki and Chichiri looked at each other for a moment, then shrugged. "Nothing," they said at the same time. "Nothing at all (no da)."

She sweatdropped but didn't argue. "Fine. Guess I'll see you at dinner then."

"Sure thing," Tasuki agreed. He and Chichiri watched the girls go, waiting until they were out of sight before whirling on each other. The bandit was all business in an instant. "We oughta leave now if we wanna be back by sunset."

Chichiri nodded. "I wouldn't have chanced it before, but their numbers are low and their morale's lower... it just might work no da."

Tasuki's fangs glinted in the sunlight. "What's this? _Chichiri_, jumpin' inta a crazy plan head first? If I didn't know better I'd say you've been hangin' out with me fer too long."

"I _have_!" he retorted. "Before you know it I'll be sitting on sacred statues and accidentally unlocking ancient demons no da."

"That coulda happened t'anyone! Unlike that avalanche an' that Siberian tiger..."

Chichiri held up his hands, wincing. "Truce, truce no da!"

Hataku, who had been so quiet that the seishi had almost forgotten he was there, struggled to his feet. "I'm going to leave before this conversation gets any stranger." He picked up the empty lunch basket, hefting it under one arm as he turned to leave. "By the way," he added suddenly, "as Houki-sama's unofficial representative, it would be my duty to stop you from doing whatever you plan on doing. That is, if I _caught_ you."

Tasuki grinned. "Naturally. Though I dunno what ya c'd possibly think we'd be plannin'."

"By the way Hataku," Chichiri said, "where will you be this afternoon no da?"

He studied the clouds for a moment. "Hm... I suppose I'll be in the training rings all day. I probably won't be able to leave until dusk at the very earliest."

"What a shame..." Tasuki muttered.

"Have a peaceful afternoon," Hataku said with more than a hint of sarcasm. After a moment, he added quietly, "And take it easy on them, would you?"

"We'll do what we can no da."

He chuckled wryly. "Having seen what you can do, I'm not at all sure if that's comforting."

They waited until the former shogun had disappeared down a walkway, then stood as one. Chichiri tossed his hat in the air and the pair vanished.

oOo

Akai shaded her eyes against the afternoon sun, peering from her perch and into the valley that housed the Takkan capital. She had heard descriptions of Shoutei from both Hataku and Yuki's gang, but it still surprised her to see the city lying ahead of her, the first major hub she'd ever seen without an outer wall to protect it. _'No wonder they change rulers so often, if it's that easy to just waltz in and sack the place,'_ she thought. _'Still, though, there's something nice about the way the buildings just kinda sprawl out around the palace. Feels sort of welcoming.'_

"Guess I should say _ojamashimasu_ and head in, then," she said aloud, trotting down the hill until the wide dirt road narrowed to a stone one and the farmlands gave way to clusters of two-story, ramshackle peasant housing.

She slowed to a walk, suddenly aware of the silence of the place. She could hear the occasional bark of a dog or cluck of a chicken from inside the maze of one-room tenements, but the people seemed to have disappeared entirely. Akai slipped into a crouch, on the alert for danger. _'Where _is _everyone? I expected people to be wary of Setsuka, but this place is a ghost to—'_

She heard the thud of running feet and whirled just in time to sense the wiry body launching itself at her. Akai wasn't nearly as practiced in hand-to-hand as she was in swordplay, but she knew enough to keep a barreling opponent from knocking her to the ground. She dropped into a crouch and caught his wrist as he tried to throw a punch at her. Akai tucked her shoulder and gave his arm a quick twist, using his own momentum to send him tumbling past her.

She whirled in time to see him curl forward and hit the ground rolling. Akai didn't give him a chance to recover, but instead threw herself on top of him, hitting him hard in the back with her elbow. He collapsed to the ground with a _whoomph_ of escaped air, giving Akai the room she needed to steal the knife from his belt. She straddled him from behind, grabbing his fern-colored ponytail and jerking his head back so she could press the knife against his throat.

"Who are you and why are you attacking me?"

He struggled to find his breath again, but didn't mind cursing her while he did it. "Damn... you... scummy rats... jus' can't give up... even when ya've lost... everythin', can ya?"

"What are you talking about? I've never seen you before in my life."

"Don't need ta have seen ya t'know who _you _are, though," he growled. "Only mercenaries 'n' soldiers carry great big whallopin' swords like yers."

"And travelers, when they think they need protecting. Which it looks like I do." She sighed, giving his hair an extra twist. "Now would you please tell me what you're talking about? I heard there were some problems in the city and I came to help out, but that's all I know."

"Help out?" He barked a laugh. "Hate t'tell ya, but th' problem's been solved!"

"Solved?"

"Oh yeah, we drove 'em out good 'n' proper. Won't have no problems with _them_ anymore." Much to the attacker's surprise, Akai threw down his knife and stood. The man – he was really closer to a boy, she realized, only a little older than herself – scrambled to his feet as well, grabbing the knife and whirling to face her. "What? Givin' up already, huh?"

"Don't be stupid." Akai unsheathed her sword and leveled it at him. "My name is Yamada Akai, best swordswoman in—" she corrected herself, "_from_ Konan, and all of Setsuka's friends are my enemies. Now you can fight me and lose, or you can surrender. It's up to you, palace dog."

The boy stared at her, uncomprehending for the smallest of moments. Then he fell to his knees, doubled over with laughter. "Oooh, this is rich! Almost killin' my own friends, gods, Kita-san'd have my head fer that one." He looked up again, waving his hands at her. "You got it all wrong, little warrior! Setsuka – may she die a thousand deaths – didn't win. _We _did! Th' RAFT! We're allies, you 'n' me, y'got it?"

"Allies? The RAFT...?"

He nodded, grabbing Akai's wrist and dragging her down the street. "Yeah, we jus' won th' city a couple-a days ago. What, you didn't know? Ain't you Konan folks s'posed t'be told this kinda stuff?"

"I never knew anything," she said, still struggling to put the pieces together. "I was in Jouzen for a week or so, and I've been traveling ever since then..." Her eyes lit up. "Hold on! Does that mean Setsuka's been defeated? The war's over?"

He shook his head. "Nah, th' bitch got away, though we dunno where her an' her kid Element ran off to. Prob'ly hidin' out with th' Takkan Army, seein' as how she still kinda runs 'em." He shrugged. "Well, not much we c'n do about that. Guess those Konan Warriors'll just have ta finish her off fer good."

"I see." Akai felt her fists clench, but she made sure to keep her voice calm. "Is there any way I can speak to your leaders?"

"Er, I guess so." He blushed. "Actually, yer kinda talkin' to one of 'em. I ain't _the _leader, but I'm in charge-a some stuff, like th' patrol I was just out on. Name's Kazuo, by th' way. Yoh Kazuo, but I don't like usin' th' last name 'cause it pins me ta this smartass cousin I got. Th' real leaders is Kita-san 'n' Aji-san. Why do ya need t'see them?"

"I'd like to talk to them about this revolution of theirs. How soon can I meet them?"

"Soon as we get t'the palace. That's where everyone in th' whole bleedin' city is right now. Kita-san 'n' Aji-san is throwin' one hell of a party, celebratin' th' victory an' honorin' th' dead. Everyone's been invited. I was jus' goin' there myself when I ran inta you. Ya picked a good day ta show up, Akai-san."

She flushed. It was the first time anyone had ever called her "san" without her asking for it. "Oh... I see. Thank you."

oOo

Setsuka stood in her shogun's tent, hands laced tightly behind her back as she watched Kawahito fumble for words. He stared at the floor, then at her, and then finally towards the entrance, mouth flapping but no sounds coming out. Finally, with eyes like a cow, he said, "Takkan's been... taken?"

Her nails dug into her hands, but she kept her voice smooth. "Temporarily."

"But that's..." The reality of it seemed to slam down on him all at once. Kawahito sprang to his feet and paced the room, wringing his hands, tugging at his beard, grasping at the air as if trying to make the truth something material. "We got to do somethin', m'Lady. My wife, my children... who knows what those rebels'll do to 'em? My littlest is only three this year, jus' a baby, she'd never survive a winter alone, not without th' stipend, small as it is..." He clenched his fists and whirled on her. "Setsuka-sama, we've gotta march home an' take the city back! Right now!"

"Sit down," she said, each word a struggle on her temper. "Your family will be fine. The RAFT hasn't the stomach to turn women and children out on the streets. At any rate, Takkan is inconsequential."

His mouth dropped. "Takkan is...?"

"It means it's unimportant, you ninny."

"I know what it means, m'Lady." Kawahito stared at the floor, forehead tight with concern. His next words came out in an uncertain murmur, like he wasn't sure if he should even be thinking about disagreeing with her, let alone actually doing it. "But Takkan's my home. It's all of our homes. Isn't nothin' unimportant about it."

Setsuka ignored him. "Our objective is to win Konan. I am taking steps to insure that. Once the empire is ours, then rest assured that we will return to Takkan in force. You shan't be separated from your family for much longer."

"...As you say, m'Lady."

If she heard the skepticism in his voice, she didn't let it show. "For now, the important thing for you and your men to do is..." Setsuka trailed off, head snapping to face the east. She sniffed the air for a moment. "Is that...?" Her hand touched the red gem on her neck and squeezed, drawing a tendril of strength from it.

"Er, m'Lady?"

She was silent for another long moment, then released the gem. "It's nothing, Shogun-sama. I thought I sensed a troublesome bug, but it seems to have been my imagination. Now, regarding the other reason I came today." Setsuka turned back to him, a sword already forming in her hand. "Bring your weapon and let's go outside. It seems I have the knowledge to wield one of these now, and I'd like to test my new skills on an opponent."

oOo

The "troublesome bug" Setsuka was referring to was at that very moment lounging at the outskirts of the Takkan camp with his seishi companion, tessen tapping impatiently against his shoulder.

"So we try not t'slaughter th' whole mess of 'em," Tasuki was saying. "Tessen 'n' _shakujou_ clubbin' only."

"Unless it's a matter of your life or theirs, of course," Chichiri agreed. "Then use your blade at will no da. I'll try to clear a path for us through the ranks and to the leaders. If we can get to the new shogun, we might be able to convince them to surrender no da." He smiled, drawing Kiori's Tanabata gift from the folds of his _kesa_. He looped the thin metal chain twice around his hand, once around his wrist and again from his wrist to the fold between thumb and forefinger. It rested comfortably in his palm. "To be honest, I'm a little excited. This is my first chance to test this out no da."

Tasuki mirrored his grin. "Well, try not ta..." He trailed off, wincing and rubbing at his chest.

"You all right no da?"

"Yeah, fine. Somethin' I ate 'r somethin'. It's gone now." He shook his head, jumping to his feet. "_Yoshi_! Sounds like we got a battle plan. Time ta find our first victims."

oOo

Utara-taii and a group of ten others sat at the western edge of the Takkan camp, bickering over a wildfowl that one of the men had managed to bring down.

"See now, I caught it, so's that means I choose who gets what," one of the soldiers insisted. "So get your slobberin' face outta our meal and get back on duty, Utara."

The haughty captain's hand fell to his sword. "Well _I'm _taii 'round here, an' _I _say—"

And then the storm struck.

One man saw a flash of orange to his left, then something slammed against his head and he dropped like a stone. Another turned around at the sound of a jingle, only to fall to an open-palmed strike to the back of his neck. A third didn't even see what hit him, but just crumpled to the ground with a sigh before anyone could say a word.

Chichiri and Tasuki met back-to-back at the center of the camp, weapons drawn and bodies humming with power. The remaining men gaped at them, hands trembling against half-drawn weapons. Chichiri relaxed his stance by a hair. "Drop your weapons and we won't hurt you no da."

Utara shoved at the backs of the remaining soldiers. "You cowards! There's only two of 'em! C'mon, bring 'em down an' get yerself some glory—"

Tasuki was across the clearing in less than a second, sending Utara spinning to the ground with a hard right hook. He shook his hand and glared at the others. "Well?"

Six swords hit the ground in a clatter of steel, followed by six bodies as the men kowtowed their surrender.

Chichiri smiled, but his relief quickly vanished as he counted up the soldiers. "Eight, nine, ten... Tasuki, there were eleven counting that _taii_ when we got here, weren't there no da?"

The bandit groaned. "Don't tell me we let one of 'em get away!"

As if in reply, a voice echoed back through the trees: "Attack! Attack! Enemies to the west!"

"Looks like I don't have to tell you no da!" the chibi monk replied, chipper as ever.

Tasuki whirled towards the center of the camp. "There goes our element-a surprise." He pointed his tessen forward. "I'm all fer runnin' in fists swingin', but it's yer call, Chichiri. Do we stay or go?"

Chichiri walked past his friend, his staff hefted casually over his shoulder. "Quitting halfway is worse than not trying at all no da. Let's go, Tasuki."

He grinned. "Damn, you _have_ been spendin' too much time with me..."

The six Takkan soldiers that were left standing looked around helplessly, almost as if waiting for the seishi to return. After a moment the group picked up their weapons, took the roasting goose from the fire, and walked off into the woods – in the exact opposite direction of the Takkan camp.

oOo

Akai spared the Takkan palace a distracted look before marching toward the open gates, Kazuo a step or two behind her. He scratched his head. "You don't seem too impressed."

"I've seen palaces before," she told him. "Better ones, too. Ones that aren't drenched in blood."

"You c'n feel it too, huh?" He sighed. "We're doin' what we can ta air th' place out, but I guess nastiness sticks with a buildin'. Still, though..." He grinned as they entered the gates and Akai's jaw dropped almost to her knees. "I reckon there's a few nice things about it."

The palace's courtyards were filled to overflowing with Takkan citizens, all of them laughing and chatting as if they'd never even heard of tyranny or rebellion. They sat wherever they could fit, spilling from stone pathways to trimmed lawns and on into the pavilions that speckled the landscape. Fire pits had been dug next to long tables filled with bowls and platters, and countless smells wafted from the various cooking fires as palace and city cooks alike worked to feed the guests.

"Amazing," Akai breathed, following Kazuo past first a crowd of servants and then a circle of palace guardsmen. "And everyone's here? The entire city fit into this place?"

"Th' officials are takin' their meal at th' inner courtyard, sorta split off from everyone else," he said, waving to a group of civilians who, judging from the make of their clothing, were some of the city's wealthier merchants. "But yeah, anyone who wanted ta come was told ta come, so it's friends 'n' families 'n' happy times, really. Oops, what's this about?"

Akai followed his gaze as a girl in a patched brown dress dashed up to them, her heart-shaped face a mask of misery. "Kazu-kun, you've gotta do somethin'!" she wailed, grabbing him by the wrist and tugging him toward the palace. "The party's started but they still ain't out here and I just know she's doin' awful things ta him, things no respectable woman oughta be doin' ta such a fella!"

"No respectable woman but you, eh?" Kazuo groaned, but he was grinning as he did it. "So where are they?"

"Same bleedin' place they been since last night," she snapped, dragging him through the courtyard and up to the palace buildings. "Ooo, the next time I see that Kou-dono I'm gonna give him what for! He shoulda known better than ta let them alone for so long..."

Akai had no choice but to follow. "Is everything all right? No one's in danger, are they?"

"Er, kinda depends on how ya look at it." Kazuo patted the new girl's arm, jerking himself out of her hold. "Ayame, you go back with th' others, okay? Tell 'em I'll give our naughty leaders a good scoldin' an' be along in a bit." The girl sniffled but nodded, bowing briefly to Akai before hurrying away. Kazuo jerked a shoulder to the palace. "C'mon, Akai-san. Looks like you'll get a chance ta talk ta our leaders all private-like after all."

Puzzled but determined, Akai let Kazuo lead her through the palace, finally stopping at a little door in what looked like a hallway of bedchambers. "Decent folk oughta stay out here," he told Akai, then shoved the door open without so much as a single knock, singing brightly, "_Ojamashimaaaaaasu_..."

Akai stared at the open door – though not into the room itself – as yelps and squeaks erupted from inside the chamber, followed by an enraged female roar. "Gods _damn _it, Kazu-kun, get th' 'ell out o' 'ere!"

"Nope, I been ordered ta bring ya with me. Clothed 'r naked, don't matter t'me so long's yer at th' party ta look pretty, give little speeches, an' make all yer hard-workin' allies feel good about followin' a couple-a no-good sex fiends inta th' jaws of death."

The woman shrieked a few more obscenities, but a full-throated chuckle stopped her. "Now, now, love, no need to go on the war path. Our friends have given us more than enough personal leave, I should think. Kazu-kun, be a gentleman and pass me my trousers, would you please? Then, if perhaps you'd be so kind as to leave the room so the lady could find her clothes...?"

"Ch, ain't nothin' I ain't seen b'fore. Seen 'em bigger, too."

"GET OUT!"

The woman's bellow seemed to do the trick, because Kazuo reappeared in the doorway, throwing the wide-eyed Akai a wink. "Me 'n' my sister live in a back room at th' East Side Brothel, along with th' other courtesans' kids. Had us runnin' errands day 'n' night fer 'em, they did. I seen it done in lots more interestin' ways than what those two was tryin'."

"Then I shall have to borrow your notes," the male voice, more amused than annoyed, remarked. Akai glanced up as he came out the door, still tugging on his pants. She glimpsed loose hair, long lashes, a solid chin, and a slim chest tapering down to far more pelvis than she'd have liked to see before she hurriedly jerked her eyes to the side again, blushing fiercely. The man laughed. "Sa! Kazu-kun, you should have warned me that you had brought a lady to the door. I'd have made myself a bit more decent."

"Ch! 'Ere, put on y'shirt afore ya give th' poor gel an 'eart attack." Akai kept her eyes firmly on the floor as she heard the woman come to the door. After a moment the woman said, "Awright, y'can look up now an' greet us proper, like."

Akai did as she was told, eyes meeting the faces of first a brown-skinned woman and then a smiling man with his arm in a sling. He looked too much like Yuki not to be the rebel's older brother, though Akai thought Aji wore his good looks more comfortably than the other Furosaki, so that it took her a minute to realize just how attractive he actually was. And if the man was Aji, then the woman had to be Kita. Akai had imagined her as masculine and handsome, but she was all thin limbs and sharp angles, her face an inverted triangle, her nose crooked from a fight, her eyes set just a shade too close to one another. Not ugly, maybe, but certainly not pretty, either. The contrast between man and woman was a curious one, but as Aji slipped an arm around Kita's waist and she unconsciously drew closer to him, Akai saw how they came together, like puzzle pieces that looked incompatible until you matched up the edges and saw they were a perfect fit.

Akai bowed, keeping her tone formal. "You must be Aji-san and Kita-san. It's an honor to meet you."

"This is Yamada Akai. She's a fighter from Konan." Kazuo grabbed the hem of Kita's shirt and tugged her forward. "Now c'n we walk 'n' talk? You two's is already late ta yer own damn party."

"Preposterous, Kazu-kun!" Aji cried with a dramatic wave of his uninjured hand, and if there had been any doubt about his relationship to Yuki, it vanished with that gesture. "How can one be late to a party with no set beginning or end? Now, then," and he whirled on Akai, offering her a low bow, "for Kazu-kun's sake, let's skip the formalities and move on to the dinner invitation. You must be famished from your travels, and we would be more than honored to have an ally from Konan join our celebration."

"Oh, that's very kind of you, but—"

"Kind, nuffin'!" Kita snorted. "'E jus' wants some'un new ta 'ear 'is speech."

"Speech? Goodness, love, I thought we'd decided to forgo such formalities."

"But th' others'll be 'spectin' it, an' 'sides, this gel ain't seen ya on stage afore."

Akai swallowed. "Well, actually, about the party, that sounds fine and all, but what I really wanted to do was talk to you two privately, about the war efforts here—"

Aji nodded. "Ah, yes, of course. Judging by your weapon, I'd say you're quite the skilled soldier. That's fortunate for us. Kazu-kun and the new Guard Captain are a bit short-staffed at the moment. If you're interested, we'd be more than happy to hire you to help with the peacekeeping." Aji untangled himself from Kita for a moment so he could wave his hand again. "Granted, everything has been fairly calm since the revolution, but it won't be long before the ne'er-do-wells are up to their old tricks again, and—" Akai snorted a laugh. "I'm sorry, is everything all right?"

She giggled. "It's fine, it's just that I've never heard anyone say 'ne'er-do-well' in real life before. I thought it was one of those phrases that only gets used in plays." She shook her head, forcing herself to focus. "Ugh, but that's not the point. Yes, I'd be happy to help you, but more importantly, Konan is—"

"Aji-san, _there_ you are!" Akai groaned as Ayame came running up to them, grabbing Aji's sling and tugging him forward. "We was startin' ta think you two had gone an' died! C'mon, I got a spot set up under the big oak tree just for us, it's nice 'n' shady 'n' the food is close by, too. Some of our mates is there already, an' your sister too, Kazu-kun."

Kita nudged Akai practically into Ayame's arms. "Why doncha take our guest 'n' getcha selves settled comfy-like? Me 'n' Aji 's gots a bit more leadin' t'do afore we settle in."

"Sa, there really _is_ going to be a speech, isn't there?"

"Reckon so, an' y'modesty act is only workin' on th' new gel, so's y'know..."

Aji feigned a sigh as Kita hustled him away, the pair arguing amiably as they went. Akai stared after them helplessly, but Kazuo had one of her arms and Ayame had the other, and she didn't think she had any way to politely escape. She let them lead her through the crowds, chattering as they went, until they reached a cluster of peasants nestled between the northern and eastern walls. Akai tried to count them but quickly lost track as the younger ones were too busy dashing about, snatching food and drink, climbing trees, or chasing one another across the clearing. She had to settle with an estimate of about forty. They were all as threadbare and scrawny as her two guides, and most were about as young, too.

Kazuo released his hold, waving toward the clearing. "Th' RAFT staked out a nice feastin' place, huh?"

Akai blinked. "Eh? You mean _this_ is the RAFT?" The question was out of her mouth before she had time to consider it. "But where are all your parents?"

Kazuo and Ayame grinned at each other and chanted, as if reciting a nursery rhyme:

"_Children has parents but a peasant's got none  
Best ta die quick 'fore ya leaves yer own son._

_Pox an' fever an' winter's sharp chill,  
If they don't get ya then the Lady's ax will!_"

Akai paled, but Kazuo just laughed again. "Sorry, th' humor's a little dark 'round here. Answers th' question nice 'n' neat though, don't it?"

"We're settled in over there," Ayame said, pointing to a group of adolescents under a massive oak tree. "But let's get our food first, okay? And – Akai-san, wasn't it? – you come on, too."

Kazuo and Ayame greeted friends as they walked, but Akai remained a step or two behind them, weaving around children in homespun rags and rehearsing her speech to the RAFT leaders as she went. _'Kita-san, Aji-san, I know you're happy about the revolution, but the war's not over yet. Instead of throwing a party, shouldn't you be sending troops to Konan to help fight off Setsuka and the army?' _She wrinkled her nose. _'No, that sounds too pushy. Okay, what about telling them about your friends, and how they're risking their lives right now, and how dishonorable it is to sit here and stuff your face while other people are dying to keep you safe...' _She scowled, tugging at her hair. _'Agh, no, that's even worse! Oh, come on, there has to be a right way to get them to understand...'_

"Akai." She looked up as Kazuo handed her a bowl, gesturing to the long table. "It's a sort of hotpot, see, everyone bringin' what they c'd spare 'n' all." He rubbed at his nose. "It prob'ly ain't as nice as th' stuff yer used ta, but try ta enjoy yerself."

"Oh, no, it looks delicious!" She winced. "Sorry, did I look upset? It wasn't about that, it's just—"

Ayame smacked her arm, shushing her. "Lookit," she said, pointing to the corner of the wall, where Aji and Kita were standing with their arms raised. "Oooh, I knew there was gonna be a dedication! C'mon, you two, let's hurry and get seated, Aji-san gives the world's best speeches."

"An' th' longest." Kazuo rolled his eyes. "Best hurry, though. Kita-san'd have my tail if I was walkin' 'round gabbin' durin' th' important stuff. C'mon, Akai-san, I'll help ya make yer plate."

"Almost done, actually. And just Akai is fine, Kazuo-san."

"Same ta you, then. Oops! Let's hurry, Kita-san's got her Impatient Face on."

They had just plunked down beside Ayame when Kita finally got tired of waiting for silence and bellowed, "Awright, awright, 'at's enough, now, settle y'selves! Gots t'do this 'ere shindig right, we does, an' 'oo better'n th' man 'oo got us all 'ere, na?" She grinned. "I'd do it meself, but we gots newcomers present, an' I'd rather they be able ta unnerstand th' 'ole speech, like." The rebels chuckled at that, though Akai could only smile uncertainly, wondering exactly _what_ Kita had said in that rapid-fire accent of hers. "Any rate, 'ere's me future 'usband ta do th' dedication."

"Future husband?" Ayame squeaked from Akai's right.

"Oh, sure, didn't y'know?" Kazuo muttered from her left. "Kita-san finally said yes. They're jus' waitin' fer Yuki-san ta get back from th' war b'fore they have any fancy ceremony. 'S as good as official, though."

Ayame's face caved in, but before Akai or Kazuo could say anything Aji stepped forward, kissing Kita lightly on the cheek before turning to face the crowd. He stared at the ground for a moment, waiting as a fresh smattering of chatter died down. Then he looked up, eyes panning the group, and smiled faintly.

"I look out at you, the remaining members of the RAFT, and am filled with both immeasurable sorrow and uncontainable hope. Perhaps the sorrow is self-explanatory, but as I came to this little corner of the palace it suddenly struck me that Kita and I are the last of the RAFT's founding members. Our first comrades have all moved on to happier rebirths, lost to sickness or hunger or – far more commonly – to the cruelty of Setsuka."

"May she die a thousand deaths," everyone chanted solemnly.

"They were taken from us before they could see our victory, but they did not leave us lonely. You, the children and siblings and cousins of our old comrades, have faithfully continued their work. Even knowing the dangers, you fought side-by-side, fearless of death, all so you could see the RAFT's hopes realized. I have watched you grow and mature, each and every one of you, and I cannot put into words how proud I am to stand here before such a remarkable group of young people."

Aji ducked his head out of respect for his comrades, who all applauded wildly. Akai took another moment to glance around the clearing, noting the too-skinny arms sticking out of the too-raggedy sleeves of all the nearby rebels. Eyes glistened with tears above pronounced cheeks and jawbones, yet every sallow face shone with a smile, as if they'd already forgotten all the cold nights and empty bellies.

_'I want to ask Takkan to help Konan, but... but where was _Konan _when _Takkan _needed us?' _

The thought struck Akai before she was prepared for it, and she had to stare down at her food, cheeks red with shame, as the cheering trailed away and Aji continued.

"For the past two weeks," he said, "we have all been orphans. There isn't a one of you among us who can boast a living mother _and _father. Some of you, like Kita and myself, have been without your true parents for most of your lives, perhaps since the last Takkan revolution. Yet despite this, we had not been orphans. With the death of our parents we found ourselves brought into a new family, one that refused to be limited by blood ties. They found us, often injured, often starving, and they saved us, and they loved us. They had no children of their own, yet we all called them mother and father. Mariko Okaa-san and Jiro Otoo-san..."

But Aji's voice strangled and he had to look down, throat struggling to swallow his tears. The others applauded encouragingly, but it was Kita, her hand against his arm and her lips beside his ear, that got him to look up again. His eyes glittered with the same tears that Akai saw all around her, but his voice was firm, and he did not waver again.

"Mariko Okaa-san and Jiro Otoo-san are the reason Kita and I stand before you. They are the reason many of your parents lived to adulthood, and the reason why many of you will do the same. In short, they are the reason the RAFT exists. They are the reason we have won.

"Like many of their adopted children, they didn't live to see Takkan win its freedom. Okaa-san has been lost to us for over a year, Otoo-san for just two weeks. Their passing left us orphans, but their kindness left us strong enough to live on without them. That is why I wish to dedicate this feast to their memory, and in honor of all that has been lost to us.

"However," he said suddenly, stopping the rebels mid-toast, "I can't very well end with something so dreary as that. As I said before, there is both sorrow _and_ hope in this gathering. With the lessons of those lost and the courage of those living, we have accomplished the impossible. We, who were orphans, need no longer live under that name, for we have reclaimed our mother country. Takkan belongs to her people once more, and we, at last, can also belong to her.

"Life is never simple, least of all for poor peasants like ourselves. But we have our futures again. And when we can imagine a future, then hope will always overcome sorrow." Aji accepted a _sake_ bowl from Kita, lifting it to the gathering. "And so I ask that you raise your cups high, to lost yesterdays and approaching tomorrows. To the rebirth of a nation, and the freedom of a people. To the memories of our loved ones," his arm came out of its sling so he could wrap it around Kita, "and to the loved ones who stand with us today. May they be with us for many happy days to come. _Kanpai_!"

"_Kanpai_!" they all cried, and even Akai forgot her embarrassment long enough to cheer with them. _Sake _bowls and tea cups clinked around and against hers, and then everyone downed their drinks as fast as they could, slamming the bowls against the grass when they had finished.

Kazuo wiped a tear from his eye, though Akai couldn't tell if it was because of the speech or the liquor. "Didn't he just say it all? That's Aji-san for ya, though. He writes his own plays 'n' poems, too. No surprise there, huh?"

"Not at all, I bet they're amazing," Akai agreed. She stood when she saw Kita and Aji making their way over to the group. The former champion bowed low to the pair, clasping her hands in a Takkan salute. "Thank you for your kind hospitality. I assure you that it's much more than I deserve."

Kita laughed it off. "Fink nuffin' of it, li'l warrior. Like I allus says, any enemy o' Setsuka – may she die a thousand deaths – is a friend-a th' RAFT."

"Now, Akai-san, I'm terribly sorry for all the tedious interruptions, but was there something you needed to ask us?"

She blushed. "N-no, it's nothing. And please, just call me Akai. I don't think I deserve to be treated like an adult just yet."

"Ain't she modest?" Kazuo chuckled, refilling Kita and Aji's _sake _bowls as they sat down beside him. "Oi, nice speech there, Aji-san. Ya even kept it under an hour this time. I'm impressed."

"My stomach was growling too terribly for me to go on much longer. Besides," he added, settling against Kita again, the two pieces clicking seamlessly into place, "thanks to the Lovely Gem of Takkan here, I'm so sore I can barely focus on staying awake, never mind on extempore monologues."

Kita tweaked his ear for the "sore" comment, but Akai was too busy gaping to notice. "Extempore?" she repeated. "Y-you mean that speech was...?"

"Entirely improvised!" he chirped. "I hadn't the faintest idea what I was going to say until I actually said it! I do hope it wasn't terribly obvious. Stick around for a bit and listen to some of my written material, and _then_ perhaps I'll deserve your compliments."

Akai face-vaulted.

oOo

Ritsuka rested her chin on the marble rim that lined the massive cold water bathhouse, heaving a happy sigh. "I think it's safe to say that this beats the almighty hell out of public swimming pools."

"No arguments here," Kiori murmured from beside her. She stretched her arms onto the rim, leaning her head back so she could watch the clouds scuttle past overhead. "Ah, those knots in my back are finally starting to loosen up. I almost feel human again."

"Don't know why you're using a bath for a silly thing like stress release," Ritsuka remarked. "With all those fancy hand gestures Chichiri uses for his spells, I bet he'd make a godlike masseuse. And hey, play your cards right and you just might get that 'happy ending,' too."

Kiori flicked water at her. "You just don't know when to quit, do you?" She closed her eyes, smiling to herself. "Though I'm starting to think all your crazy talk might actually have some truth to it." Her smile faltered. "Even if he is still keeping secrets from me."

"Secrets about his madly burning love-love, maybe."

She splashed Ritsuka again. "Secrets from _all of us_, I should've said. Something about the legend, I think. He's been less bothered by it since Tanabata, but it hasn't gone away either, whatever it is." Kiori frowned. "And what was that whole 'secret code' stuff between him and Tasuki earlier today? That one really threw me for a loop."

"Me too. Weren't they supposed to be done with that Seishi Club, No Girls Allowed crap?" Ritsuka punched her fist into her open palm. "Guess there's nothing else for us to do but torture answers out of them."

Kiori rolled her eyes. "Or we could just try asking them again." She pushed herself out of the water, accepting the towel that a nearby attendant offered her. She dried off her hair as she walked, moving to the pile of clean clothes folded neatly at the bathhouse entrance. "I'm getting hungry anyway. We may as well track down the boys and see if they want to eat dinner together."

"Food _and_ torture? Now you're speaking my language." Ritsuka scrambled onto the marble rim as well, snatching up a pair of towels. She wrapped one around her head and the other around her waist, then nodded to the _kesa_-sash on top of their clothing. "So where'd they go to hide out from this heat?"

"Let's see..." Kiori picked up the sash and trailed off, staring at it. "Huh? Well that can't be right."

"The radar's busted?"

Kiori squeezed the strip of _kesa_ between her hands, concentrating on the life force pulsing on the other side of it. After a moment, she sighed and turned back to Ritsuka, holding out the sash as if it were a puppy that had made a mess on the floor. There was fear in her eyes, but she sounded more annoyed than concerned. "Chichiri and Tasuki... are in the Takkan Camp."

"Wha—!" Ritsuka threw up her hands and dropped her jaw, but gave up before she could get the entire shriek out of her mouth. She scowled, letting her arms drop to her sides again. "On second thought, yeah. For those two, that sounds about right."

oOo

Setsuka's sword stopped a hairsbreadth from Kawahito's throat. He swallowed hard, lowering his own weapon as he backed away from hers. "Another win, m'Lady. I didn't realize you'd studied."

"I haven't," she said, admiring her shining blue blade. Her smile hovered someplace between wistful and ecstatic. "It's borrowed talent, or perhaps inherited is the right word. Regardless," she chuckled, "my goodness, it _is_ fun. I really can't believe I never thought to try it sooner."

"Considerin' how long y'knew Hataku-sama, I'm surprised he never..."

Setsuka's face darkened, but that wasn't the reason Kawahito trailed away. He cocked his head towards the camp, forehead crinkling as another shout came up from one of the men, this one drawing closer. He ducked his head towards his lady, though she didn't seem to be paying much attention, and hurried around to the front of his tent just as a scout came sprinting past him, lungs bellowing the message for all they were worth:

"Attack! Attack!"

Kawahito grabbed the man's arm, forcing him to a breathless halt. "From where? An' from who?"

"From west... seishi... Utara-taii knocked out and I—"

"The seishi?" The two men jerked their heads to the side to see Setsuka standing near the tent, the color draining from her face. Her sword vanished, forgotten, from her hand. "Which one?"

The soldier bowed. "Both, my Lady."

As if on cue, they heard a collective shout from the west side of the camp. A blast of power rumbled the ground beneath them. Setsuka clung to her necklace. "I have to go."

"Go?" Kawahito came to attention. "Er, of course. Your orders, m'Lady?"

"Fight them," she muttered, more to herself than to him. "Kill them. Can you? That one doesn't die. Can't seem to kill the dangerous ones. Him and the other. Always coming back. Always trying to ruin me." Another rumble shifted the ground and her head snapped up again. "I have to go. I really have to go."

"M'Lady, are you—?" But Kawahito never finished his sentence. The air shimmered and Setsuka vanished. The shogun shook his head and whipped back around to the scout. "Well, you heard her, now spread the word: take down those seishi."

"But Shogun-sama, the last time we tried—"

"Her Lady's orders," Kawahito reminded him. "B'sides, we ain't so spread out this time, an' they got nowhere to run. There's hundreds more of us'n them. What d'we have t'worry about?"

oOo

The Takkan soldiers on the west side of camp had asked themselves the same question, and were very quickly learning that the answer was "a lot." The army had been caught off-guard, many of them without their weapons, and many of the men had simply broken ranks and fled when faced with their seishi opponents. Those too loyal, brave, or slow to flee rallied around their captains, forming ranks and surging at the seishi, but the formations did little good as they were swiftly knocked aside by a blast of energy that seemed to rise out of the earth itself. And those who did make it close enough to the pair soon learned that magic wasn't their enemies' only defense.

The seishi hadn't been able to fight together during the war, but that didn't mean they had forgotten how. Standing back-to-back against the enemy hordes, the pair moved more like one person than two. If Chichiri dropped his _shakujou_ to perform a spell, there was a tessen there to block the seeking swords. Likewise, if Tasuki found an arrow zipping in his direction, a crackling _ki _barrier shot out ahead of him, turning the arrow to dust.

They tore their way through one division and moved on to the next, rotating so Chichiri could face the crowd. His staff shifted to the crook of his neck, his feet planted, his hands twisted and came together before shooting apart. The amulet in his palm shone as the ground trembled, and the soldiers were thrown aside and into one another, their ranks scattered, their numbers halved.

Chichiri fell back again so Tasuki could lead the charge, a half-mad laugh in his throat. "Damn, 'Chiri, when'd you learn how ta hit so many life forces at once?"

"I'm not doing anything different," he said, adjusting his _shakujou_ so he could crack it over the head of an advancing soldier. "It's the amulet, although" – he paused to throw out his hand, shielding his friend's left side with a slim barrier of energy – "it's only amplifying my spells. I'm going to burn out as fast as I would in a regular battle no da."

"Which means we can't waste our time barrelin' through th' whole damned army t'day." Tasuki slammed his tessen into one man's midriff, then whirled to smack it against another man's jaw. Both fell with whooshing sighs, but more soldiers, spurred on by shogun and _taii _alike, rose to fill their place. "Damn, an' there's no end to 'em!"

Chichiri glanced over his friend's shoulder at the army ahead of them, then back at the few divisions that had managed to form behind them. "They've had time to organize. We can't possibly fight our way through all of them now." He frowned, clasping the amulet in his hand. "I've got an idea no da. Cover me."

Tasuki batted an arrow aside with his open tessen. Iron rang against crystal, drowning out the monk's request, but Chichiri couldn't know that. He dropped his staff and closed his eyes, fingers pressed together as he spread out his life force and searched for the _ki_ of the elusive shogun.

The soldiers didn't notice their enemy glowing crimson. All they saw was a man who had left himself open, and a friend who was too busy cracking heads to realize it. The Takkan troops hesitated, then one particularly brave soldier darted into the seishi's range of attack, giving a cry of victory as he jabbed his sword at the distracted monk.

Chichiri heard the shout and brought his _ki_ back to himself. He sensed movement and reacted, shifting sideways as the soldier lunged. The sword missed Chichiri's torso but pierced his right forearm. His hand went limp, the amulet tumbling out of his fingers to hang uselessly from his wrist. He gave a shout of pain and threw out his life force, sending the soldier stumbling backwards into his friends. It didn't keep him back for long, though. Sensing weakness, the enemy troops pushed forward. Chichiri gritted his teeth and raised his _shakujou_ in his single, trembling hand, prepared to meet the onslaught as best he could, when—

"REKKA SHIN'EN!"

A wall of fire rose between monk and soldiers. The men yelped and jumped back, some beating at flaming limbs while a few were lost to the inferno altogether. Chichiri glanced back to see Tasuki swinging his tessen in an arc, creating a barrier of fire around the pair. He drove his tessen into the ground, muttered something that Chichiri couldn't understand, and watched with a grim smile as the flames rose high above their heads. "That'll buy us some time," he mumbled, then whirled on Chichiri, thwacking him over the head with his tessen. "And dammit, how 'bout you tell me th' next time ya decide t'leave yerself open, huh?"

"I _did, _no d—" He gritted his teeth as a fresh wave of pain raced up his arm.

Tasuki ripped a strip off his jacket and hurried over to his friend, using the thick material as a makeshift bandage. Blood soaked through it almost instantly. "Damn. It's deeper'n I thought."

"It's not bad," Chichiri insisted. "I'll be fine no da."

"Like hell ya will." Tasuki tore off two more strips, tying one tight across Chichiri's upper arm for a tourniquet and the other over the original blood-soaked bandage. He glanced back at his fire wall, gritting his teeth as the flames began to dissipate. "'Chiri, can you build a barrier around yerself okay?"

"Just around myself? Yes. They don't require much concentration no da. I don't think I could manage any teleportation, though."

"Don't need to. You jus' gotta sit tight an'..." Tasuki's eyes shifted to the amulet dangling from his friend's wrist. "Hey, can I borrow that fer a second?"

"G-go ahead, only—"

But Tasuki had already broken the chain with one sharp tug, clutching the gem tight in his fist. He whirled on the enemy soldiers, life force pulsing crimson around him. He grinned. "Now _this_ is what I call a battle."

And then he was off, a cyclone whirling through the soldiers, tessen and sword a blur as he tore a path straight through the middle of the ranks. Chichiri tried to watch him, but found that it gave him a headache. He took a seat in the center of a group of very puzzled soldiers instead, closing his eyes and focusing on strengthening the barrier around him. He peeked through a half-closed lid again, shaking his head as he watched soldiers nearly halfway up the ridge already falling under the bandit's assault. "That idiot. Why didn't he just do that from the beginning no da?"

oOo

Looking back, Kawahito would admit that he wasn't quite sure how it happened. One moment the men in front of him were bending like blades of grass beneath a tornado, and the next there was a sword at his throat and a _kansai_ accent in his ear. "Call off yer men or say goodbye ta yer head. Yer choice."

Kawahito swallowed hard. "I have my orders."

"From a bitch without a nation, who'd rather see her people get slaughtered than accept defeat?" The blade pressed tighter. "There're things worth dyin' for, but y'know, somehow I don't think that's one of 'em." The shogun's eyes shifted sideways, staring down the blade to the seishi at the end of it. He struggled, tongue stumbling over his answer. The blade pressed tighter. "Look, I ain't got all day. I got _maybe_ three seconds. How 'bout we find out? One—"

Kawahito thought of his daughter and found his voice. "Surrender! Surrender, you idiots!"

The order passed through the soldiers in a wave of dropped weapons. A few hesitated like their shogun, but a growling stomach or a half-healed injury helped settle their loyalties before long. Within minutes the remaining men stood in lines headed by their division captain. Some shifted nervously, but most just seemed relieved, watching the two seishi as they spoke quietly with the army's shogun.

After a moment, Chichiri drew a symbol in the air and stepped back, allowing Tasuki to come forward. The bandit didn't shout, but his voice carried out over the group as if he were speaking into a microphone. "Yer shogun says you didn't know, so lemme give ya th' latest news: Setsuka has lost. She's still alive, but she's th' lady of a decayin' mansion an' that's all. Takkan is under th' rule of th' RAFT now. Yer out here dyin' fer nothin'." A rumble went up from the men, and Kawahito winced as more than a few spat in his direction. "But that's all over now. Consider yerselves officially defeated."

Tasuki pointed his tessen behind the men, toward the north. "If yer healthy enough ta get there, then go home. Hug yer moms an' kiss yer kids. Those of you who're too sick 'r injured ta travel, stay right where ya are. We'll send out soldiers 'n' doctors ta bring ya back t'Konan later this evenin'.

"You have th' rest of the day ta pack up an' get out. You c'n take knives an' bows but leave yer swords. Anyone makes a move ta try fightin' an' you die. I'm too tired ta be nice anymore." Tasuki smirked and snapped his fingers. "Talkin's over. Now get movin'."

The men looked around at each other for a moment, Kawahito the most lost of them all. But then Utara-taii stepped forward, patting Kawahito's back, and steered the shogun towards his tent. The other captains nodded to each other, barking orders to their men. Slowly the troops marched back to camp, leaving their swords where they had fallen. Before long there wasn't a single man left in the clearing.

Chichiri leaned on his staff, pale and shaky from blood loss, but he couldn't help but smile as the final soldier hurried off into the trees. "Hey, you made an army disappear no da. Maybe you should have been the seishi sorcerer."

Tasuki set his hands behind his head. "Nah, too many spells t'remember. Though I wouldn't mind learnin' that teleportin' trick-a yers."

"Speaking of which, we need to get back." Chichiri gestured for Tasuki to stand beside him. "The girls are probably worried about us no da."

"C'n you manage th' spell okay?"

"The pain's not so bad now, so I think so no da. Better give back the amulet just to be safe, though." Tasuki passed the gem over. Chichiri smiled at it before clasping it tight and pressing his closed fist to his friend's shoulder. "I'll have to thank Kiori again no da. She really saved us with this."

"She's pretty good at that savin' thing." Tasuki sweatdropped. "That's gonna come in handy t'night, seein' as Red is gonna kill us fer this one."

"Battle Number Two, here we come no da."

oOo

Kiori and Ritsuka paced the top of the northern wall, eyes shooting out anxiously towards the unseen Takkan camp. Hataku leaned against the ramparts beside them, though his impassive presence did little calm them. Kiori clutched the _kesa_-sash in her hand again, kneading it like a security blanket. "It's getting late. Where _are_ they?"

Ritsuka cracked her knuckles but couldn't hide the quiver of concern in her voice. "Well if they aren't dead yet, they will be when I see 'em. Running off to battle and leaving me behind! How rude is that?"

"Maybe they aren't actually fighting," Kiori said. "Maybe we're upset for no reason."

Hataku barked out a laugh. "Oh, they're fighting, and likely embarrassing the army as we speak." He closed his eye against the glare of the setting sun. "If you want someone to worry about, make it the Takkan-_jin _who try to face them. I've seen what they can do to your average soldier."

"But they're so badly outnumbered!" Kiori cried. "I know they're powerful, but all it takes is one lucky hit, and they—"

"Ch, you ain't got much faith in us, do ya?"

They whirled at the familiar accent. Chichiri and Tasuki were leaning against the ramparts just a few yards away, looking exhausted but unharmed. The monk had his right arm tucked in his _kesa_, but before anyone could ask about it he smiled, tipping his staff at them. "We're back and starving no da!"

Kiori breathed a sigh of relief. "_Yokatta_."

Ritsuka's response was a bit less forgiving. "YOU!" The chibi redhead pounced on Tasuki before he had a chance to flee, knocking him onto his back. She straddled him and grabbed his shirt collar. "What the _hell_ do you think you're doing, running off to the Takkan camp like a couple of vigilantes? Not only could you have been killed, but Houki-sama expressly forbid you from doing that! And to make matters worse, you didn't even let me come along! How do you plead, seishi?"

Tasuki sweatdropped. "Guilty, I guess..."

Chichiri came to his friend's rescue before Ritsuka could deliver judgment. "Calm down no da. Tasuki and I aren't dead, the Takkan Army has been disbanded, and I think Houki-sama would have understood. We were just trying to end the war a little faster no da. It was for your safety too, you know."

"But what about our hearts?" Kiori pressed a hand to her chest. "I was worried half to death, and Ritsuka wasn't much better."

"I was _not_ worried!" she snapped around a blush. Tasuki couldn't help but grin.

Chichiri rubbed the back of his head. "_Gomen_, but if we'd told you about it you might have tried to stop us no da."

"Of course we would have stopped you!" Ritsuka cried. "You're both completely insane, it's a damned miracle you didn't come back in pieces!"

Hataku's quiet baritone cut through the bickering. "So how many fatalities did you tally? A few hundred?"

"Couple dozen at best," Tasuki assured him. "Though a lot of 'em're gonna have some monster headaches fer a while." He looked up at Ritsuka, who was still kneeling on his chest. "Relax, Red, we sent 'em all packin' an' came home without a scratch. Oh, well, 'Chiri took a hit ta th' arm, and I got a couple little nicks here an' there, but other'n that..."

"Huh? Chichiri's hurt?" Kiori's head snapped around, eyes immediately focusing on his hidden arm. "So _that's_ why you had it strung up in there. Why didn't you say something sooner?"

He shrugged. "It's not that bad no da." Kiori slid his arm out of his robe and he winced. "Gently, please."

She scowled at the blood-soaked bandage around his forearm. "Not bad? It's a mess! I'll have to get this fixed up right away. You really need to take better care of yourself."

"I'll follow you to the infirmaries if you want – we need to send out some doctors to tend to Takkan's wounded anyway – but you don't need to worry no da. I'm sure you have other patients who need you more than I do."

Kiori waved Chichiri's protests away, grabbing his uninjured arm and tugging him from the ramparts. "Yeah, yeah, all that can wait. You come first. Besides, Ritsuka was right, it's mostly just clumsy soldiers and recovering wounded in there right now anyway."

"But I'm really okay no da...!"

Tasuki chuckled as the two hurried off down the stairs, half-arguing as they went. "Are they hopeless 'r what? Even _I_ c'n tell how much they care about each other." He glared up at Ritsuka. "And would you get off-a me already?"

The redhead stuck her nose in the air. "What's the magic word?"

"NOW!"

Hataku stared at the stairs, though he didn't seem to be looking at them so much as at something right behind them, hovering just out of reach. After a moment he scowled, shaking his head to clear away the memories. "Childish nonsense," he grumbled under his breath, hobbling off in the opposite direction.

Ritsuka looked up from where she was currently wrestling with Tasuki, watching as the former shogun stumped away. "What's his problem?"

Tasuki shrugged. "Ya got me. AND WHY ARE YOU STILL ON ME?"

vVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVv

"Oh, gods, Hataku, are you all right?" The golden-haired girl crouched beside him in the dank Takkan alleyway, touching first the vertical slash along his cheek and then the deep cut across his shoulder.

The young soldier brought up a hand to wipe the blood from his face, though more just pooled in to replace it. "I'll be all right, Setsuka-sama. Really, they're just scratches."

"Scratches?" She snorted. "Just 'cause I've never been to war doesn't mean I'm stupid." Setsuka unwound the sash from her waist, wrapping it around her young protector's arm. She tore off a chunk of it to dab at his face. "That's probably going to scar, and I bet your arm will be just about useless for a while."

"Nakada-sensei is going to kill you for ruining that sash," Hataku muttered, smiling around a grimace.

"Who cares about that old bag and her rules? You come first," Setsuka snapped back. The fire in her eyes shifted seamlessly to fear. "Does it hurt?"

"Not really." He hissed as she tightened the bandage on his shoulder. Her glare made him relent. "I may have lied a little."

Setsuka dropped her eyes to the ground. "_G_... _gomen nasai_. This is all my fault. I shouldn't have wandered away from the market, it's just, I wanted to see more of the city then what Otoo-san allows... but if I'd known about those street gangs, I never would've..." She sniffled, unable to keep the tears from staining her skirts. "If you hadn't showed up when you did, I might have... b-but then you...!"

"You don't need to blame yourself." Hataku set his hand under her chin, lifting her face up again. Her swimming eyes met his smiling ones. "I promised your father four years ago that I'd protect you, and I plan to keep that promise. A few scratches are a small price to pay for your safety."

"You always say that," she said, choking on a sob. "B-but you shouldn't have to g-get hurt like this, not j-just for a m-monthly stipend." She swallowed, forcing a smile. "Tell you wh-what? I'll talk to Otoo-san, see if I c-can get you a b-b-better job, somewh-where far away from a p-p-pest like me."

"A pest?" Hataku blinked. "You're not a pest. Being with you is..." He hesitated, then pressed his hand over the one that Setsuka still held against his cheek. "I made a promise to your father, but that's not the only reason I'm here. I keep that promise because I _want_ to keep it. Because I care about you." He blushed and glanced away. "I'm sorry. I know that's a terribly forward thing for someone of my rank to say, but—"

"I love you."

His head jerked around again, meeting her eyes across a distance that suddenly seemed both leagues wide and inches apart. The world tilted beneath him, but somehow he knew it wasn't his injuries that was causing it. "I – I'm sorry?"

"I love you," she said again, a giggle running with it. "Is _that_ too forward? It is, isn't it?"

She tried to draw her hand away but Hataku grabbed it, squeezing her fingers between his. "No," he said quietly. "No. It isn't." The space between them shrank, birth and rank forgotten in that hidden corner of the city. "Because I... Setsuka-sama, I—"

She closed the gap, pressing her lips against his, sloppily but without a shred of hesitation. They struggled for a moment to fit themselves to one another, her hand still pressing a cloth to his bleeding cheek, his hand hovering, drifting, uncertain whether to rest on shoulder or hip or breast. He at last settled on her waist, fighting to find air as she pulled away, brushing her free hand through his loose bangs. She betrayed her age with a nervous laugh, but Hataku betrayed his own when he echoed it.

"You can't use 'sama' anymore," she said at last, surprised to find herself already gravitating back towards him. "It has to be just Setsuka from now on, all right? People in love should be equals." Her chest pressed against his, and she knew her lips were seconds from following. "We really need to get you back to the palace."

"Mm."

"You're bleeding pretty badly."

"Mm."

"Just one more kiss, then?"

"Two," he corrected, already drawing her to him again. "I'm not bleeding _that_ badly, you know."

vVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVv

Setsuka looked away from Mizu's seeing-crystal, blinking to rid herself of both the scene in the gem and the memory that had accompanied it. "Childish nonsense."

Mizu glanced over her shoulder, surprised to find Setsuka avoiding her gaze. "Are you all right, my Lady?"

She avoided the question. "Go on back to your chambers. I wish to be alone for now."

"Ah... all right." Mizu snapped off the crystal and stood from her seat. She hesitated for a moment, one hand raised as if to set on her mistress's shoulder, then she seemed to think better of it and turned, padding hurriedly out of the room.

Setsuka heard the door shut and curled in on herself, squeezing hard at her three-jeweled necklace. "It's nothing," she hissed. "Just useless, just weakness. I've rid myself of it. There's only strength now. Everything else is nothing, it's nothing, it's nothing, it's nothing..."

She repeated the words again and again, glowing with her strange mosaic of stolen life forces, squeezing so hard at her necklace that Tsuchi's fragile gem nearly cracked down the middle. She pressed her free fist to her eyes until purple spots covered her vision, but the pain did nothing to prevent the tears from pooling and spilling from her eyes, down her fingers, and staining her skirts just as they had years ago.

oOo

Kita finished off her third plate of food, leaning against Aji with a contented little sigh. "H'oh, I'm likely t' pop right open. Can't e'en 'member th' last time I c'd say that." She jerked up as if remembering something, then leaned back again, tapping Aji's knee. "Bes' not be forgettin' th' boy. Don' wants 'im goin' 'ungry jus' 'cause we 's enjoyin' ourselves."

"Certainly." Aji looked to Ayame, who gazed back mournfully. "Ai-chan, would you mind terribly?"

"Yeah, yeah." She sighed, staring down at her fourth helping. "Don't know how _I_ got lassoed with serving staff duties. Just 'cause I played one don't mean I _am_ one, y'know..."

"I'll do it," Akai offered. "It's the least I can do, after you've taken such good care of me. If someone will show me where to go I'd be happy to help out."

Ayame perked up. "Well ain't you sweet? Okay, sure, let's grab a tray, put some soup and tea on it – the little guy can't hold down much, see – and then head on out." She hopped to her feet, waggling her fingers at the circle, though mostly it was directed at Aji. "Don't miss me too much."

Akai followed the other girl first to the nearest fire pit, then back across the courtyards and into a maze of palace hallways. She soon found herself standing at the top of a long, spiraling staircase, looking down into gloom. She kept pace with Ayame, rubbing a hand along her arm. "So who is this kid, anyway? Another rebel? Is he sick?"

"He ain't RAFT, but he is pretty sick. Not any disease we're used to, though." Ayame looked over her shoulder. "His name's Tsuchi."

Akai's eyes widened. "The Element." She hurried to catch up, trying to keep the bowl in her hands from spilling. "But I thought Setsuka ran off with her Elements. Unless... is it because he betrayed her? Did she leave him here to die because of that?"

"That's what we've figured, but he ain't real chatty so it's hard ta say for sure." Ayame cocked an eyebrow at her, pausing as they reached the bottom of the stairwell. "Gee, you know more 'bout this war than we do. Were you some kinda official's kid back in Konan or somethin'?"

"Er, not at all, actually..." She nodded at the closed wooden door, hurrying to change the subject. "Is he in there?"

"There's a curtain at the back. He's through it." Ayame opened the door but didn't try to enter. "Actually, this place kinda gives me the heebie-jeebies, so I'm just gonna leave you here. You can get back outside okay once you're done, right?"

"Um, sure, but why—?"

"Oh no, I ain't spoilin' no surprises. You get on in there an' see for yourself. And thanks a bunch, okay? You really helped me out, volunteerin' like this."

Akai waited until Ayame had disappeared up the staircase, then took a breath and made her way across the deserted room. She paused to look around for a moment, surprised to find personal effects scattered along the three beds and on the shelves along the walls, as if the occupants had merely taken an extended holiday. A thick layer of dust covered nearly everything, though, and a heavy sense of emptiness pervaded the room, as if its occupants' ghosts hadn't even bothered to visit. Akai shuddered and hurried through, pushing the back curtain aside with her foot and stepping into a room covered in shadows.

A wave of nausea swept over her as the acrid smells of sweat and sickness filled her nostrils, but she shoved it aside as she heard a soft moan from the nearest bed. "Um, hello?" she called into the darkness.

Something stirred in the gloom, as if rising on an elbow. "Who's there?"

"Just a friend," Akai replied. She groped her way through the murky room until she found both tinderbox and lamp. Once she'd sent some light flickering across the walls, she took a seat in the chair at the Element's bedside, the food tray set out on her lap. "I brought dinner, so I hope you're hungry... Tsuchi-kun, isn't it?"

The boy in the bed struggled into a sitting position, leaning against the wall as if he couldn't even hold up that much of his weight. His face was chalky, his skin stretched tight against his skull, but he still managed to bow from the waist and offer a grimacing smile. "_Arigatou_. And please, call me Fuyuko – it's my real name. I like it better than Tsuchi."

"I think I do, too." She slid the tray from her lap and onto the edge of his bed. He stared at it, then at her, as if waiting for something. Akai blushed. "Oh, sorry. I was going to keep you company, but did you want me to leave?"

"N-no, it's fine, it's just that you're the only one who's ever wanted to stay before. I haven't had a real conversation since Mizu-chan left." He sighed, saying more to himself than to her, "I hope she's okay." Tsuchi's hands wobbled forward on skeletal arms, reaching for the soup bowl. He managed to grip and lift, but the bowl shook violently in his hands, broth splashing over the rim. "Sorry..."

Akai cupped her hands around his, steadying him. He tried another pained smile, then focused on his meal. Akai let him guide her hands wherever he needed them. "Heh. So I guess you were pretty hungry?"

"Mm." Tsuchi paused to meet her eyes again. "I know I said it already, but thank you. People aren't usually this nice to me."

"The RAFT don't treat you well?"

He shook his head. "Oh, no, they've done their best to help." He nodded to his nightstand, where a vial sat next to a rag and a bowl of water. "The medicine's for the pain and the water's for the fever, and they're always good about bringing me meals. It's more than Setsuka ever did for me, that's for sure. It's just that..." He shrugged. "Well, the RAFT doesn't really know what to do with me. I turned against Setsuka, but she still has power over me. They can't decide if I'm a friend or an enemy, so they don't really decide anything. They just keep me down here, until..." A shudder rippled down his spine, and his words trailed off into a low moan.

"Fuyuko-kun, is everything...?"

He opened one eye halfway, forcing his slumping form back into a sitting position. "It's fine. Anyway, I'm used to it by now. I can handle the pain. That's not the worst part."

"It's not?" Her eyes widened. "Then what is?"

He heaved a sigh, staring down at his half-empty bowl. "Being trapped."

The Element left it at that, and Akai decided not to press him for more. She helped him finish off his meal in silence, speaking only when Tsuchi requested a sip of herbal tea or apologized for another of those periodic shudders that rattled him from teeth to toes. It was slow, dismal work, but at last he finished and Akai was able to set the tray to the side. She tried a smile. "There. Feeling any better?"

"Not really," he admitted. "But I still appreciate it." He wilted back against the bed, melding into the thin depression that his curled-up body had formed in the mattress. "I know it's pretty awful down here, but would you mind staying until I fell asleep?"

"Oh, no, it's not..." He barked a laugh and Akai sighed. "Okay, it _is_ pretty awful down here. But sure, I'll stay." She hesitated, then wet the rag by his nightstand and used it to mop his sweat-soaked forehead. "This is terrible. Maybe the RAFT doesn't know what to do with you, but _I_ do. A bath first thing tomorrow morning, and then we're moving you to a room with windows. You need the fresh air."

"A bath would be nice, but you don't need to worry about the room. It's cool and dark down here, which is good for me. Plus I don't want to disturb anybody." He blushed. "I scream in my sleep sometimes. Kaze told me that once. It must have been a huge bother for him and Senpai." He closed his eyes, muttering weakly, "But they're gone now, so I don't bother anyone anymore."

"Fine, you can sleep down here if you want. But I'm getting the place aired out tomorrow, and we're scheduling outdoor hours for you, too. This is no way to live."

"Then it's a good thing I'm dying, huh?" Akai bit her lip but said nothing. She rung out the rag and went to soak it again, but Tsuchi's voice stopped her. "Don't bother, I'll probably pass out soon. Setsuka usually remembers me around dinnertime. But hey, before I do, can I ask you a question? It's been bothering me since you got here." She nodded. "You look like someone I've seen before. What's your name? I didn't catch it."

"That's because I never said it. I'm Yamada Akai."

"Akai." He frowned. "Why does that sound so familiar...?"

She sighed. "I didn't mention it to the others because I didn't want to get special treatment, but I guess there's no use hiding it from you. We used to be enemies, you and me. I was – am – one of the Konan Warriors."

"A Konan... Warrior?" His half-closed eyes flicked upwards, studying her with a mixture of surprise and wonder. "So you're the one... who's going to kill me?" He smiled. "Oh, what a relief."

oOo

"_'The girl soldier jerked away in horror, the dinner tray falling from her lap and clattering against the cold stones. But before she could ask the Element to explain himself, he let out a long, low moan and slipped once again into painful slumber.'_" Keisuke blinked at the abrupt conclusion. "Uh... End Chapter Thirty-Four."

-  
Akai: An army defeated. A lady on the run. Two nations trapped in an uneasy calm. But how long can it last? We watch, we wait, knowing we might wake tomorrow with death tapping at our doors. But we can't sulk. There's work to be done and no one else to do it. Nations to rebuild and wounds to heal, friendships to strengthen and lovers to keep close. In Takkan, an honored guest, and in Konan—  
Whoa, wait. Hang on a second. Did Tasuki-san just ask Ritsuka-san out on a _date_? And why in the gods' names am I sounding all serious when I could be talking about that?

The Next Episode of _Fushigi Yuugi: The Next Chapter_: "Secrets Unveiled – Solace and Strife at Journey's End."

He said, "I just want to get in as much as I can..."

* * *

_**Ye Olde Author's Note: August 6th, 2010  
**_Ni-hao, minna-san!**  
**So I'm still trying to figure out how this chapter got so long. Must have been all the seishi ass-kickery that did it. Oh well. The fight scenes make it read fast (I think) and the next two episodes are of a much more manageable length... though they're still about three times as long as most fanfic chapters, heheh.  
This episode wraps up pretty much all of the mini-conflicts - settling our RAFT friends into Takkan Version 2.0, getting that pesky army out of Konan - and sets us up for the final FY:NC story arc, where everything explodes (sometimes literally), mysteries are revealed, enemies are confronted, and maybe, just maybe, some couples will finally get their hook up on. But hey, I ain't spoilin' nothin' - you kids will just have to keep reading and see how it all turns out for yourselves.

Now - onto the Mini-Profiles! These two have been playing tour guide for our wandering Konan Warrior, so they seemed like appropriate characters to hit next.

**Mini-Profile: Yoh Kazuo ("Kazu-kun")  
**Age: 16  
Height: 5'6"  
Weight: 125 lbs  
Birthplace: Shoutei, the capital city of Takkan  
Hair: Fern green and chopped haphazardly at his shoulders; wears it pulled back in a low ponytail; a few wisps of bangs cover the front of his forehead to his eyebrows  
Eyes: Brown

**Mini-Profile: Sho Ayame ("Ai-chan")  
**Age: 15  
Height: 5'0"  
Weight: 96 lbs  
Birthplace: Kosen, a fishing village in western Takkan  
Hair: Dark chestnut (sort of a pinkish-brown), falls to her waist, usually worn in a double-bun, pigtail style  
Eyes: Steel blue

So fun fact of the day: Neither Kazuo nor Ayame were in the original _FY:NC_. There was, in this fic's younger years, a female rebel named Erika who got introduced during the RAFT rebellion and later led Akai to the Takkan palace, but somewhere along the way I wound up splitting Erika's personality into two new characters who eventually became Kazu-kun and Ai-chan.  
I didn't really have character "images" in mind for these two - to be honest I just created them when I needed 'em, and then fleshed them out as I went - but I guess the basic idea would be something like "Kita's protege" for Kazuo, the young fighter, and "Aji's protege" for Ayame, the young spy (Kazuo just admires Kita, but Ayame makes it no secret that she has a massive crush on Aji). And although I didn't do it on purpose, the two "K" names and the two "A" names sorta help to highlight that duality, huh? (Accidental symbolism, for the win.) They're very minor figures in the Fushigi Yuu-niverse, but I like the way they grow up during the revolution, taking on these new responsibilities and succeeding quite admirably at the jobs that their mentors give them. And, like most of the RAFT, they also happen to be a lot of fun to write for. :)

Okay, that's all for today. Thanks to Lururi, White Phoenix and antyem for reviewing... but hey, where'd everybody else go? Are these biweekly updates too difficult to keep up with? If so, you can rest easy, because I'm going to post an episode on Friday, August 20, and then updates will stretch out to once a month. That should be an easier reading schedule for everyone. It also means that the rewritten _FY:NC_ will be finished, like the original story, on Christmas (and ya'll can take that promise to the bank!). I hope to hear from my three lovely reviewers again, and from other fans both old and new after this one! Thanks again for reading!

'Till Next Time – Dee


	35. Episode Thirty Five: Secrets Unveiled

_**Disclaimer**_**:** I still don't own Konan, Suzaku and all characters and seishi pertaining to them. Kiori and Ritsuka are and shall forever be mine, and that holds for all the other "originals" (you'll know 'em when they appear, trust me). Obviously the story is mine as well.

_**Rating:**_ PG-13, for moderate language and violence.

**Musical Selection: **"Shuurei's Theme" continues to work well for just about all the Takkan scenes and the first Konan scene. Beyond that, "Day of the River" can go with the Tasuki/Kiori scene, and "Teppen no Ito" for the Chichiri/Kiori scene.

**Previously on **_**Fushigi Yuugi: The Next Chapter**_**...  
**-Tasuki and Chichiri decided to take out the Takkan army. (Yeah, pretty much on a whim.) Things were a bit touch-and-go for a while, but they succeeded in capturing Shogun Kawahito and "convinced" him to surrender. Vanquished, the remaining soldiers returned home.  
-Akai arrived in Takkan just in time for a feast, but the festivities were cut short when she was introduced to Tsuchi (aka Fuyuko). She reluctantly tells him that she is a Konan Warrior, but he greets the announcement with joy, saying: "So you're the one who's here to kill me? Oh, what a relief."  
-And in other news: Houki and her RAFT friends are still on the road to Takkan, Mizu is still torn between her loyalties, and Setsuka still seems to be slipping - though whether she's sliding into madness or sanity at this point is anyone's guess...

_I just beat _FFXIII _(yes, finally) and I've come to realize that it's a lot like _Advent Children – _the plot may not make a damn lick of sense, but you're so busy munching on the eye candy that you just don't care. I think I almost had a sensory overload during one of the final cut scenes. My brain just couldn't handle so much pretty at one time..._

_

* * *

_

**-Episode Thirty-Five: Secrets Unveiled-  
****Solace and Strife at Journey's End**

Tetsuya accepted the coffee Keisuke handed him, covering a yawn and putting a finger on the first word of the chapter. "Here we go. You both ready?"

Yui nodded hurriedly. "C'mon, Tetsuya, don't keep up the suspense! Just hurry and get to reading – there's still so much that needs to happen and not very many pages for it to happen in."

He held up a hand, chuckling at her enthusiasm. "Okay, okay. Here we go then: _'With their enemy on the run and their country at peace, the rebels of Takkan had hoped to greet the morning languidly – but, as they were fast discovering, the needs of a nation were far less simple than they had first hoped...'_"

oOo

Aji and Kita weaved their way through a swarm of palace servants, somehow managing to avoid the girls with their arms full of laundry and the boys with their arms full of cooking supplies without once releasing the other's hand.

"Tch!" Kita hissed, ducking to avoid a broom handle. "Wot a bleedin' mess! I'll be right 'appy ta get outta 'ere 'n' back t'the peace 'n' quiet-a th' city! 'Ow long b'fore we c'n sneak away, na?"

"By the end of today, I've no doubt," Aji assured her, ducking into a window nook so he could steal a kiss. "You and Kazu-kun simply need to make sure the guardsmen are reorganized to patrol the palace _and_ the city, and I simply need to sit down with Kou-dono and Bu-dono and discuss these reforms of ours."

"Y'think it'll pass?"

"I think I'll know in a few minutes. Then it's back home to tend the garden and write my next play – sa, steady there, little foreigner!"

Aji and Kita spun to the side and raised their arms so Akai could duck between them. She twirled once she was through, glancing back at the pair with a low bow. The whole thing looked more like a dance than a near-collision, though Akai was far too flustered to notice. "Oh, excuse me, Kita-san, Aji-san." She held up the clean clothes in her hands. "I was just taking these to Fuyuko-kun." She frowned, glancing left and right. "Though I think I might be a little lost. Some of the servants took him to the baths, but...?"

"The men's bathhouse is down this hallway, out the doors, and across the southern courtyard. Nigh impossible to miss." Aji smiled. "Having a busy morning, I see."

"Oh, yes, well, Fuyuko-kun's room was a mess, I couldn't just leave him down there. It's bath time first, then I thought I'd take him to that little private courtyard for lunch, and then Kazuo and I are patrolling the city, to help me get a better feel for the land and all..."

"Gods above, all 'at in one mornin'? Bloody 'ell, but'cha make me feel lazy!"

"Not at all, you and Aji-san have much more important things to do than me. I'm just helping however I can, that's all." Akai bowed again. "Well, I don't want to make Fuyuko-kun wait. I'll see you on patrol this afternoon, Kita-san?"

She darted off down the hall before Kita could give a proper answer. Aji chuckled. "Never let it be said that Konan-_jin_ aren't dedicated to their work, that's for certain. I know Akai said she needed only room and board, but this is really above and beyond. I shall have to speak to Kou-dono about appropriating some kind of salary for the young lady. And speaking of the fellow," he stopped in front of the Minister of Justice's office, "duty calls. Let us hope it brings good news."

The two said their goodbyes, then Kita hurried down the hallway to her work and Aji knocked on the door. Vice-Minister Bu opened it a moment later, smiling and beckoning him inside. Minister Kou was sitting behind his desk, a stack of papers in front of him. He smiled as well, though his was a bit more cautious.

"Good morning, ministers!" Aji greeted, accepting one of the chairs across from Kou while Bu took the other. "Judging by that rather thick mound of paper before you, I'd say you've had time to look over my proposal. Any thoughts? It's a bit unpolished, I know, but I do hope it wasn't laughed out of the meeting entirely."

"Laughed out?" Bu stared at him with sparkles in his eyes. "Furosaki-san, this is the most revolutionary document I've seen since the exam system was established. It's _brilliant_! Your father, was he one of the ministers Deposed Lord Chou stripped of their titles?"

"Hm?" Aji laughed. "Goodness, no! My father was an actor, a traveling performer in the provinces. He married up a bit, I suppose – a low-ranking official's daughter with a talent for music and poetry – but I've no knowledge of my grandfather's profession. I'm a farmer by trade, a playwright by nature, and a revolutionary by necessity. Nothing more exciting than that, I'm sad to say."

Kou and Bu exchanged startled glances. "An _actor_...?" Kou coughed to regain his composure, then handed his stack of papers over to Aji. "Well, regardless of your lineage, the vice-minister is correct. This system of checks restraining the Takkan lord's authority should all but eliminate the possibility of another Deposed Lord Chou or Lady Setsuka. The reworked justice system should help prevent corruption, and this – what did you call it? – veto power that the central ministers possess regarding the appointment of the next lord or lady? It's stunning. Brilliant doesn't even begin to describe it."

"Sa, but brilliance won't feed and clothe a nation, Kou-dono. Will it work?"

"Not all of it, no," he admitted. "Given Takkan's size and limited methods of communication, it's just not possible to develop a complete system of representation for all of the provinces. Nevertheless, we've agreed to experiment with it here in Shoutei. An elected citizen from each of the capital's 10 districts, making 12 commoners in all."

"Twelve?"

Bu grinned. "The council agreed to try this republic of yours only on the condition that you and your wife serve as its overseers for the first five years." Aji winced and Bu laughed. "Just when you thought you were free of the politics, eh? But it was the only way Minister Kou and I could get a majority of the officials to agree to even _trying_ this thing. Budging old codgers is a job and a half, I'll have you know."

"Then I suppose I have no choice." He sighed, glancing mournfully out the window. "And I was so looking forward to writing that opera, too..."

"We're looking into expanding the educational opportunities of the Takkan peasant class as well, to make this system of yours more available," Kou added, talking over his complaints. "Unfortunately, there's little we can do until we've replaced the, ah, 'retired' Ministers of the Left and the Interior."

"So the lady's dogs chose to take their leave, did they?"

"A few did, but most knew little of loyalty once their mistress had left. They've sworn their fealty to the reborn nation, and to the next lord or lady. Speaking of which, have you had time to consider our nominees?"

"Very little, actually," Aji admitted. "Though I admit I am cautiously leaning toward your first choice."

"You mean Anrin?"

"I mean Hataku-san." The two ministers exchanged a startled glance, which only made Aji laugh harder. "Goodness, but this is a long story. Never mind, though, I've always had a love for long stories. Now, where shall I begin...?"

oOo

"...And those fire dancers! I mean, I've seen some impressive stuff at the festivals back home, but that was something else! I was getting singed fingers just watching them!"

"What was that district called again?"

"Four Corners, because it's where the international travelers gather no da. From all four corners of the world, you see."

Kiori chomped down on her takeout lunch, a wooden bowl filled with spiced fish and rice that she'd gotten from a Sairou street vendor, sighing with pleasure. "Mm, they should rename it the Heavenly District. This is unbelievable."

"It smells amazing no da."

"Here, try some." Kiori held up a piece of fish with her chopsticks. Chichiri leaned forward and chomped it down, making similar blissful noises in the back of his throat. "Good, right?"

"This might be better Sairou cuisine than what I had _in_ Sairou no da."

"Here, have some more. There's way too much for me to finish anyway."

The two redheads exchanged knowing eye rolls as Kiori alternated between feeding herself and the monk. "That's so sweet, I just might catch diabetes," Ritsuka drawled. She paused halfway through her lamb, onion, and pepper shish kebab, glaring at Tasuki. "So what took you boys so long to take us out on the town?"

"City's a lot quieter durin' wartime," he said. "But now with the gates reopened durin' th' day an' the merchants comin' back inta town, th' performers an' markets 're all buzzin' again, too. Jus' didn't make sense ta go out b'fore, I guess."

Kiori paused on the front steps of the palace, glancing back at the bustling capital behind them. She smiled, but there was a shadow of worry in it. "Much as I hate it that you guys risked your lives for this, I have to say I'm happy. Now that the army's gone, it's like the war is over."

"The war _is_ over," Ritsuka said.

"Not for everyone no da," Chichiri murmured, masked eyes shifting to the north.

"Oh please, Setsuka and one pacifist Element hardly count as a war," Ritsuka insisted. "Even if she does attack it's not like she could take the capital. Sure, the militia's been disbanded, but it's still her against four kickass Konan Warriors, an ex-shogun with a vendetta the size of Mount Fuji, and the entire palace guard. What's the worst that could happen?"

Chichiri didn't reply. He also wouldn't look at the others. Kiori pressed a hand against his arm. "We'll be ready."

He reached up and gave her fingers a squeeze, though the others wondered if he was even aware that he did it. "I hope so. But sometimes I think..." He glanced over at Tasuki and seemed to remember where they were. He looked down and drew his hand from Kiori's in a rush, the way someone might jerk away from a snapping dog. "Never mind. It's nothing. No da."

Troubled silence tugged at the group, but Tasuki forced a grin, clapping a hand to both Ritsuka and Kiori's backs. "What th' worrywart here is tryin' ta say is: we dunno when Setsuka'll make a move, an' there ain't no way fer us ta make a move without leavin' ourselves _and_ Konan open ta attack, so it ain't about bein' ready 'r not. We jus' gotta take th' punches when they come, an' punch back even harder. Which we c'n do. So no problems, y'know?"

He pulled back, lacing his hands behind his head. His posture was relaxed, but there was something almost frantic in his voice when he said, "So, whadda we wanna do t'morrow, huh? I was thinkin' th' Riverfront District might be kinda nice, it's relaxin' ta have a drink an' watch th' boats come in, an' they got some damn good seafood down that way, too."

Ritsuka raised a fist. "Then lead me to the Riverfront!" She cocked her head at him. "But since when have _you_ been the Konan Tour Guide? I thought you only wanted to play with swords these days."

"Hey, I know how ta have a good time, too," he said, avoiding her question. He lightly punched her shoulder. "Speakin'-a which, I promised Ran-shogun I'd help him with some defensive stuff this afternoon, but we're still goin' out drinkin' t'night, ain't we?"

"When have I ever turned down good booze and music?"

"Great. Meet me in front-a my room at th' top-a th' Rooster Hour, all right?" He flashed her a thumbs-up. "An' trust me, yer gonna love this place. Th' Dancin' Dove is th' best."

Ritsuka smiled, watching as he hurried back through the palace gates and off to the training rings. "That idiot. He's as much of a worrywart as you are, Chichiri. Still, it's nice of him to put on the ol' carefree act, even if he is just doing it to make us all feel better."

"Oh, I don't know. Act or not, I'd still say he's genuinely excited about spending time with us." Kiori grinned, nudging her friend lightly. "Soooo, is it just the two of you going into town tonight?"

"I guess so. It's some kind of high-class courtesan restaurant. I was a little reluctant at first, but Tasuki-chan says they're more like entertainers than prostitutes. Specialize in music and dance, get to pick the clients they sleep with, stuff like that." She shrugged. "It might be fun. And he was so," she wobbled her hands, "bouncy about it, like a little kid or something. I just couldn't turn him down."

"So it's a date," Kiori said.

"What? Don't be stu..." Ritsuka trailed off, eyes widening. "Is it a date?"

"Do you want it to be?"

"Want? Psh! No." She shrugged, amending. "I mean, I don't care either way. It's whatever, you know? Date, not-date, all the same to me. Anyway, it's Tasuki-chan. So see? Clearly not a date. Super weird to even think about." Ritsuka's eyes snaked sideways. "So, uh... you two got any plans tonight?"

"Yukeda-sensei needs me this evening," Kiori said, at the same time Chichiri said, "Not really." The redhead's mouth opened wide, but Chichiri stopped her before she could begin. "But I'm not coming with you no da. We've been running around a lot recently. I want to relax a little tonight." He touched a hand to Kiori's back. "Actually, I need to get going as well no da. A friend of mine is giving a lecture at the palace temple, and I'd hate to be late." He held up his bandaged arm. "I'll stop by the infirmaries later, so I'll see you then, okay?"

She nodded, waving him off into the palace. She glanced back at Ritsuka, who looked surprisingly small and pale. "Isn't this your cue to start teasing me about Chichiri?"

"You share food like lovesick teenagers and are constantly looking for excuses to touch each other but you still think it's nothing, how dumb, at this rate you'll wind up boffing him in another two months and still insist that you're just friends," she muttered distractedly.

"That was a little lackluster."

"Eh, I'm getting bored with the whole will-they-won't-they song and dance. If I had to guess, I'd say you are, too."

Kiori sighed. "You've got me there." She shook her head, smirking again. "But are you sure you aren't just too worried about other stuff to tease me properly? Like your date tonight, for instance?"

Ritsuka rolled her eyes. "It's not a date, _baka_. Like I said, this is Tasuki-chan we're talking about. He's like, you know... an idiot. No way he'd be slick enough to ninja a date out of me." She scowled, pointing an accusing finger at her friend. "And don't you have some sick people to tend to?"

"Oh, right. I guess I should get going." Kiori turned to face the infirmaries, but glanced back over her shoulder with a wicked smile. "But hypothetically, if it _was_ a date...?"

"IT'S NOT A GODDAMNED DATE!" she bellowed, sending Kiori tumbling across the courtyard. Ritsuka waited until her friend had disappeared before her scowl dropped, replaced by bunched eyebrows and a smile that couldn't decide if it wanted to come out or not. "It isn't... is it?"

oOo

The two Takkan ministers sat back hard in their chairs, forgetting all semblances of dignity as they stared open-mouthed at their storyteller.

"So Hataku-sama is...?"

"Alive, or at least he was when Akai last saw him," Aji said. "If he's survived both his lady and the Konan Warriors, them it seems safe to assume he'll be returning to Takkan in one piece as well." He smiled to himself. "Not a choice I'd have made a few months ago, to be sure, but the world is a curious place. Kita and I both think the nation would see brighter days with our gloomy friend at the helm. And if we can agree to it, then I imagine we can cajole the other RAFT members into agreeing as well." He leaned forward, lacing his hands – his injured one had only just come out of its bandages that morning – below his chin. "Now, about those open ministerial positions..."

The three looked to the door as someone rapped hard, twice, and a head of black hair done up in braided buns poked around the corner. Aji smiled at the serving girl. "Something we can help you with, Mei-chan?"

"Er, yeah. Sorry ta bother ya, it's just..." Mei slipped inside, holding up a tattered piece of parchment. "I found this in Ayame-chan's room t'day. It's about you, so I thought..."

She trailed away as Aji took the paper from her, eyes scanning it quickly. He stared at it for a long moment before sighing and looking up again. "When did you last see her?"

"Yesterday night. She was mopey then, but I didn't think nothin' of it. I reckon she didn't leave 'till this mornin', but that don't tell me much."

He folded the paper and tucked it into his shirt. "Thank you for telling me, Mei-chan." He glanced over his shoulder at the two ministers, forcing a smile. "Terribly sorry, but it appears I've a runaway to find. Please inform the other officials about Hataku-san, and I hope to speak to you again sometime this evening."

"Er, of course, but is everything all right?" Bu asked.

Aji stumbled over a laugh. "Quite fine, I'm certain, it's just that there's a young lady taking my engagement a bit harder than expected. Entirely my fault, of course – I ought to have learned the difference between playful and earnest behavior by now – so it's best if I smooth the ruffled feathers myself. Not quite sure how to _do_ that, exactly, but experience is the best teacher, I suppose...

"Oh!" he added in the door frame, clapping his hands together and bowing to both ministers and serving staff. "And could you please _not_ tell my lovely wife about this? I've already lost a few fingers this past week, and I'd much prefer to retain the rest of my limbs for at _least _another month or two."

oOo

Chichiri waved a hand in front of his face in a weak attempt to chase away the afternoon heat. Something mewed piteously behind him and he glanced over to see Tama stretched out on his back below the window, panting in the rather vampiric way that cats did. Chichiri smiled and waved a hand at the little animal, sending a puff of breeze at him. Tama mewed again, rolling over and hopping out the window, likely on his way to take refuge in the cellars.

"Lucky that you can," he remarked to the vanished cat, then turned his eye back to the scroll in front of him. He rested his forehead in his palm, skimming the long document for what felt like the thousandth time before sighing and leaning back in his chair. His eye drifted to the ceiling, then closed.

"Liar," he whispered aloud before letting his words turn inwards. _'Telling Tasuki I didn't know anything. Maybe I can't be _absolutely _certain, but I'm as close to positive as I think I can get no da. Not that I could tell him that, of course.' _Both working and scarred eye twitched in a grimace. _'I'm running out of time. I can feel it no da. Gods, but this is awful.' _

Chichiri shoved himself out of his chair_, _shedding his _kesa_ in a weak attempt to keep cool. He looked from his desk to his door, then rolled up the scroll again with a twitch of his fingers and left the room. His troubled steps took him through the gardens and finally toward the training rings, where at least the chatter of the soldiers might distract him from his troubles.

_'This isn't like me no da. When did I run so completely out of answers?' _He leaned his elbows against the railing that lined the archery rings, closing his eye again and letting the twang of bowstrings be his soundtrack. _'I suppose I could try talking to someone, but really, the only person who I could stand to mention it to is Kiori, and...' _He sighed, hanging miserably over the railing. _'And I still don't have a clue what to do about _that_, either. Da... I'm going to wind up hurting everybody at this rate, aren't I?'_

"Problems, Chichiri?"

The monk snapped back to reality, opening his eye as he looked to the training ring. "Oh, good morning Hataku. Or is it afternoon? Anyway, I didn't see you there no da."

"I just arrived myself, actually." Chichiri watched as the former shogun notched an arrow to his bow, sighting down the shaft. "One moment." He took swift aim and fired. The arrow thudded into a spot just left of the target's center.

"That's pretty good no da."

He shrugged. "Not especially. Before I lost my eye, I could hit an enemy in _their_ eye from over a _yin_ away." He reached for another arrow. "It's taking longer than I expected to adjust."

"Mm, but you'll get used to it eventually no da."

Hataku's mouth twitched in a smile. "Yes, I suppose you'd know all about that." He turned back to his exercises, speaking to Chichiri as he went. "Do you know, when we first met, I hadn't the faintest idea that you were wearing a mask. I don't suppose you know where I could get one of those, do you?"

"Only ones that come in this design, and somehow I think it would look a little ridiculous on you no da."

Hataku actually laughed. "True enough. But you never answered my question. When I got here, you had the look of a man with the world on his shoulders."

"Maybe not the entire world, but... yes, you could say I've got a lot on my mind no da."

"Anything the rest of us should be worried about?"

"Not at the moment." Chichiri set his chin in his hands. "Besides, I think everyone has enough to worry about as it is no da."

"Mm. I suppose I can relate to that as well," Hataku muttered grimly, drawing another arrow to his ear.

"About Setsuka, you mean?"

_Thunk!_ Hataku's shot slammed into the wooden post that stood next to the target, completely missing its mark. He composed himself in a hurry, reaching for another arrow. "What would make you say that?"

"Well... you're still in love with her, aren't you no da?"

_Whump!_ Another arrow thudded, quivering, far from the center of the target. Hataku's bent shoulders tensed against his undershirt. "You assume too much, seishi!" he barked, unable to keep the tremor out of his voice. "I don't know who gave you an idea like that, but there's nothing between the two of us. There isn't now, and I doubt that there ever was."

"That's a lie no da," Chichiri said, reverting almost automatically to his old role of kindhearted adviser. "Anyone can tell that it hurts you to talk about her. And maybe it's unfair of me to call it 'love' anymore, but I do know what heartbreak looks like no da. What it feels like, too."

"Then you should know to leave a man to his grief, instead of dragging it in the open where others can mock it."

Chichiri eyebrows knotted, unused to his listening ear being so thoroughly rejected. "There's nothing shameful about it no da. I'm impressed with your resolve, actually. Even so, it won't do you any good to pretend those feelings don't exist."

"But aren't you doing the same thing?"

Chichiri snapped back as if he'd been slapped in the face. He gripped the rail to regain his balance, struggling to find words. "W-well, I..."

Hataku chuckled humorlessly. "The others warned me that you liked to play counselor. However, I'd suggest you figure _yourself_ out before you try working on others. Particularly others who are, in fact, older than you, and just might be capable of handling themselves."

The monk stared at Hataku's back, a soft frown puckered on his face. After a moment he sighed, bowing his head in defeat. "You're right. I'm sorry I brought it up no da. Maybe I was just trying to escape from my own worries for the afternoon. At any rate, I shouldn't have pried. _Gomen_."

"It's fine. Obnoxious as prying can be, there's something comforting in it as well."

Chichiri winced. "Glad I could be a _helpfully_ annoying, then." He pushed himself off the railing. "Well, I should get back to work before my foot goes even further into my mouth. Good luck finding your answers no da."

"I already have my answer," Hataku said. The monk to paused, watching him, waiting for more. The former shogun picked out another arrow, staring at the red-feathered shaft with quiet, guarded sadness. "My main objective is to do what's best for Takkan. Once I've done that, _then _I can worry about my personal feelings. That's all there is to it."

oOo

Houki stood in a side street of Shoutei, taking in the cobbled-together architecture of the poorer residential district. She kept a firm grip on her son's hand, not at all certain if they were safe in this grimy labyrinth with its mud walls and muck-covered paths, but her traveling companions seemed right at home, drinking up the sights and reminiscing about days past.

"Oh, Kuda-san's old home! Remember how we used to swipe sweets from his stall down in Marketway?"

"Haha, he caught us every time and gave us the candy anyway. Such a kind fellow, taken before his time."

"He was 75-years-old, Yuki. I hardly think that's 'before his time.'"

Boshin giggled at the RAFT members, but Houki just rubbed at her temples. While the past few days of teasing and bickering had been a constant amusement to her son, the empress could feel her nearly limitless patience wearing thin. "Excuse me, everyone?"

"Kirei, remember on my eighteenth birthday when we went into that alley and—"

"Gods damn it, Yuki, you promised you wouldn't tell anyone about that!"

"Hah! I got a better one! 'Member on New Year's when you 'n' me got drunk an' rolled around in the Takaguchi farmhouse loft?"

"Pfft! I think you dreamed that one, mate."

"Oh, I wasn't talkin' t'you, Kirei, I was talkin' t'Yuki – or, has he likes t'be call, Love Bear-chan. OUCH!"

"Excuse me," Houki said again, a small anger-vein forming on her forehead.

"Tori, I'm going to skin you alive for that, just see if I don't!"

"But Love Bear-chan, ya said I was special to ya – ouch! Okay, okay, I was lyin'! It was just a joke, y'don't – ow – have t'pinch so – ow! – hard – ow!"

Houki slumped against the wall of the nearest building, holding her head in her hand. "Oh, I give up. We shall never reach our destination at this rate..."

"H'oh, so another rat comes scurrying into my palace, does he? And this one even had the gall to dress himself like a prince!"

The empress jerked up at the unknown voice, sweeping the path for the newcomer, but she saw no one. Her eyes finally landed on Yuki and Tori, who had stopped mid-scuffle to stare up and around the alley. Yuki's face lit up for the briefest of moments, then he sprang to his feet, drawing his sword and pointing it at a side street to their left. "Prince or commoner, my lineage matters not. I am a man, which is more than I can say for you, tyrant!"

Houki blinked. "Wait. Isn't this from...?"

A new figure stepped out of the side street, hands on hips as he scoffed at the heroically-posed rebel. "A tyrant who holds the mandate of heaven is worth more than an army, never mind a guttersnipe like yourself. If you think you can wave that stick of yours and make the gods bow to your will, then you'll find yourself waving it straight into the afterlife."

"And if _you_ think the gods still extend their blessings to you, then you are a fool as well as a demon!" Yuki cocked his sword up at his ear, and for a moment Houki almost thought she was in the majestic palaces of Kutou, standing before the great freedom fighter Sen Min as he prepared to topple the Deposed Lord Yinji. "Now, let us end this."

The stranger bowed contemptuously. "Your death wish is my command."

The pair stared each other down for another long, tense moment – then, as if on cue, their faces exploded into smiles and they flew across the clearing, clenching fists and clapping one another across the back, talking quickly and right over the other, so that Houki couldn't hope to understand their garbled greetings.

Kirei waved at the pair with an ironic flourish. "Ladies and gentlemen, the Furosaki brothers."

The empress' eyes widened, taking in the newcomer with a more careful eye. Now that she knew what to look for, she was ashamed to admit that she hadn't seen the resemblance right away. Even their voices sounded alike, she thought as they continued to speak hurriedly, animatedly, as if trying to fill all the missed months into a few seconds.

"Brothers," Houki repeated. "So that recital just now was—?"

"Th' confrontation scene from _The Nightingale's Last Song,_" Tori drawled. "It's how these two dummies say hello."

"Though personally I've always liked 'em best as Uruki and Soren in _Romance of the Genbu Warriors,_" Kirei remarked. "Can't really perform that one without a Takiko around, though. Shame."

The older Furosaki – Aji, Houki remembered – gripped Yuki's shoulders, pushing him back a step so he could get a better look at him. Seeing the brothers side-by-side like that, the empress thought that perhaps their differences were even more striking than their similarities. Though both were handsome, with strong chins, slightly up-turned noses, and gently sloping, almost feminine eyes, there was a certain softness, a malleability to Aji that his brother didn't quite possess. Yuki's training under Hataku had left him thin but strong, his muscles sharply defined beneath his skin. He stood like a grinning oak beside his brother's shorter, willowy form. There was strength in both of them, but the difference was striking, particularly given how similar they appeared in every other aspect. To put it in theatrical terms, Houki thought with a smile, the older might play the lover, but the younger would always play the hero.

"My gods!" Aji exclaimed, the first words the others had been able to catch so far. "When did you get taller than me? This is hardly sporting of you, particularly after your desertion from the army. I'd have thought the gods would have stunted your growth as punishment!"

"Desertion? I'll have you know I did everything the RAFT requested! It certainly isn't _my_ fault the role of a soldier got boring. You have to give me something challenging if you expect to keep me away longer."

Aji laughed. "Fair enough – next time we'll send you all into the enemy's hideout to pose as Elements."

He dropped his arms back to his sides, but Yuki's own hand darted out, grabbing Aji's right wrist and pulling it forward. He stared at his older brother's missing fingers, the healing stumps still tender from cauterization. He stumbled for words, theatrics forgotten in the cold shock of reality. "Nii-san, your hand..."

"Ah, yes." Aji shrugged, waggling his remaining two-and-a-half fingers at his brother. "Just a little karmic retribution, nothing to worry about. Rather a light punishment, all things considered." He pulled away from Yuki's hold, setting his hands back on his hips. "Now stop looking at me like that. I may not be able to build a firework or pick a lock anymore, but I can still hold a brush and that's all that matters, as far as I'm concerned." Aji turned away, eager to shift the subject to something lighter. "What about your troop? They seem to be in one piece."

"We lost five on the battlefield," Yuki said quietly. "Tendan, and Hanshin, and—"

Aji pressed his uninjured hand to his brother's shoulder. "I know. And there were heavy losses here as well, I assure you. But let's focus on the lives _saved_ for now, shall we? The sun is shining, the city is free, and our final members have come home. We should be happy, although," he quirked a smile at first Yuki, then the rest of the group, "I suppose it's too much to ask that your time away has turned you all into respectable citizens?"

"Way too much t'ask, Aji!" Tori cut in, grinning at the RAFT leader.

"I should have known you'd never change. Still insulting my songs and plays?"

"Every chance I get."

"Splendid! What would an artist's ego do without its critics?" Aji turned towards the empress, offering an elaborate bow. "And who might we have here? Certainly far too proper of a lady to be in the company of these scoundrels."

Houki covered a smile. "Scoundrels, perhaps, but they have helped me to reach my destination, and for that I must be grateful. I am Yoh Houki, from Konan, and this is my son, Boshin."

"Well met, Yoh-san – though I apologize that you have to share a last name with the likes of this one." He jerked a thumb at Tori, who stuck his tongue out in retaliation.

"It is no trouble, though please, feel free to call me by my first name. Since it seems I will be under your protection for some time, it's only fair that we begin on friendly terms." Aji raised an eyebrow at that. The empress waved it away. "I shall explain as we go. For the moment, would it be too much trouble for you to lead us to your home? I am rather exhausted, and my companions are starving."

"They gots Hungrititus!" Boshin added.

Aji laughed. "Ah, and a terrible illness it is." He offered her another bow. "Very well, we shall escort you to the palace." He straightened again, wincing as he glanced to the nearby alley. "Oh, right... Ayame-chan, if you are quite finished sulking, would you care to come out and say hello?"

A girl slumped around the corner and into the street, hands crossed tight over her stomach. "_Okaeri_," she muttered to the rebels before glaring at Aji. "And I wasn't sulkin'. I was puttin' my poor broken heart back together. It ain't nice ta make fun."

"Sa..."

"Ai-chan?" Yuki laughed, sweeping forward so he could grab the girl in a hug. "My gods, I haven't seen you in a dragon's age! You've turned into quite the dashing young lady! I dare say all the boys have gone mad for you by now."

"Ha!" she scoffed, glancing over his shoulder so she could shoot Aji a look of utter misery. "Young 'n' dashin' an' who gives a rip? Don't mean nothin'. Not when you've gotten your heart all trampled across. Your brother's a right beast, you know that?"

The younger Furosaki shook his head, stroking her wounded pride in the same way he might have settled an argument back in the Takkan camp. "No, no, Nii-san's just a romantic, hasn't so much as _looked_ at another girl since he met Kita. One of those love-at-first-sight stories, you know how Nii-san can't resist a good fairy tale. His monogamist ways haven't a thing to do with _your_ merit, Ai-chan."

She sniffled again. "But he don't even care."

"Perish the thought! Of course he cares, or why would he be out here with you?" Yuki sighed, wiping an imaginary tear from his eye. "However, only those who have experienced heartbreak themselves can truly understand your pain – and rest assured, Ai-chan, that my patched and bandaged soul sheds a tear for every one of your own." He swung an arm around her shoulder, guiding her back down the streets. "Now, let me tell you the tragic tale of the redheaded foreigner I was forced to leave behind. I warn you, though, that your sleeves will be soaked through by the end of it..."

Kirei and Tori rolled their eyes, but Aji smiled, relieved, at his brother's back. "Thank the gods, but your arrival was fortuitous. I hadn't a clue how to manage _that_ situation. Looks as if he picked up a few other talents during his months away." He offered Houki his arm, which she took graciously. "We'd best follow them, then. Come on, you lot, I'm sure there are plenty of people ready to celebrate your return – and plenty of others ready to drown themselves at the same fact."

oOo

"Oi, Kiori!"

The apprentice doctor glanced over her shoulder, smiling as Tasuki came out of a nearby building, hand raised in greeting. "Oh. Good timing. You just get done with your meeting?"

"Pretty much. What're you up to?"

She held up a basket heavy with medical supplies. "Restocking. We drew lots and I got stuck with it."

"You goin' back ta th' infirmaries now?" She nodded and Tasuki took the basket from her, hefting it easily in one hand. "Here, I was headin' that way, too. I'll walk with ya."

"_Doumo_." Kiori fell into step beside him, hesitating for a moment as she debated on the best conversation to start. Finally she said, trying to keep it light, "So where are you off to?"

"Trainin' rings. I gotta round up some-a th' boys fer t'night."

"Tonight?"

"Yeah. Me, Red, an' some of our pals are goin' ta th' Dancin' Dove, remember?" Kiori slapped a hand to her mouth, but it did little to cover her sudden peals of laughter. Tasuki cocked an eyebrow. "You okay there?"

"Fine, fine! I just... ohhh, it'd be too hard to explain." She shook her head, forcing back the giggles, though she couldn't keep the twitch of a smile off her face. "So you, Ritsuka, _and the guys_ are having a party tonight? You've been quite the social butterfly since Houki-sama left, you know."

He shrugged, rubbing at the back of his head. "Yeah, well, I jus'... wanna get in as much as I can, I guess."

"As much as you can before what?"

He shook his head. "Nothin', really." He laughed weakly. "Sorry. Guess I'm jus' worried 'bout th' end-a th' war a little. If things turn sour, I wanna make sure I don't go out regrettin' nothin'." Kiori waited for more, and after a moment Tasuki gave it to her. "It's jus', with th' Elements an' all... an' me bein' one of 'em, I..."

Kiori set a hand to his shoulder. "What's your name?"

"Huh?" He raised an eyebrow. "It's Tasuki. You know that."

"Tasuki... Tasuki..." She looked to the sky as if thinking hard, then looked back to him, smiling. "I don't know any Elements by that name, do you?"

"Heh." He managed a crooked grin, looking forward again. "Guess so. Still... ah, ferget it. I bet yer right."

"I can't really blame you for being worried, though. Heck, when I think about Setsuka, just sitting out there plotting her next move, I get so scared I can barely see straight." Kiori hesitated, following Tasuki down the path for a few more steps before she ventured her next question. "So that's what you're worried about. Mystery Number One out of the way. Now what about Chichiri?"

"What makes y'think I'd know what was buggin' him?"

Kiori shrugged. "You seem to be the only person who has the tiniest idea where he goes when he's wandering through that little world of his. He seems so worried about something. I was thinking that if I knew what it was, I could help him fix it."

"Ain't nothin' ta fix, really." Tasuki struggled to explain. "Anyway, I don't think I really know th' whole story, either. I know he's scared fer you guys, same as I am. He's worried about Mae-chan, an' I think th' whole Element thing is buggin' him about as much as it is me, though he keeps tellin' me that I'll be fine. But beyond that..." Tasuki sighed. "I got nothin'. Only thing I can tell ya is that he's keepin' somethin' from th' both of us. I don't gotta be a _ki_ senser t' know that."

Kiori nodded unhappily. "But what could it be...?"

Tasuki frowned, though Kiori was too busy staring at the ground to notice. _'Dammit, 'Chiri. Why can't you jus' _talk _ta her already?_ _Sometimes guys annoy me more'n girls do.' _He looked away for a moment, watching the shadow-dappled palace grounds, then turned back to Kiori with a grin.

"Well, only one way t'find out, ain't there?" He flashed her a thumbs-up. "Ya jus' gotta ask him! Not too hard, is it?"

"That's your advice?" She sweatdropped. "I hate to tell you this, Tasuki, but I've been _trying_ that for a while now. It hasn't done me much good yet."

Tasuki snorted. "Ch! If Chichiri ain't talked t'you yet, then ya jus' ain't tryin' hard enough. Of all the people in this palace – hell, in this world – yer th' one he cares about th' most, th' one he'd trust with damn near anythin'. Chichiri ain't used ta tellin' others about his problems, so if ya go at it from an angle then he'll find a way ta change th' subject. But if you asked him up-front what was buggin' him, no way he'd lie to ya. I don't think he could."

Kiori flushed and studied her feet. "You really think that? I always thought you were his closest friend."

"Hell yeah I am," he agreed. "Two of us're close as brothers. But yer somethin'... I dunno if 'closer' is th' right word, but definitely different, somethin' deeper'n a good friend 'r a brother. Somethin' he couldn't lie to, not about important stuff like this." Tasuki rubbed hard at the back of his head, fighting, as always, to find the right words. "Look, Kiori, I been tryin' not ta get inta this stuff, an' I sure as hell ain't th' expert on it, so maybe my opinion don't count fer squat, but y'know... I-I mean, if ya had to ask me what I thought, then yeah..." He nodded to himself. "Yeah. I really do think Chichiri loves you."

Tasuki jumped as Kiori wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug, pressing her face against his shoulder.

"Thanks," she said, her voice wobbling on the end. "Hearing that from you is really..."

"Whoa, whoa, no." Tasuki dropped the medicine basket and peeled Kiori away, holding her at arm's length like he was afraid she might be poisonous. "You don't say another damn word. I hate, hate, _hate_ it when girls cry. So you gotta stop talkin' b'fore th' waterfalls start pourin', ya got that?" She giggled and nodded, wiping a finger under one eye. He released his hold on her shoulders. "That's better." Tasuki scowled, shifting uncomfortably. "Damn, I been hangin' out with girls too long. Got all touchy-feely there fer a second."

Kiori laughed, picking her basket from the ground. "Sorry. My girly emotions are back in check, I promise." She nodded to the infirmaries, which were just a short walk across the courtyard. "Anyway, thanks for the help. And for everything else. Really." He looked away, grumbling something that could have been rude, sweet, or a confused mix of both. Kiori smiled and turned to go, but stopped at the last moment. "Oh, and Tasuki? Don't worry about us girls turning you into a sensitive guy. I don't think we'll ever be able to take the loud-mouthed, vulgar, fire-wielding bandit out of you, no matter how hard we try!"

Tasuki laughed as Kiori hurried across the courtyard, basket thumping against her thighs. "Hey, thanks!" he called after her, then paused, frowning at the sky. "Er, that _was_ a compliment, wasn't it?"

oOo

Aji swept into one of Takkan's smaller sitting rooms, throwing open the door with a flourish. "I come bearing guests, and hungry ones at that."

Kita and the two Watanabe ladies glanced up from their supper, watching – or in Hourin's case, listening, head tilted towards the door – as first Houki and then the RAFT members poured into the room. The empress stopped in the frame, holding her son's hand while she took in the room's occupants, but the rebels just stampeded in, rubbing bellies and heading straight for the cooking pot set on the table.

"Suzaku almighty!" Kita cried, throwing up her hands. "Jus' when ya fink ye've rid y'self of 'em fer good, they come crawlin' back, starvin' an' snarky as ever."

Tori winked as Kita hurried over to them, clasping hands and slapping backs with her old friends. "Nice t'see ya, too. I know y'must have missed us, so why doncha skip th' smalltalk an' go straight t'the weepin'?"

She laughed, punching him in the shoulder. "Shoulda knowed a li'l fing like a war wouldn' rid ye of y'cheek, Tori-kun." She turned towards Yuki, grasping him by the shoulders. "Well now, if it ain't me li'l brother, 'ome from th' war safe 'n' sound, like."

Yuki blinked. "Little brother?" His face lit up. "You mean you finally agreed to it?" She flushed and nodded. He laughed, grabbing Kita in a hug and twirling her in a full circle. "My gods, but this is the best homecoming a man could hope for! Please tell me I haven't missed the wedding, I'll throw myself into the river if you tied the red string without me!"

"We were waiting for you, actually," Aji said, pulling Kita away from his brother so they could exchange a quick kiss hello. "Can't have a wedding without family, after all. Now, love," Aji said, walking Kita over to the bewildered empress, "I'd like very much for you to meet Yoh Houki, Warrior of Konan. She and her son will be staying with us for a time. Houki-san, this is Raza Ankita, or just Kita as she's generally known."

"Pleased t'meet'cha." Kita ducked her head in a short bow. "So yer a Konan Warrior, na? Then y'must know Kiori. 'Ow's th' gel doin'?"

"Very well, as is..." Houki trailed off, glancing past Kita to the women at the table. It wasn't a perfect match – the empress suspected that Hataku favored his father's side of the family – but there was something in the sharp eyes and slightly wide foreheads of the pair that made her hesitate, and the younger woman's clouded eyes all but confirmed her suspicions. "I apologize. I do not wish to be rude, but Oba-san, Onee-san... would your names happen to be Watanabe Shundou and Hourin, by chance?" (1)

The older woman nodded, but the younger had already sprang from her chair, smashing two RAFT members beneath her before landing in front of the empress. She made a grab for Houki's hands and nearly groped her instead, but Houki reacted quickly and cupped the girl's hands in her own, blinking at the hope pouring from Hourin's sightless eyes. "You know us? That must mean you know Ani-ue! Where is he? Is he safe? How do you know him? Is he still in Konan? We heard he arrived but we never get any letters so we have no way of knowing how he's doing..."

"Hourin." Watanabe Shundou didn't raise her voice, but there was a layer of steel in her words that made her daughter wince and all the RAFT soldiers snap to attention. She stood from the table in a sweep of homespun skirts, making her way with stately grace over to the empress. Shundou bowed low, hands clasped to her chest. "I apologize for my daughter's rudeness."

Hourin released Houki's hands and stepped back, bowing bashfully, but Houki waved their concerns away. "It's quite all right. I would count myself very lucky to have a sibling who cared for me so... fervently." Hourin blushed and Houki stifled a laugh. "And in answer to your many questions, yes, Hataku is in Konan, and yes, he asked me to tell you he is safe. The two of us are friends, I suppose."

"Ah, _yokatta_." Hourin heaved a sigh of relief, and her mother couldn't help but do the same. "Would it be all right if we sat down and spoke for a while? I want to hear everything that's going on in Konan."

Houki nodded and reached forward, preparing to take Hourin's arm and lead her back to the table, but Tori slid between them, snatching up the blind woman's hand. Houki didn't miss the gloss across his eyes or the faint flush across his cheeks. "Here, Hourin-san, lemme help ya back ta yer seat."

"Oh, thank you, um...?"

"Yoh Tori, no relation t'the lovely Konan Warrior," he said, following Houki back to the table. "You c'n jus' call me Tori, an' I'll jus' call you Hourin, an' we'll get on as fine as ducks in a pond." She returned to her seat, but he continued to hover. "So yer Hataku-sama's li'l sis, ain't'cha?"

"That's right. Do you know my brother?"

"Oh, sure, worked for him fer th' past year 'r so. I'm a big strong handsome soldier chap, doncha know, done my share-a protectin' 'n' fightin', all in a day's work, with a stiff upper lip 'n' bravery 'n' valor 'n' stuff." He plunked down beside her, head resting dreamily on his palm. "But gods above, I never woulda thought that me ol' shogun would have sucha bee-eautiful sister!"

Hourin hid a smile, but Shundou found it less than amusing. Tori didn't see her looming over him, murder glinting in her eyes, until her hand had whipped out, clamping down on his ear and dragging him away from the table. "That is _my_ seat, thank you very much."

"Owowowowow! Hellfire, now I see where Hataku gets his violent streak – YOWCH!"

Shundou gave his ear one last vicious twist before tossing him to the floor. She sat down and smiled sweetly at the sweatdropping empress. "Something about Konan, I believe you were saying?"

"Ah, yes. Well—"

But Houki never got any further, because the door to the study creaked open again and two youths stepped into the room, one of them throwing a bandit's salute to the gathering. "Kazu-kun and I are ready to help with patro..." Akai trailed off, cocking her head at the room full of RAFT soldiers. "Yuki-san? What are you all doing here?"

"_Minna_!" Kazuo laughed and threw himself at the group, picking Tori up from the ground and digging his fist into the soldier's head with a cry of, "Ah, there's my no-good cousin, gettin' tossed around as usual!"

Akai moved to exchange greetings as well, but she forgot all about the returned rebels when her eyes shifted through the crowd and to the table where Houki stood, staring at her as if at a ghost. The former champion's eyes lit up. "Ho... Houki-sama?" She didn't wait for an answer but just flew across the room, throwing herself into her empress' arms. "Oh, I can't believe it's you! I've missed you and... well, everyone! I've missed you all so, so much! What are you doing here? How're the others?" Her eyes widened. "K-Konan hasn't been taken, has it? I heard Setsuka was nearby, but—"

At last finding her voice again, Houki laughed, shushing Akai as she traced her hands with motherly kindness across the girl's head, smoothing her windblown hair. "Konan is perfectly fine. Setsuka _is_ close, though. That is partly why I am here, but – oh, goodness, there is far too much to explain! Everyone back home is unharmed. But what about you? I never thought to see you here."

"Neither did I, but I sort of... I think I was sort of _led_ here, actually. It turns out there's all kinds of things I need to do here. Things that maybe only I can do." She took Houki's hand. "And some things that only you can do, too. The Element, the boy, Tsuchi, he's..."

"Mine," Houki finished softly. "May I meet him?"

"He's sleeping now." Akai tugged on her sleeve. "Oh, but Houki-sama, you have to believe me, he's not our enemy. You can't possibly claim him, legend or no legend. It just wouldn't be right."

Houki smiled sardonically. "Akai. Do you really think I could kill _anyone_?"

She laughed weakly and shook her head, but her good humor vanished quickly. "But I still don't think you should see him. Fuyuko-kun – that's his real name – has sort of figured it out. About how each Konan Warrior faces a different Element. He thought I was here to claim him until I explained about Sora... but if he met you, I think—"

"Then I shall have to set his fears to rest."

"But that's the thing." Akai's face darkened. "He's not afraid. In fact I think he sort of... I think he sort of wants to die." She shook her head. "Oh, I don't know, I haven't been able to get much sense out of him these past couple days. Setsuka's draining him worse than usual, he says, and it's all he can do to stay awake anymore. He's in _agony_, Houki-sama, but there's nothing I can do. It's awful."

The empress considered this for a moment, but she didn't hesitate. "No, I still must speak with him. I need to learn all I can about his situation, and what Setsuka may have planned." She sighed. "And then I must decide what to do about my... Element."

Akai nodded, eyes on the ground. She looked up again, pleadingly. "Tomorrow. We'll see him tomorrow morning, okay? For now, though, can we just let him sleep? And can we just talk about Konan? About the others? Please?"

"Of course," Houki agreed. "Actually, I was just about to do the same for the Watanabe ladies." She glanced past Akai to the group of reunited rebels, sweatdropping slightly. "Though perhaps we could go someplace a bit quieter...?"

"There's a writing room attached to my bedchamber. Just a second." Akai slipped through the crowd, coming to a stop in front of the two leaders. "Kita-san, permission to tour the city tomorrow afternoon? I think we all have more important things to worry about right now."

"Couldn't-a said it better. You an' y'Konan friend enjoy y'selves. We'll meet up with ye in th' mornin'."

Akai bowed once, then hurried back through the crowd, gesturing for Houki, Boshin, and the Watanabe women to follow her. Tori tried to sweep in to aid Hourin, but Shundou got the jump on him this time, offering her daughter both her cane and her mother's arm. Hourin accepted them, blissfully unaware of Tori sulking just behind her as the group weaved their way around the RAFT members and left the room for quieter quarters.

"Oh, chin up, mate," Kirei said, clapping Tori on the back. "You'll have plenty of time later to get her to hate you. No need to rush it all in one day, eh? In the meantime, let's enjoy a nice, tasty dinner with our three favorite leaders."

Tori's head perked up. "Hey, that's right!" he shouted over his noisy comrades. "We ain't seen Otoo-san yet! Where's the ol' codger hangin' about, huh? He stop on th' way here ta help a little lost orphan 'r somethin'?"

Kita and Aji's faces darkened. Kazuo and Ayame glanced once at each other, then hurriedly away. Silence clung to the room, but still the leaders said nothing.

"Nii-san."

Aji looked up at his brother's plea. Yuki's slack face, numb with disbelief and shock, was not a new expression for the RAFT leader, but that didn't make it hurt any less. He pressed his mangled hand to his brother's shoulder, looping the other into Kita's and squeezing it for strength. "Please sit down, all of you. This story has a happy ending, but there is a great deal of sadness along the way."

oOo

Kiori stared up at the ceiling of her new room, her hands laced behind her head. She sighed. _'Oh, it's no use. I can't sleep at all.' _She rolled over on her side, eyes shifting to the wall that separated her room from Ritsuka's. _'They're staying out pretty late tonight, huh? I guess I'm more excited to hear about Rtisuka's not-date than I first thought.' _She squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head slowly. _'No, that isn't it, is it? Dummy, you know _exactly _what's keeping you awake.' _She sat up with a good natured sigh. _'I really can't get him out of my head, can I? This is all Tasuki's fault for giving me that pep-talk today.' _Kiori shook her head, pressing hands to knees and rising to her feet. _'Well, maybe a walk will help settle me down.'_

She slipped into a robe, belting it at the waist before exiting the room, bare feet wriggling happily at the feel of the cool floorboards beneath her. She stepped lightly down the walkway, traveling along the promenade before turning toward the palace bond.

The moon was bright and full that night, perfect for strolling around the grounds with a friend. _'A night for lovers,'_ she thought with a little smile. _'At least, that's what you used to say, Nee-san. You were such a hopeless romantic, and so honest about it too... you'd probably never let me live this down, huh?'_

Kiori looked down again, brushing a strand of hair out of her eyes. "Chicken," she chided herself. "If you had just come out and said something from the beginning, then maybe you wouldn't be out here, wandering around at midnight and talking to yourself like a crazy... lady..."

She trailed off as she rounded the walkway and got a full view of the pond bank – and a full view of the figure at its edge. He was sitting beneath the willow tree, perched cross-legged on one of the roots, gaze to the north and a pensive frown on his unmasked face. Kiori smiled crookedly. _'Be careful what you wish for, huh?'_

He had his prayer beads looped around his right hand, and looked to be in such deep thought that Kiori almost turned and left him alone. But at the last minute her fists clenched into her skirts and she held her ground. She took a breath. "Chichiri?"

He glanced up, face flashing surprise. "Oh, Kiori. I didn't even sense you, I was so..." He changed directions. "Couldn't sleep either no da?"

"Guess not." She shifted, gesturing towards the big root. "You, uh, mind if I sit down?"

He smiled, patting the makeshift seat to his right. "Not at all. I could use the company no da."

She took the offered spot. She glanced over at him, half-expecting him to strike up a conversation, but he seemed happy enough just to have her next to him. He kept his face half-turned from her, his scar lost in shadows, his single eye watching the ripples in the pond. His hands twitched nervously in his lap, but his slight smile was genuine, made even more so by the lack of his mask. Kiori couldn't help but smile back.

He must have caught the look out of the corner of his eye. "Thinking of something funny no da?"

"Not really. I was just thinking about how much easier you are to read when you don't have your mask on."

"I left it back in my room no da. I wasn't expecting company, so—"

"You don't have to explain," she interrupted. "I like you better without it. Being able to tell whether you're really happy or just pretending is kind of a relief." She chuckled. "Though to be honest, I've known you long enough by now that I can usually tell anyway."

"Oh?" He smiled a challenge. "So which is it now – happy, or just pretending?"

"A little bit of both, I think."

"Anyone could have guessed that no da," he teased.

"Then I'll be more specific." Kiori threw her nose in the air and held up a finger, imitating an arrogant scholar in mid-debate. "You're happy that I'm here because I'll take your mind off of the things you've been worrying about, but you're pretending to be happy because you _are_ still worried about those things. Furthermore, me being here is making you think about some of those things even _more_, only you don't want me to think I'm causing problems, so there's even _more_ pretending on your part. But," she went on, "if I had to guess, I think you're more happy than just pretending, and not just because you get to spend time with your favorite girl-from-another-world, either."

He sweatdropped. "That was so accurate it was scary no da." He hesitated, then went on. "All right, let's make it even scarier. What's the other reason I'm more happy than pretending right now?"

"Because you want me to ask my next question," she said. "That part's just a guess, though. You'll have to tell me if I'm right or not."

Chichiri frowned, looking away again. "You're... not wrong, no da."

It was the closest thing to a "help" that she had ever gotten out of him. It would have to be enough. Kiori took a breath. "What's got you so worried that you're out by the pond at midnight?"

He didn't say anything right away. Kiori waited, watching his mouth set in a line, his eye twitching as if he were shuffling through a library of answers, trying to find the one that fit best. After a moment he nodded, clasping his hands around the prayer beads in his lap. "It's Mae-chan. Even from this far away, I can sense how much the oncoming battle is hurting her, but there's nothing I can do to help her no da. I feel like I've failed her."

It wasn't the answer that Kiori had expected, but it was more than she'd hoped. She sat up, gently prodding for more. "Why's that?"

"Back when I left her with the Ukizaki family, I promised her that she'd be able to live a normal life – that she could start over, almost. She could hardly remember life in our old village anyway, so I didn't think it'd be hard for her. I always knew that, with her crystals, she'd never be completely normal, but I guess I hoped..."

vVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVv

Mae clung to her adopted brother, latching onto his pant leg like a cat to a tree branch. "Nooooo!" she wailed. "You can't leave, Houjun, you have to stay here, you have to stay with me so my new Mama and Papa can be your new Mama and Papa tooooooo...!"

Houjun sighed, running a hand through his still-long hair. He crouched, untangling the girl so he could take her hands in his. "I can't, Mae-chan. I'm sorry, but I just don't feel like I can stay here." _'I don't deserve that kind of happiness,'_ he thought miserably. Out loud, he supplied, "There are still things I have to do. I've thought a lot about this, and I've decided to become a monk. Maybe I can finally make up for everything that way."

She looked up at him with tear-filled eyes. "B-b-b-but..."

He smoothed down her hair, then wiped at her tears with his sleeve. "Listen, Mae-chan. Try to forget about everything that happened before, about all that sadness. I just want you to live a new life, a normal life without worries. Think of the Ukizaki family as your new mother and father. I know your real parents would want that. You should move on, and forget about me—"

She glared at him. "Houjun, I don't 'member Mama and Papa, or anyone else from the village. I don't even 'member the flood, I was just too little. But I do 'member you! I couldn't forget about you, you're my family!"

"I'm not..." He met her stubborn glare and gave up. "Okay, okay. Don't forget about me. But you shouldn't have to live with the weight of the flood. So... so if anyone asks, you're Ukizaki Mae from now on, okay? And if you mention me, just say... er..."

"That you're my Onii-chan, who went on a long trip and doesn't come home much," she answered with a smile. "Ukizaki Houjun. I like it!"

He chuckled halfheartedly. "That'll be fine. And if anyone asks me, I'm going to tell them I was the only survivor of that flood. That way, it's like you really have lived here your whole life." He hugged her once, tightly, then stood. "I've got to go now, before it gets too dark to travel."

She tugged on his pant leg once more. "You'll come visit me soon. _Ne_? _Ne_?"

Houjun's smile ached with sadness. He thought of a rushing river, of a drowned friend, of the winces and glares on the faces of people he passed. People who pitied him or feared him, thinking him either victim or criminal, never knowing he was the worst parts of both. He thought of the monastery, his last hope for redemption, his last grab at some kind of peace. Lastly, he thought of what would happen if the monastery failed him.

Always, his thoughts returned to the river.

"I don't know if I'll be able to visit," he answered at last. "Things are just too... I can't explain it. But I'll try. I promise that I'll try." She frowned, unsatisfied, but it was the best he could give her. Houjun ruffled her hair. "_Sayonara_, Mae-chan. Be happy."

She buried her face in her hands so he wouldn't see her tears, but Houjun had already turned, walking quickly, arms hugged to his chest as if he were physically trying to hold himself together. Mae peeked through her fingers, watching him through swimming eyes. She took two steps as if to run after him, but stopped. She swallowed hard and found her voice.

"Onii-chan!" He paused on the path, just at the edge of the trees, and glanced over his shoulder. Mae cupped her hands to her mouth. "I won't say _sayonara_! I'll say _mata au_, because we'll absolutely see each other again! And when we do, I'll be happy, but... but you have to be happy, too, okay? You really, really have to!"

He raised his hand in a brief, silent farewell, then turned away again, hurrying into the trees. She didn't have to see his face to know that he was crying.

vVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVv

"There wasn't anything you could do."

It took Chichiri a moment to realize Kiori had spoken to him, and another longer moment to notice her hand on his knee. "Mm?"

"You couldn't have stopped Setsuka from claiming Mae-chan as an Element anymore than you could've stopped Miaka from claiming you as one of her seishi. The gods decided that a long time ago." Kiori gave his knee a reassuring squeeze. "There are things we _can _control, though, and keeping her safe is one of them. She'll be okay. I'm sure of it."

He lifted his hand as if to clasp it over hers, but then seemed to think better of it. He let it fall back into his lap. "I hope you're right no da."

"That... isn't everything though, is it?" she pressed. "There's something else."

"We're at war, Kiori. There are a lot of something elses."

"But there's one big one, isn't there? And... and maybe I'm way off here, but I don't think it's about any one person or thing. I think it's about the whole war. About the legend."

Chichiri stiffened but managed to keep his voice light. "What would make you think that no da?"

"The way you just tensed up, for one," she said dryly. "Not to mention that you used to spend just about every waking moment trying to figure out the riddles in those scrolls, and then all of a sudden I couldn't have paid you to talk about them. And there's just..." She fumbled, gesturing helplessly with her free hand. "I don't know, this look you get sometimes, like you've got this pack of bricks strapped to your back that nobody else can see. Like the weight of the nation is on your shoulders."

"...I'm okay no da."

Kiori frowned. "You _say_ that. You _always_ say that, but no one can be 'okay' all the time. Sometimes you have to be sad or upset or lonely or just downright pissed off, but you never tell anybody when you are. Instead you just kind of..." She swiped her hand in front of her face. "Mask up. And you've done it more and more since Aoi-kun passed away."

She waited for a response, but all she got was the buzzing of a nearby dragonfly. Chichiri kept his face down, cloaked and unreadable. His hands slid slowly up and down his rosary, though Kiori couldn't tell if he was actually praying or if it was just a nervous habit. She sighed. "Okay. Fine. You don't have to tell me. But I _do_ want you to cheer up, so you've got to talk to someone, all right? Tasuki, someone at the monastery... just someone, okay? It doesn't have to be me."

"Yes, it does," he said, suddenly and with absolute conviction. "There isn't anyone else no da. You're pretty much the only person I could share this with."

"So there _is_ something. About the prophecy?" He nodded. "About the end of the war?" He nodded again. Kiori tensed, leaning forward. "Do you know what's going to happen? Who's going to attack, or when, or...?"

His answer was a croak. "Everything." He swallowed, closed his eye, tried to find composure. He found a shudder instead. "I knew about Akai, and I should've known about Aoi-kun, only I was too blind to understand it. And now – now I know everything about the war, almost down to the last detail no da." He felt Kiori's hand land atop his, but even that brought him little comfort. "Gods, but I wish I'd never tried to solve those damned scrolls."

"The scrolls?" she repeated. "But they just matched Elements with Warriors. They didn't say how the war would end."

"Not the ones you've seen, no. Do you remember my scroll, the one I never read to any of you no da?"

She nodded. "It seemed a lot longer than the rest of ours."

"It was. There were clues in there, though they didn't make any sense at the time no da. I didn't want to bother everyone else with them because I thought it was some kind of puzzle meant just for me, the way the other scrolls served as advice for you all." His back tensed and Kiori's hands squeezed against his, willing him to go on. "But after you explained the major pattern, everything clicked into place." He looked up, wincing each of his words. "Kiori, my scroll prophesies the outcome of almost every Elemental battle."

"The outcome... Do you have it here? Can I see it?"

He chuckled darkly. "I've been over it so many times, hoping that I'd read it wrong, that I've got the damned thing memorized no da." His head tilted up again, offering her both a challenge and a plea. "Do you really want to hear it?" She set her jaw and nodded. He couldn't help but smile, even if it was a pained one. "Okay. It's poetry, just like the others." He closed his eye and spoke in a lilting chant, as if reciting a mantra:

"_The lives of your company locked inside  
Solve the riddles, you may try  
And if you learn their triumphs and falls  
I hope that you may save them all_

_First and first: Your trial awaits  
And though you lie at death's dark gate  
Weave a prayer to save yourself from fate_

_Second and second: As one of each  
Your survival of this fight, I preach  
For your true end has not been reached_

_Seventh and Third: For you, I fear,  
That death looms and will soon be near  
Your path is short, and very clear_

_Sixth and Fourth: Remains hazy  
Interference could save you, this I see  
But at a price it's sure to be_

_Fifth and fifth: A fight with no fight  
The end of your path lies hidden from sight  
It may rely solely on others that night_

_Fourth and sixth and second:  
Two struggle to keep the other alive  
And yet, no matter how they strive  
I fear that both cannot survive_

_Third and seventh: The most vital of all  
The winner shall win and the loser shall fall  
For the bearer the stakes are unbearably tall..._

"That's the important part." Kiori jumped as Chichiri opened his eye, slipping into his regular speech patterns. "The rest is supposed to be advice for me, though it's more like gibberish than anything no da." He looked to her. "Well. Does it make sense to you?"

"Parts of it, but..." She shook her head. "There's too much to remember at once. But the numbers match the ones on the other scrolls, right? So first and first would be you and Tsuki, second and second would be Tasuki and Taiyou... um..."

He picked up where her memory failed her. "Seventh and Third: Koji and Kaze. Sixth and Fourth: Akai and Sora no da. Fifth and fifth: Houki-sama and Tsuchi." He squeezed his eye shut again. "Fourth and sixth and second."

"_And_ second?" Kiori considered it. "Well, the fourth is Ritsuka, so... Sixth and second could be..." Her hand flew to her mouth. "Oh! But, but the sixth is _Kaji_! And the second is... the s-second is..."

"Tasuki," Chichiri said, too exhausted to echo her horror. "Either way you look at it, something is going to pit Tasuki and Ritsuka against each other. We tried to pretend he wasn't a part of the prophecy but there's no fighting it now no da. _An Element for each_. No exceptions." He waved his free hand helplessly. "So now you know. That's the reason I haven't said anything. That's why I didn't want to have to tell anyone about this."

"Does... do you think Tasuki knows? Earlier, he said something..."

"He doesn't know about Ritsuka, at least. I think he has an idea about his own ends, but he doesn't know for sure. I tried to assure him that it didn't have to happen like that, but... I just don't know."

He slipped into silence and Kiori didn't break it, her hands on his clenched one. She gave him another little squeeze, trying to push her own uncertain strength into him. His free hand fell, almost unconsciously, atop her two, pressing them in return. She tried a weak smile. He almost returned it, but Kiori looked down again before he had the chance. She took a breath, gathered her thoughts, then looked up again. "I think you should tell them. Tasuki and Ritsuka both. They have a right to know what might happen."

He jerked upright, voice and _ki_ crackling between them. "You expect me to tell my best friend that he's going to die – or worse, that he's going to have to kill someone he...!"

Kiori recoiled, startled less by his outburst than by the crimson fire that snapped from his hands into hers, slapping against her fingers like needles. Chichiri softened at once, taking her hands this time, and pressing a cool burst of power into her palms. "I'm sorry," he said, "but I just can't do that no da. I can't be the gods' messenger, not for something like this."

She bit her lip. "Maybe it doesn't have to happen that way. I mean, if you know what _could_ happen, then you can stop it, right?"

"_'I fear that both cannot survive,'_" Chichiri recited. "The scroll was right about everything else – me and Tasuki living, Koji's death, 'interference' saving Akai... Do you know, the kanji used for 'weave a prayer' (織祈) are an inverse of the ones you use to spell Kiori? This was written hundreds of years ago and this oracle even knew your name! I've tried to rationalize it, tried to get around it, but I just don't see any way that Ritsuka and Tasuki can _both_ make it through this." His hands slipped away from hers again. He looked up for a half second, catching her with a gaze, begging her to find an answer that still eluded them. "I can't promise them hope. And if I can't do that, then how can I tell them at all?" (2)

Kiori had been fighting back tears, but they dried up at the sight of Chichiri's silent plea. For an instant she was back at the Konan gates, and the seishi were arriving with a sobbing Akai and a lifeless Aoi, and she had looked to Chichiri for guidance only to find him as lost as everyone else. It had been a shock, but what had truly shocked her was that, when he returned her gaze, he hadn't looked _at_ her but rather _to_ her, fumbling, exhausted, asking her to do what he, for once, could not.

The night was different, but the outcome was the same. Kiori accepted. Strength shifted. Her jaw set and her hand jerked out, grabbing his arm, forcing him to look at her and meet her promise. "Okay, fine. If Tasuki and Ritsuka can't keep it from happening, then _we_ will! You and me, we'll protect those two from whatever kind of fate the gods can throw at them."

"How?"

The word shivered with fragility, but Kiori met it with laughing, unwavering belief. "I have no idea. But I'm sure we can manage it. Tasuki and Ritsuka are tough all on their own, and you? You're stronger than anyone I know."

He chuckled weakly. "That's funny – I was about to say the same thing to you no da."

"I don't know about all that," she said with a blush, "but my scroll did tell me to believe in my strengths. I think I finally know what those are, and I plan on using them to keep the people I love safe. That includes Ritsuka, Tasuki, _and_ you. That also holds for Mae-chan, the Element who I will most certainly _not_ be killing." She tried for another smile and surprised herself at how natural it felt. "So don't worry so much, okay? Because everything really will turn out all right in the end, if we work to make it that way."

Strength shifted again, and although Chichiri didn't return her smile he did lean forward, brushing her bangs out of her face, his hand trailing down until the backs of his fingers touched her cheek. Something like concentration pressed against his features, as if he were trying to remember – or perhaps to forget – something important. Kiori's hand drifted down on his arm until it found his hand. Their fingers locked, squeezed, settled against his knee.

Chichiri chuckled weakly, letting his hand fall back atop her own. He held them for a second, almost as if offering a handshake, then pulled away with a nervous smile. "I don't really know what to say to something like that no da. Usually I'm the one reassuring everybody." He laughed again. "First Ritsuka, then you and Tasuki... When did everyone else start taking care of _me_?"

"Since you needed a little taking care of, I guess." She nudged him teasingly. "_Mattaku._ You still don't get it, do you? I keep telling you, this is how this stuff works. We're frie..."

But for the first time, she couldn't finish. Because it wasn't right. Not after Akai had encouraged her—

"_Kiori-san, I just know that you and Chichiri-san will work everything out, trust me on this. But you can't be afraid to tell him how you feel, all right?"_

—and Ritsuka had assured her—

"_The only people who believe that there's nothing between you and Chichiri are you and Chichiri."_

—and Tasuki had all but promised her—

"_Yer somethin'... I dunno if 'closer' is th' right word, but definitely different, somethin' deeper'n a good friend 'r a brother. Somethin' he couldn't lie to, not about important stuff like this."_

—So after all that, it couldn't be right to call them friends. But if that was true, then...

"Chichiri," she said, first with a tremor and then with such absolute calm that she thought she must be dreaming it, "what... are we, exactly?"

His fingers tightened around the rosary. He was tight-lipped for a moment, concentrating, flicking through that same library of answers again. But he couldn't seem to find what he was looking for, so after an exhausting moment his shoulders slumped and he shook his head. "I don't know."

"Me neither," she said. "But... but I know what I want us to be, and it's not this. I..."

She almost choked on it, almost let it get swallowed by the sticky-sweet summer air. But then, pushing it up past the lump in her throat and the tight knot of fear in her stomach, because it was better than limbo, better than the almost-touches and the almost-words, the restless nights and the anxious days, she said

"I love you"

and let it hang between them, something almost physical, as if it were waiting for Chichiri to reach out and grab it.

His hands didn't move but his head did turn, single eye watching her as she struggled to find air again, and struggled to make it look like she _wasn't_ struggling. He didn't have the energy to pretend the way she did, though, and could only stare at her with a smile in his eye that didn't quite reach his half-open mouth, a look that was neither terror nor joy nor regret but some impossible mixture of all three. She had surprised him, Kiori realized, had said something he hadn't expected, something he had no defenses for, and now his library of answers was useless. He scrambled. He was lost.

And then he looked away, giving her the scarred side of his face. "I'm... flattered. And touched.

"And I'm sorry."

She fought for words and air, watching numbly as he stood. His voice was calm, an apologetic monotone, but there was something pained in the tightness of his jaw and the clench of his hands, as if someone were torturing the words out of him, dragging them forward one syllable at a time. "I don't think it's any secret how much I care about you. But I can't..." His right fist tightened around his prayer beads. "I took vows. I need to honor them. So I – we – all of this... it can't be what you're looking for. I'm sorry. I really am."

"Oh." It puffed out of her like a gasp. "So. I guess that's – that's it... then... isn't it?"

"I guess so." She didn't look at him, so she couldn't see the tight lines around his mouth and eyebrows or the way his neck muscles stood out in pain. "Should I... I-I mean, is there anything I...?"

She shook her head, tight-lipped, forcing back tears. "No. Nothing."

His hand wobbled forward but he pulled it back to his side. Chichiri took a few uncertain steps back, still watching her, still pressing softly against her roiling life force, trying to feel for some edge of comfort, something to promise that this would somehow hurt less in the morning. There was nothing. He swallowed hard and stepped off the willow root. He turned to go but stopped, glancing back over his shoulder. He bit his lip, knew he should leave but couldn't, not just yet. "Kiori? I... I wanted to... thank you, okay? For everything."

She didn't reply. In the shadows of the willow tree, he thought he saw her head jerk a nod, but it was impossible to tell. He waited another half second, hoping for he-didn't-know-what, but when it didn't happen he turned again and hurried away from the pond.

oOo

"'_He tried to move quickly, but Kiori's grief traveled faster than his feet. The first of her heaving sobs echoed past him as he reached the walkway. He hurried on, but it was only another five steps before he slowed, leaning harder and harder against the railing until he slumped against it, one hand curled around his rosary and the other pressed tight to his eye, trying to push back the tears he knew he didn't deserve to cry._'" Tetsuya shoved his sunglasses up to his forehead, staring open-mouthed at the final paragraphs. "Wait. _What_?"

-  
Kiori: Once you've seen the truth, can you stand to face it? And if you can stand to face it, will you have the courage to accept it? To fight it? Even to change it? Or will you turn away? I've made my choice. Now it's time for the others. Either cut through the lies or hide behind them, but be sure to choose quickly. Time is running out, and we can't afford to waver anymore.  
As the final battle draws ever closer, friends and enemies alike search for a way to victory, but they are struggling against far more than just each other. A lady's humanity, a girl's loyalty, a boy's suffering... A warrior's path, an empress's choice, a shogun's resolve... A woman's strength, a bandit's fate, a monk's past... and, as for me...

The Next Episode of _Fushigi Yuugi: The Next Chapter:_ "All That Remains – The Traitor's Last Request?"

Throw yourself into tomorrow, no matter the cost.  
-

* * *

**End Notes:  
**(1) _Oba-san, Onee-san – _Literally "aunt" and "older sister," but also used to refer to a woman somewhat older than you ("ma'am") and a woman only a little older than you ("miss"), respectively. The author would like to take this moment to grumble that, while the Japanese language is greatly simplified in its general lack of gender-words, plurals, and irregular verbs, it is maddeningly specific when it comes to age. Hourin and Houki are roughly the same age, so to have Houki refer to her as "Onee-san" feels pretty darn weird. However, "Ojou-san" (literally "daughter," but used on younger women) has a diminutive quality to it, and Houki's always one to veer on the side of politeness, so... In other words, blech. Who would have thought that one little word would give me such a bleedin' headache?

(2) "weave a prayer" – Kiori spells her name with the _kanji_ for "pray" (ki: 祈) and "weave" (ori: 織), so I was trying to play with that for the riddle. I know a little bit about Chinese sentence structure and _kanji _usage, but it should be noted that I'm far more comfortable with Japanese (where "weave a prayer" would look like this: 祈りを織る) , so I can't 100% guarantee that 織祈 would mean "weave a prayer" in Chinese. If there are any Chinese speakers out there who would be so kind as to correct/approve of my work, I'd be much obliged.

_**Ye Olde Author's Note: August 20th, 2010  
**_Ni-hao, minna-san!  
So I'm fairly certain that your reactions are mirroring Tetsuya's right about now, huh? (_sweat_) This is, incidentally, the only time the Tokyo Reader neglects to say, "End Chapter..." because let's face it, everyone is too busy screaming or searching for the nearest throwable kitchen appliance (I recommend the blender) to worry about little things like closure.

Fun _FY:NC_ Fact of the Day: This chapter originally ended with a rather adorable Ritsuka/Tasuki Not-a-Date Sequence, with the Kiori/Chichiri Confession intended as the opening scene for Episode 36. However, in a fit of sadism, I decided to flip the order of events. I did it so I could end a somewhat low-key "bridge chapter" on a more resounding note, but in retrospect it also helps with story pacing as well. Oh, and it makes the readers scream. You should know me well enough by now to know how much I enjoy doing that (heh).

So, yes. To reiterate: I'm a little bit mean, but you should probably keep reading before you start chucking those lovely kitchen appliances at your computer screens. The rules of _FY:NC_ are much like the rules of any respectable anime, epic fantasy, or Shakespearean drama: Conflicts ain't settled 'till the characters are dead, and the characters ain't dead 'till they're buried in the ground. The story has hit a major turning point, but it is _far _from being finished. (And that is absolutely all I will say about that!)

The very last batch of profiles this time (aw, Sad Panda), as we dip deep into the minor characters well to bring you the superwomen of the Watanabe clan...

**Mini-Profile: Watanabe Shundou  
**Age: 47  
Height: 5'8"  
Weight: 136 lbs  
Birthplace: Shoutei, the capital city of Takkan  
Hair: Brown streaked with grey, always pinned back in a neat bun  
Eyes: Hazel

**Mini-Profile: Watanabe Hourin  
**Age: 20  
Height: 5'3"  
Weight: 111 lbs  
Birthplace: Shoutei, the capital city of Takkan  
Hair: Brown (a bit darker than her brother's and mother's), falls to her tailbone unbound; often worn as low, looped pigtails with eartails in the front  
Eyes: Hazel

Fun _FY:NC_ Fact of the Day #2: Hataku's mother and sister were originally named Mafuyu and Nia, respectively. They, along with Iyasu (originally Iya; I just added a syllable to make it a more realistic name) are the only FY:NC characters to have gotten a first-name change between the original and the edit (most all of the Takkan folks got their surnames changed, though). The reason I switched up their names was because I wanted to adhere to the "Japanese pronunciation of Chinese names" rule that I realized, somewhat late in my FY ficcin' career, Watase was using. I actually wanted to change a lot of names for this same purpose, but in the interest of not alienating my old readers I decided to keep most of them the same. These characters seemed minor enough that I could get away with it, though. (_grin_)

Anyway. About Hataku's family. I added them to provide depth to Hataku's character, and along the way I've developed them into much more complex individuals than you ever get to see in the story itself. There's pretty much an entire family tree and history behind the Watanabe clan at this point. (For example, there's an 11-year age gap between Hataku and Hourin because there should be three other siblings between them, but they passed away due to war, disease, complications during birth, etc.) You get little peeks into their histories throughout the last part of FY:NC, but maybe someday I'll get the time to write an actual side story about them. For the moment, though, you can enjoy them as "Hataku's proud, strong mother" and "Hataku's bright, good-humored sister," and hope that the family can be reunited again sometime soon.

That's all the mad drama I got for today! Thanks to Ayriel, Missa, Lururi, SandGirlExtreme, antyem, and White Phoenix for reviewing, and I hope to hear from you all again (be they words of praise or damnation, aheh) after this one, too!

Till Next Month! - Dee


	36. Episode Thirty Six: All That Remains

_**Disclaimer**_**:** I still don't own Konan, Suzaku and all characters and seishi pertaining to them. Kiori and Ritsuka are and shall forever be mine, and that holds for all the other "originals" (you'll know 'em when they appear, trust me). Obviously the story is mine as well.

_**Rating:**_ PG-13, for moderate language and violence.

**Musical Selection: **"Shuurei's Theme" for the scene at the Dancing Dove, "Belladonna's Snare" for the Setsuka dream sequence and "Shadow of Doubt" for all the other Setsuka/Mizu scenes, "Teppen no Ito" for the Chichiri fishing scene, and "Lullaby for My Favorite Insomniac" for the second half of the Chichiri dream sequence. Phew! That should be all.

**Previously on **_**Fushigi Yuugi: The Next Chapter**_**...  
**-With the Takkan Army vanquished, the people of Konan reopened their gates and began the transition to peacetime. Only the Konan Warriors, the palace guard and the city watch remain alert, waiting for Setsuka to make her final move. The remaining warriors and Hataku try to enjoy their brief peace, but their looming troubles have left them with plenty to worry about.  
-Houki and her RAFT escort arrived in Takkan, where they were reunited with friends and family. Akai told Houki about "her Element," and the two agreed to meet with Tsuchi the next day.  
-Tasuki invited Ritsuka (and some soldier buddies) on a not-date to the Dancing Dove, a courtesan tea house.  
-Kiori confronted Chichiri about the secrets he's been keeping, and he finally opened up to her, explaining the poem written in his scroll. It tells the order and outcome of the Elemental battles, and most startlingly of all, prophesies that Ritsuka will find herself pitted against Tasuki, aka the Element Kaji. Kiori offered what comfort she could, and in the process wound up finally admitting her feelings to Chichiri... only to have him turn her down.

_I watched the _Pokemon Apokelypse_ fan-trailer this past Monday, and it pretty much made my week. Possibly my month. And what does it say about me that I actually want that movie to be real? Either way, it's definitely on the list of Things That Can Always Make Dee Happy, right up there with the 2008 National Championship and __new Tamora Pierce novels__. (My nerdiness is a many-splendored thing, doncha know.)  
_

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* * *

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**-Episode Thirty-Six: All That Remains-  
****The Traitor's Last Request?**

"Wait." Yui pushed herself off Tetsuya's shoulder, gaping at him. "Are you serious? But that's..." She shook her head. "You must have read that wrong. I mean, we know - everyone knows - so there's no way Chichiri could have actually..."

He smiled wryly. "You can read it yourself if you don't believe me, but it's not gonna change anything."

"But that's impossible!" Both jumped, whirling at Keisuke's impassioned cry. He was leaning forward, hands slammed against the coffee table and eyes alight. "That's not how it's supposed to work, not in these stories! That's... I mean... it's just..." He sat back down suddenly, huffing air through his nose. "I don't wanna read anymore."

Tetsuya and Yui exchanged a grin, then shrugged. "Okay." Tetsuya tossed the book over his shoulder.

Keisuke dove over the couch, snatching it from midair right before he belly-flopped against the floor. "I didn't... mean it!" he gasped, though he was mostly drowned out by his friends' laughter. He rolled over on his back and snapped the book open again, pausing briefly to glare over the cover at them. "But I really will stop reading if this one doesn't begin a whole lot better than the last one ended."

The couple clapped their hands together in mock solemnity, offering a silent prayer as Keisuke boldly pressed on.

oOo

"_Sai – sho – gu, jan - ken - pon!_"

Two male hands flew out, one in a fist, the other laid flat. The two young women in light summer silks sitting beside them clapped and cheered. "_Ara_, paper beats stone! Tenda-sama is the winner again!" the girl next to Tenda exclaimed, squeezing his arm. She grinned at the older girl across the way, who scowled and raised the _sake_ cup, first to her own lips and then to her drinking partner's. "Keep this up and you'll be passed out before the night's even begun." (1)

"What? But we haven't had Konan soldiers since the war started, and Kaishun-sama and I were getting along so well." The other girl sighed, pressing her chin to her palm. "How unfair. Are you cheating, 'Ran-nee?"

"Cheating at _janken_? Is that even possible?" The soldier Kaishun laughed."I think you're drunk already, En-chan."

The group continued to tease one another, laughing as they geared up for another round of the simple drinking game. Three other young Konan soldiers sat nearby on a circle of pillows, listening to a pair of courtesans reciting a tongue-twisting song while another joined them on the _pipa_, speeding the tune up faster and faster every time the girls successfully completed a round. At the far end of the room and nearest the open window, a young woman in flowing purple and white robes sat between Tasuki and Ritsuka, delivering the punchline to one of the bawdier tales in her array.

"...and the man says, 'My gods, no _wonder_ her lips were so hairy!'"

Tasuki and Ritsuka burst out laughing, holding stomachs and slapping thighs as their hostess refilled their _sake _bowls. She smiled, watching with genuine pleasure as the two redheads wiped tears from their eyes.

"Man, Rin-san!" Ritsuka sighed around her giggles. "Your timing is just about perfect. You ever thought about taking that act on the road? Accompany it with a little music, maybe get a partner to play the clown, you can do the straight man lines, of course... gods, I dunno how you can stay serious through that part in the rice field..."

"Years of practice, I imagine." Gyokurin, commonly called Rin, leaned forward. "But Gen-san and I have heard all my stories. Tell me something from your world, Ritsu-san."

"I dunno, most of mine involve machines that haven't been invented here. I'll have to think of one." Ritsuka clapped her hands against the table. "Oh! Ta – er, Gen-chan here should tell one of his seishi stories! Some of those are unbelievable. There's this one about a swamp..."

"...And an old man with a water demon!" Rin finished with a little laugh. "That's one of my favorites, too."

Ritsuka shot Tasuki a surprised look. "You come here often, stranger?"

He rubbed guiltily at the back of his head. "Ya remember those couple-a weeks after Aoi-kun died? When I was runnin' off inta town all the time?"

"You drank yourself stupid at the Dove, huh?"

"Gen-san was one of my best customers for a while. Nearly drained the house of _sake_ a few times, and he always drank our other patrons straight under the table." Tasuki shot Rin a nervous look, but she just smiled and poked his arm teasingly. "The madame was ever so upset when you stopped visiting. A few more weeks of your business and she'd have been able to afford to redecorate the entryway."

"Your madame, huh? Is she um... I mean, Rin-san, do you, er..." Ritsuka hesitated, but she'd never been one for tact. "Do you, you know, like your work here? As a courtesan, I mean?"

"Like it? Does a farmer like planting rice or a minister enjoy writing laws?" She smiled, perhaps a little ironically. "It's a job, Ritsu-san. There are good nights and bad ones, charming customers and obnoxious ones." Rin shrugged. "But it's not a bad living, all things considered. I spend my nights entertaining – singing, dancing, telling these filthy stories that most respectable women couldn't even _think_ so much as say out loud – and all those hot Konan days fast asleep in my bed. My madame is a fair woman, a former courtesan herself, not one of those tyrants who steals all her girls' hard-earned money and forces them to mount every stiff _chinchi_ that comes a-calling. I can buy what I want, travel the city when time permits, and enjoy or refuse the company of any man who requests me. Most of the 'free-born' women in this nation can't boast half the freedom I have, lassoed to family duty and wifely virtues as they are. So yes. It's not the life I dreamed of as a child, but I suppose I like it all the same." She studied Ritsuka curiously. "Why? Are you one of those who thinks all pleasure houses are about female slavery and disgrace?" (2)

"Er..."

"There are many miserable places out there," Rin admitted. "We are governed by the laws of our mistresses, and sometimes those laws are cruel ones. But the Dove is a good place, as are most of the other first- and second-tier houses. Few women choose the courtesan life, but those of us here are generally happy to be here. We have a measure of control over our destinies, something those arranged marriages of the so-called respectable classes will never have."

She clapped her hands. "Well! Life story over!" Her eyes snaked teasingly to Tasuki. "And the second time I've had to tell it in such a short span. Such sensitive customers I have." She gave her head a quick shake, jewelry tinkling musically, and turned back to Ritsuka. "What about _you_, Ritsu-san? Walking this curious path between male and female. It's fascinating to me. Do you enjoy your work as a soldier, too?"

Ritsuka bristled a little, but Tasuki jumped in. "In Red's world it ain't all that unusual fer women ta dress like men an' do, er, man stuff. And y'know, there are other lady soldiers up at th' palace. It ain't exactly illegal."

"N-no need to defend her honor," Rin stuttered, caught a bit off-guard by his protectiveness. "I just think it's interesting. Here we are, two women in vastly different positions, but sharing_sake_ freely, laughing freely, being as free as we like. I'd say we've both discovered ways to escape entrapment in the 'woman's world' of the home, but we've done it without giving up our lives as women, unlike those cross-dressing heroines you read about in the stories all the time." She tipped her glass to Ritsuka. "I respect that. I was just wondering how it happened."

"Oh." Ritsuka grinned. "I'm just stubborn as hell. Not much else to it."

"Excellent." Rin raised her cup. "I sit with two fellow mules. I believe that calls for a toast."

The redheads laughed and clinked bowls, mimicking Rin as she downed it in one swift gulp. Their bowls hit the table with a satisfying _whump_, and their hostess immediately set to work refilling them. "Now, about those stories."

"Hey, I got one!" Ritsuka cried, clapping her hands. "I heard this during a _rakugo_ act on TV once, so I might get it wrong, but see, this man goes to visit his neighbor..." (3)

"Ooooi!" Tenda called, interrupting Ritsuka mid-story. "Ta – er, Genrou! Come play _janken_ with me, will ya? Kaishun got sick on me." He winked and jerked his thumb at Kaishun, who was currently laying in the corner, his head on Gyoku'en's lap, moaning softly.

Ritsuka rolled her eyes. "Uh-huh. 'Sick.' I'm so sure." Tasuki glanced over at the game, then back at his fellow redhead, uncertain. She pursed her lips and waved him on. "Oh, go get plastered. Once you've got Tenda comatose lemme know, I'll come and challenge you to a few rounds. I throw a mean pair of scissors."

"I'll be sure ta bring a good hard rock, then," he said with a laugh, clapping her on the shoulder before standing and hurrying over to the other table to the delighted cries of Tenda, his hostess, and the bandit's new female drinking partner.

Ritsuka watched the two play a round, Tasuki smacking Tenda lightly over the head when he won. The group laughed about some joke, Tasuki the loudest of all. Ritsuka set her chin in her hand, smiling to herself.

"You're soft on him," Rin said suddenly. Ritsuka whipped her head around, but the courtesan waved her off before she could deny it. "Oh, don't try to argue with me, I watch enough romances come and go to know that little smile when I see it."

"D-don't be stupid, it's not like that at all," Ritsuka insisted. "I mean c'mon, he took me out drinking to a _pleasure house_. I think that makes me his bro more than anything." She laughed a little. "Definitely _not _a date. I just..." She picked up her _sake_ cup, watching Tasuki over the rim of it. "I'm just glad to see him happy for a change. It was starting to feel like he'd be a little bit miserable forever. But he's finally starting to look like he did when I met him. Back before Koji died."

She took a sip of her drink, still studying the seishi's grinning face, the up-and-down movement of his chuckling shoulders, the tight curve of his undershirt as it shifted with his back muscles...

"I bedded him, you know."

Ritsuka spat out her drink, eye candy forgotten as she whirled on Rin, staring at her with unabashed shock. The other woman hid a giggle behind her sleeve. "Ah, _sumimasen_, but please try to look more natural. I promised him that I wouldn't tell you. He seemed to think you wouldn't take it well."

"You – and him – but he – and he—" Ritsuka's pointing fingers couldn't decide where they wanted to go, so finally she just stuffed them in her lap, forcing her body to stillness even as she gaped at the smiling courtesan. "But _how_?"

"It was my idea," Rin admitted. "He came to the Dove one night to drink. And drink. And _drink. _And then, as the night wore on, I realized that he really came to talk. So we did. Three nights in a row, he mumbled about events I couldn't follow and people I didn't know. I don't think he wanted me to understand, though. I'm not even sure he wanted me to sympathize. I think he just wanted someone to listen, someone unattached, who couldn't be hurt by what he was saying." She shrugged. "I get a fair number of customers like that, to be honest. Mostly I find them whiny, their problems trivial, obnoxious. But there was something so... _genuine_ about him. I found myself empathizing even though I didn't understand. So, on the fourth night, I asked him to my bedchamber. And he agreed."

She smiled at the memory. "He was very sweet, if you're wondering. Gave me the same interview that you just did, actually. Seemed almost apologetic about the whole thing. A real dear." She giggled behind her sleeve. "Clumsy, too. But he learned fast." She pointed conspiratorially downwards. "Not badly equipped either, as long as I'm sharing secrets." Ritsuka couldn't help but snigger.

"It didn't last long, though. A few days before he stopped visiting the Dove, he stopped visiting my bedchamber. He said he couldn't stop thinking that I was somebody's big sister, even though I'd promised him I had no known family. I missed him in my bedroom, a little, but I missed his presence in the tea house more. Customers tend to see us as actors, or sometimes as half-dreamed goddesses. And there's some truth in all that, to be sure. But Gen-san was straightforward, honest. He looked at me like I was a woman. I suppose I appreciated that.

"Anyway," Rin finished, stretching luxuriously. "I wasn't supposed to tell you all that, so don't let on that you know. But I like you too much not to be honest with you." Tasuki glanced their way and grinned, holding up his bowl in a mock salute to the pair, though his eyes were on Ritsuka the whole time. Rin smiled. "And if I'm right about everything else, then I think it's especially important that you know about his first lover. Even if I am just a lowly whore."

"Don't call yourself that," Ritsuka snapped, and Rin laughed. The redhead frowned, letting Rin's story digest before she continued. "And I'm glad you told me, but it doesn't really change anything. He's still Tasuki-chan." Her eyes flickered back to him, and she found it hard not to smile again. "Just big, dumb ol' Tasuki-chan. Thinking he has to whine to strangers, like he hasn't had to listen to _me_ bitch and moan all the time. The idiot."

"He seems to be doing well," Rin remarked. "That's good to see. When he came by to reserve the room for the night, all spry walking and cheery whistling, I could have cried for joy. What with the war over, I was afraid I'd never see him again."

"Why's that?"

Rin pursed her lips. "Something he told me once. About a prophecy, and an... element, perhaps?" She shook her head. "I couldn't follow him, not really, but from what I did understand... well, it sounded like he didn't think he'd survive the war. Like it was written in the stars or something." She shrugged. "But the war is over and here he is, safe and sound. It's quite a relief."

"_An Element for each_..." Ritsuka murmured to herself, eyes widening as the rhyme's grim words at last clicked into place. "Oh, God. He must be scared half to death. No wonder he's been trying to cram so much into the last week." Her eyebrows crumpled. "But he never said a word to me about it..."

"Don't take it as an insult," Rin said. "Would _you_ want to tell someone you cared about that you might die? Wouldn't you rather spare them that kind of suffering, especially if you didn't even know it was true? Wouldn't it be so much less painful to tell a stranger?" She smiled, patting Ritsuka's knee. "I don't know much about the two of you, it's true. But often, I think, the things that people _don't_ say tell you a lot more about their feelings than the things that they _do_. And if that's the case, then I'd say Gen-san must be rather sweet on you, too."

Ritsuka just frowned and sipped her drink. But she found it nearly impossible to take her eyes off of the _janken_ game, and even harder than that to tear them away from the laughing, drinking bandit at the table.

Tenda must have noticed her stare, because he stood from the table, waving for Ritsuka to take his place. "Ran-chan wanted to show off a song she wrote anyway," he explained, already following Gyokuran away from the table, the pair of them giggling like schoolchildren as they tickled each other into one of the private back rooms.

Rin nudged Ritsuka back to reality. "Come on. I'll be your drinking partner."

The redhead nodded and stood from their table, walking over to where Tasuki sat. She was about to circle around and sit across from him, but at the last minute she crouched down and threw her arms around his back, hugging him hard from behind.

Tasuki went rigid. "Y-you okay there, Red?"

"I'm fine," she said, burying her face briefly into his shirt, letting herself test the waters of something a little more intimate than a friendly snuggle. "And you will be, too. Okay? I'll pinkie promise if you don't believe me."

"Pinkie promise?" He chuckled, at last relaxing under her hold. "Damn, an' here I thought you were gettin' serious on me." He reached up hesitantly, giving her arm a little squeeze before dropping his hand again. "'Course I'll be okay. Who d'you think yer talkin' to, huh?"

She let go, leaning over his shoulder so she could poke him in the forehead. "The guy who's about to get his ass kicked at this game, that's who. My _janken-jutsu _is the stuff of Tokyo Legend."

He laughed, rolling up his sleeve and raising his fist to the ceiling. "I'll be sure not ta let my guard down this time, then. Can't let ya embarrass me at this th' way ya did at sword fightin', na?"

oOo

_Darkness. A forest. She looked around but there was no one. A blue glimmer in the distance – a crystal? She moved toward it, sword forming in her hand as she went. Branches clawed and tore at her clothes, rending her finery until she looked down and was in tatters, rags, a peasant. Her necklace shone and she clutched it with her free hand. Her sword swung. The light grew dimmer. She cried out and ran at it, heedless to the gashes torn across her face, chest, thighs._

_At last, exhausted and bleeding, she pulled aside the branches with a smile. "Mizu-chan," she tried to say, but the word clogged in her throat. The glow was not blue but crimson, hovering in front of two clasped palms. His face was in darkness but she knew who she saw._

_Her blood was ice, her joints numb. She turned to run and slammed into a chest. She didn't want to look up but she did, he made her, and she stared into Hataku's ruined eye, dripping blood as it did on the night of her most unforgivable betrayal._

_Setsuka screamed_

and jerked awake, staring into a darkness pricked by blue and green sparks. She screamed again and pressed herself to the wall, blubbering pleas, but the hands that finally touched her cheeks were gentle, concerned.

"It's okay, Setsuka-sama. It's just me."

The Lady of Takkan blinked, staring up into Mizu's frightened eyes. She clenched the girl's hands between her own, pulling them away from her face. "I thought you were..." But she shook her head, unable to finish, unable to know which name she'd wanted to say. She pushed lightness into her voice. "My goodness, did I wake you? I apologize. I must have had a nightmare. I've quite forgotten what it was about, though, so you needn't worry. Go on back to sleep."

"This is the third night in a row, my Lady. Ever since the army—"

She tore her hands away from Mizu's, smoothing down her hair and rumpled sleeping robe. "Yes, well, adjusting my plans has taken a lot out of me, and one cannot be expected to control one's dreams. A pitiful part of me must be concerned about our victory, that's all."

"Victory," Mizu repeated. She dropped to her knees beside her lady's bed, gripping the blankets between her fists. "Setsuka-sama, this war is driving you crazy. We've lost Takkan, the army, all our friends..." She tried a weak smile. "Can't we just stop all this? There's no shame in losing if you've given it all you've got, you know. You and me could just—"

"I haven't lost," Setsuka hissed. "We can still defeat them. Those warriors. Those seishi. We can still take them down."

"For _what_?" Mizu cried. "Even if you beat them what good would it do? You and I are strong, but we're not strong enough to conquer an empire by ourselves."

"It's not about the gods damned empire!" Setsuka shrieked, slapping the girl's hands away. "It's about giving them what they _deserve_! Konan sent my father to his death and I was helpless, had no way to fix it, but then _he _spoke to me, promised me peace, promised me something new. I was _his_, don't you get that? I was his and you were mine and we were going to fix everything, _everything_, but then those gods damned seishi and their gods damned priestess..." Her hands clenched against her skull as if fighting a headache, fingers curling into her hair. "Ruining everything. They have to pay for that, they _have_ to, even if it's all I'm good for anymore I won't let them get away with what they did to him!"

"What they did to _who_?"

Setsuka's voice shifted to a whimper. "To the monster who murdered my mother." She looked up again, face pale and drawn, tight with too many conflicting ideals. "I keep losing. I threw away all the weak things, all those pitiful things that our enemies hold so dear. I made myself perfection, but that sentimental scum in Konan bests me at every turn. How is that possible?"

"I don't know," Mizu answered, too tired to give her lady anything better. "I don't understand any of it. But you're sick, my Lady. You need to rest. You shouldn't think about the war right now."

Setsuka lay down again under the guiding hands of her Element, arms clutching her blankets like a child with a stuffed animal. "If I can't think about the war then what should I think about?"

"Something that makes you happy, I guess."

She snorted, and the pain and confusion seemed to whisper out of her, leaving her cold and composed once more. "Another weakness. How disgusting." Mizu waited. When her Lady remained silent she stood, heading once more to her own room. But as she opened the door, Setsuka called, "Oh, and Mizu-chan?"

"Yes, my Lady?"

Her voice was a snap across the room, driving like a spear between Mizu's eyes. "Do not question me again. You have been a loyal ally, but that does not give you the right to speak to me as an equal. I forgive you for it this once, but I will not be so pleasant the second time. It is only out of my respect for you that your precious Houjun continues to live. Do _not _forget that."

The threat was a vague one, pleasant compared to many of Setsuka's other cruelties, but even so it made tears well up in Mizu's eyes. _'Houjun's life in exchange for my loyalty,'_ she thought with a thrill of terror. _'Oh, Tsuchi-kun. Were you right all along?'_

Mizu swallowed. "I understand, Setsuka-sama."

"That is because you are a good girl, Mizu-chan. Now go on back to sleep, and do not trouble me again. We both need our rest."

oOo

Ritsuka returned home late, flush with _sake_ and smiles, arms linked with the soldiers Tenda and Kaishun. Tasuki walked backwards ahead of them, he and Ritsuka teaching their tipsy friends a J-Rock song. Ritsuka laughed every time they stumbled over an English word, pausing to repeat it again and again until she was satisfied with their pronunciation. They reached the soldier barracks and the group split, Tasuki and Ritsuka waving them back to bed, making a big show of shushing the group so they wouldn't wake their comrades.

The two walked together for a while, humming snippets of a drinking song they had learned that night and snickering like twelve-year-olds whenever they got to the dirty bits. They reached Tasuki's room first, and the two hovered for a second, either unwilling to say good night or unsure exactly how to do it. But after a moment Ritsuka slapped him lightly on the shoulder, her hand hesitating for a second before drawing back again. "Riverfront tomorrow, right?"

"That's th' plan."

"Great." She hopped back a few steps. "Well, better hit the ol' hay, then." He nodded. They hovered, still grinning, something giddy in hers and something frantic in his. Ritsuka thought to pat his arm again but thought better of it. "Uh, g'night, then."

"Yeah."

"Yeah."

And, just because _someone_ had to do something or they were never going to get anywhere, Ritsuka turned and bounced away, still humming lightly to herself. Tasuki watched her with a half-smile, then heaved a sigh both happy and regretful before going to bed.

Ritsuka hadn't expected to skip to her room, but the combination of good liquor and good company made her feet move all on their own, dancing her down the walkways until she'd arrived in the women's quarters. She paused at her own door, then shook her head and moved on to the one next to it, knocking once before throwing it open.

"Ki-o-ri-chan?" she sang softly. "I know you're gonna kill me for waking you up this late, but I think something kind of crazy is happening, and I really need to..."

Her words and smile trailed away as the moonlight slanted through the open door, falling on the bed. Kiori sat in the center of it, her pillow hugged to her chest and her face buried in the soft down. She looked up, and the redhead went slack with terror at the tears streaming down her friend's face. "Oh God. Setsuka?"

Kiori shook her head. "Chichiri."

It was the only word she could manage before her throat closed again, but it was all Ritsuka needed. She was across the room in an instant, her knees on the bed and her arms wrapped around her friend.

Kiori pressed her face against the pillow again. "It's... so... stupid! I kn-knew this w-w-was wh-what he'd say, I alw-w-ways d-d-d-did, so wh-wh-wh... _why_ can't I stop this stupid _crying_already? Wh-why do I have to b-b-be so damn _stupid_?"

Ritsuka gave her a sisterly squeeze. "Hey, no Kiori-bashing, okay? You're not the stupid one here."

"Y-yes, I really am. I'm crying about something like this wh-wh-when there's so m-many more imp-portant things to w-w-worry about."

"Oh yeah? Like what?"

Kiori looked up at her for a moment, her mouth half-forming the words, but she couldn't get them out. She looked down again. "Just things. W-with the war, I mean. W-we should be thinking about that, and all I c-can do is sit here like a... a..."

"Like a brokenhearted Kiori," Ritsuka finished. "And trust me, there is _nothing _more important than fixing that." She had hoped to cheer her friend up with this promise, but Kiori just buried her face in her pillow and cried even harder. Ritsuka winced, patting her back a few times until the sobs had faded into something easier to talk around. "Are you more-or-less together in there?" The pillow nodded. "Okay. You wanna talk about what happened?"

"He told m-me..."

Kiori kept her face in her pillow, muffling both words and sobs as she explained. Ritsuka listened without interrupting, keeping her exclamations soothing, her movements gentle, being exactly the comfort that Kiori needed. She didn't have the same kind of control over her face, though, and by the time Kiori had finished Ritsuka was livid, her neck flushed pink and her face black with rage.

"...And now it's all a mess," Kiori finished in a whisper, her sobs quieted but her voice still hoarse. "I should've just kept my stupid mouth shut."

"What? So you could be stuck listening to that old tune forever?" Ritsuka lay her head atop Kiori's, trying to keep the poison out of her voice. "At least now you know, right? So you can finally move on. Get past this. Switch from Track 2 to Track 3, y'know?"

Kiori's hands clutched the pillow. "I don't think it's gonna be that easy, Ritsu. Because, when I think about it, he didn't actually—"

"Yeah. I know." Ritsuka hugged her closer. "But hey, don't cry again, okay? It's gonna get better. I promise."

_'Because I'm going to kill him,' _she finished in silence, murder sparking behind her eyes.

oOo

The moon fell on the sleepless Konan Warriors, but the sun rose on a cheery Takkan palace as old and new residents alike met in the dining hall, exchanging greetings and friendly insults. Yuki and the other RAFT soldiers had been merged back in to the gang as if they had never left, surrounded on every side by rebels dying to slap them on the back, welcome them home, and demand exciting war stories.

Aji and Kita sat back a little ways, glad to be out of the center of the storm for once, and waved as Houki and her son entered the dining hall, Boshin still rubbing sleep from his eyes.

"So what're we gonna do today, Mama?" he asked, releasing her hand so he could adjust his hold on his stuffed bear. "Esplore the new house?"

"I have some work to do, unfortunately." Boshin pouted into the bear's ears. "Don't worry, though. I'm sure Yuki or Tori would be more than happy to keep you company."

"Oooooh, can they, really?" Boshin giggled. "I like them, Mama. They're funny."

"Yes, I suppose they are, but—" She gasped as her son spotted the two rebels in question and dashed off across the room, waving one chubby hand in greeting. "Oh, Boshin-chan, please...!" She had nothing to worry about, though, as Yuki saw the boy coming and scooped him up, setting him on his lap and poking him in the nose. Tori said something that made Boshin laugh, and Kirei set to filling a bowl for the young emperor. Houki set a hand to her cheek. "Funny _and_ helpful, I suppose."

"Helpful, nothin'," someone snorted from behind her. "They're just lookin' fer an excuse ta get outta chores."

Houki turned to see Kazuo and Akai standing behind her. Akai smiled, pointing to the less crowded end of the table. "Breakfast first, Houki-sama?"

"And then the Element?" she finished.

Akai's smile wilted. "Yeah."

They finished breakfast at about the same time, Houki eating quickly and Akai eating little. The former champion grabbed an extra bowl of soup – "For Fuyuko-kun," she explained – and then trudged to the door. Houki bowed low to Aji and Kita as thanks for both the meal and for babysitting her son – not that the rebels seemed to mind in the least, as their attention had quickly shifted from war stories to entertaining the cheerful boy – and then followed Akai through the long hallways and down a narrow staircase.

Akai had walked slowly from the dining hall to the stairwell, but once they reached the bedchamber she rushed through it, keeping her eyes forward, refusing to look at the three empty beds. Houki followed a step or two behind, running a finger through the dust on one nightstand – and shivering when she saw the three lumpy pellets beneath the grime. "_Pill magic_," she whispered. Her eyes shifted to the other beds and she understood they were in an abandoned place, a room haunted not by spirits but by a pervading sense of loss. She drew her hands to her chest and hurried on, throwing back the curtain and stepping into Tsuchi's chamber.

Akai had already lit the lamp and was struggling to waken the pale, shivering lump in the nearest of the two beds. "Come on, Fuyu-kun. I brought breakfast. You need to eat."

"Please, Akai-san. She doesn't stop anymore. Just let me sleep."

The former champion glanced over her shoulder, then took a breath and said, "But I brought someone important to meet you."

She leaned back, allowing Houki to get a full view of the sunken cheeks and matted hair of the boy in the bed. His eyes were dulled with pain and seemed more bronze than gold, but they widened when they landed on her. "I've seen you," he breathed. "Through the crystal."

"This is Hou—" Akai checked herself. "Er, Dowager Empress Youtaikou, I mean. Of Konan."

"The empress?" Tsuchi winced, struggling to rise. "I'm so sorry, Your Majesty, I should... ugh..."

Houki was across the room in three short steps, grabbing one of his shoulders as Akai grabbed the other. They pressed him gently back to the bed. "Just Houki will do, and please, forget protocol for now. There will be time enough for bowing and scraping when you are well."

He barked a weak laugh, then let his eyes roll up to watch her. "Is Konan safe? I didn't feel Setsuka win, but I can't think of any other reason you'd be here."

She smiled sadly. "That is a story as long as your own, I am sure, but I shall tell it to you as best as I can."

oOo

"Mizu-chan?"

The young Element glanced up from her book as the Lady of Takkan stepped into the overgrown garden. She was immaculate for the first time since the Takkan army's defeat, every hair in place, every wrinkle meticulously smoothed from her dress. Mizu winced as she met her mistress's gaze, but she found kindness instead of ice. It made her hesitate long enough for Setsuka to catch her with silver, pull her in with her power.

She smiled softly. "I'm glad that you didn't run away."

"I wouldn't leave you, my Lady."

"Even after last night?" Mizu winced again. Setsuka cleared the space between them, spreading her skirts before taking a seat beside her last ally. "Please allow me to apologize. I was... not myself. I said horrible things to you, things I should never have said. I know you only spoke out of concern, and is that not the highest form of loyalty? I should be more grateful to have you near."

Her arm fell lightly on Mizu's shoulder. The Element had to fight not to shiver. "But you must understand, Mizu-chan, how terribly frustrating this is for me. Defeating the Konan Warriors is not such a hard thing – I have spent months watching them, and I know their vulnerable points perhaps better than they do – but your divided loyalties have made my work infinitely more difficult. Not only must I defeat them, but I must do it in such a way that does not endanger your Houjun. If we attack, he _will_ fight to protect them, and if he fights then it is impossible to guarantee his safety. It's quite the dilemma, you see."

Mizu nodded. "I can't let him get hurt, though. Him or you."

"Such foolishness," she said, though there was an edge of sorrow beneath her scorn. "But I need you beside me, and so I have done what I can to honor your wishes. And now, finally, I believe I may know how we can both achieve our goals." Setsuka turned Mizu's face toward hers, forcing their eyes to meet, forcing the Element to feel the waves of her Lady's will crashing against her. "Mizu-chan, what do you know about a spell called a chain?"

oOo

Chichiri sat in the cold water bathhouse, his arms against the outside ledge and his head resting atop his arms. He had his eye closed, half-dozing, but he looked up when Ritsuka stormed in and planted herself in front of him, hands on hips. He met her glare with coolness, too weary to feel any embarrassment. "This is the _men's_ bathhouse, you know."

"Pfft! Like you've got anything worth seeing anyway."

His eye narrowed. "If you're going to be rude, then you can leave no da."

"I'd like to see you try and make me." He stared at her and Ritsuka sweatdropped. "Okay. Well. Technically you could." Her rage came back fourfold. "But that's not the point! Kiori told me about last night. Just what the hell is wrong with you, huh?"

He closed his eye again, resting his head in his arms. "I told her the truth no da. Do you want me to lie to her?"

"I want you to find your balls and stop acting like a goddamned coward! Pulling that whole 'it's not you, it's me' routine, hiding behind an excuse like a kid under his covers. How is that supposed to answer anything? Kiori deserves closure, an honest _I don't_ instead of this _I can't _bullshit."

"I can't do that no da." He never raised his voice, though Ritsuka thought that had less to do with a lack of emotion and more to do with pure exhaustion. The circles under his eyes suggested that he'd gotten even less sleep than she had, and there was a distinct ripple in his voice, as if even his words were on the verge of collapsing. "I told you already: I'm not going to lie to her."

"So you do love her."

"I didn't say that."

"Then which is it?"

"It doesn't matter no da."

"How the hell doesn't it matter?"

"Because it doesn't!" he finally snapped, head jerking up so he could meet Ritsuka's accusing glare with a pained one of his own. "It doesn't matter how I feel about her because _I can't be with her_. How hard is that for you to understand? You want it to be simple but it's not, Ritsuka, it never is, because it's not just about two people, it's about – responsibilities, and, and promises, and—"

"Being scared."

She said it without emotion, like a kick to the chest. He looked away. "It's extremely complicated. That's what I'm trying to tell you no da. So I'm sorry if I can't say what you want, but this is the only answer I have. I care about Kiori, I do. But past that, I really can't..."

"Hypothetical," Ritsuka said suddenly, making him look up again. "You like dumb hypotheticals, right? So here's one for you." She set her hands to her hips, watching him with a scowl. "Throw away the prayer beads. The robe. And all that," she gave a little wave, "baggage, too, the old stuff that makes you wanna wet yourself when you think about getting involved with a girl again. Chuck it out the window, just for a second. And then answer my question: Do you love Kiori?"

"I told you, it's not—"

"Yes, it is." She laughed weakly. "Look, Chichiri, I'm not gonna pretend that I know a damn thing about falling in love, because I don't. As far as I know, I never have. But I know a whole lot about falling in _like_, and the truth is, it's really, _really_ easy." She held up her hands. "Now don't get me wrong: it gets complicated in a big damn hurry. Relationships are probably the most complicated thing there is. But the starting part?" She shrugged. "That's easy as slipping on ice.

"So stop making excuses already." His eyebrows jerked up at that, but Ritsuka was too worked up to care. "Keep it simple. Boil it down to you and that girl who makes your face go all sparkly every time you see her. And then you go and you give my best friend a real answer – or so help me God, I _will_ send you to the bottom of Tokyo Bay, just like I promised."

"And if my answer is still no?"

"Then we're in for some awkward dinner conversations, ain't we?" Ritsuka sighed, rubbing the back of her head. "Believe it or not, I actually _do_ like you. So if you really just aren't into Kiori – she's not your type or whatever – well sure, I'm gonna think you're an idiot, but I'll get over it. Kiori will too, eventually. But I'm not gonna let you keep her in this limbo place where she still doesn't have the faintest idea how you _actually_ feel about her. You say that you care about her? Then act like it. Tell her the truth, and not just the half-assed one."

She scowled, turning away again. "That's all I had to say. Enjoy your bath. Be glad I didn't drown you in it."

The few other bathhouse guests watched with wide eyes and towels clutched to their thighs as Ritsuka stormed past them, not sparing any of them a second glance as she marched out the bathhouse doors and into the Konan courtyard.

She had taken maybe three more steps before someone grabbed her braid, tugging her to a stop. She whirled, fist raised and fire practically streaming out of her mouth, but stopped just short of a wallop when she saw Tasuki standing behind her, holding her braid like a leash.

"Down, girl," he said, giving her hair another light tug. "I ain't th' one yer tryin' ta kill t'day."

She jerked her braid out of his hand, though already her scowl was beginning to fade. "What do you want?"

"First, fer you ta _not_ bite my head off. Second, fer you 'n' Kiori ta come down ta Riverfront with me like we'd planned. 'Chiri's takin' a break t'day. An' third? Fer you ta walk with me ta Kiori's room, so we c'n get outta this palace an' start havin' some fun already." He jerked his shoulder forward, urging her to follow him. "Now you comin', or you gonna stand there lookin' like a pissed-off dragon all day?"

She took off after him, arms clutched to her chest. "So you heard what happened?

"Chichiri filled me in at breakfast." He chuckled. "I heard most-a what you jus' yelled at him, too, if that's what you were askin'."

"Hmph. You didn't come rushing to his aid, I see."

"Me, a big tub-a water, an' you all pissed off? Sounds like a soggy death waitin' ta happen." She had to grin at that. The two walked in silence for a moment, then Tasuki rubbed at the back of his head. "I didn't interrupt yer little lecture in there 'cause Chichiri prob'ly needed someone ta yell at him fer while, but try ta cut him _some_ slack, okay? You know this don't have a damned thing ta do with him bein' a monk."

Ritsuka pouted. "Yeah."

"If that's all it was, he'd find a way around it. He ain't so attached to those prayer beads that he'd rather be miserable than be a laymen."

"Yeah, but still—"

"An' by th' way, you do know he c'n sense life forces, right?"

She jerked to a stop, surprised by the sudden question. "So?"

"_So_, when he felt you barrelin' towards him, all ready ta skin him alive, he had plenty-a time ta dry off, get dressed, an' teleport back ta his room." Tasuki glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. "So why didn't he?"

"Well... because..." Ritsuka threw up her hands. "Oh, I don't know! Maybe he _likes_ being miserable!"

Tasuki laughed. "Or maybe I wasn't th' only one who thought Chichiri needed someone ta yell at him t'day." Ritsuka stared at the walkway, but she looked up again when Tasuki's hand landed on her head. "Oh, stop frownin', yer gonna give yerself all kinds-a ugly wrinkles. C'mon, we're gonna take Kiori inta town, stuff her full-a seafood, an' get both yer minds off this mess fer th' day."

She glanced up to meet his grin and surprised herself with a blush. She nodded slowly. "Y-yeah. Okay." He took his hand off her head and started forward again, slowing his long-legged pace so he could stay in step with her. She fiddled with the sleeves of her shirt. "Hey, Tasuki-chan? You think this is gonna get figured out by the end of the week? All this worrying about Kiori is giving me a stomachache."

"You sure that ain't jus' yer hangover from last night?" She shoved him, but she was laughing when she did it. Tasuki regained his balance and shrugged, answering her question seriously this time. "But yeah. If 'Chiri's smart, he'll have this worked out by t'morrow, an' you 'n' me c'n go back ta bein' the ones who never get along."

Ritsuka sighed wistfully. "Aah, the good ol' days." She paused, blue lines appearing under her eyes. "Wait a minute, Tasuki-chan. You just said 'If Chichiri's smart.'"

"Yep."

"But haven't we sort of proven as a scientific fact that, when it comes to stuff like this, he's about as dumb as a brain-damaged jellyfish?"

"Yyyyyep."

"So...?"

His hand fell solemnly on her shoulder. "So let's jus' worry about stuffin' ourselves with seafood b'fore we both wind up with stomachaches."

"Now _that_ is an idea I can get behind."

oOo

Houki heaved a sigh, spreading her hands as she finished her tale. "And here I am. Protecting Konan's heir... and facing my Element."

"So this is it, then?" Tsuchi looked up at Houki, and although his eyes shone with tears there was a smile on his face, the first true smile that he'd felt in months. "I'm finally going to be done with it?"

Houki jerked. "Excuse me?"

He leaned forward on his elbows, gripping the empress' hands. "You're going to kill me, and it'll finally be over. Senpai told me death was the only way out. I didn't want to believe her, but if that's the case – if that's really all that's left for me, then... then okay. I'm ready." He nodded, gaze never wavering. "And I'm not afraid."

Houki recoiled. "I... I think you misunderstand. I am not here to kill you. I don't think I could."

"Why not?" he whispered. "Everyone else... the warriors they fought all did what they had to do. Why wouldn't you do the same for me?"

"Because _I_ am not a fighter, and neither are you!" she snapped back. "Akai-tachi all fought their Elements because they had to, not because they wished to. There is no reason for me to so much as scratch you, never mind killing you." She shuddered. "The very idea is barbaric."

"No reason?" The tears rimming his eyes at last spilled over, but there was no joy in them anymore. "Then how about because I _want_ to die? Isn't that a good reason? Isn't that enough to make you take Akai-san's sword and... just...!" His elbows gave out and he collapsed against the bed again, clutching his chest and crying bitterly. "I've waited so long, and now when you do show up... it's no good, it's no good at all..."

"I don't understand." Akai sat on the bed beside him, pressing a hand to his shoulder. "Why would you want to die? How could you ever—?"

"Because I'm trapped!" he wailed, pressing his hands to his face. "I turned against Setsuka but what good did it do me? I can't beat her, can't pull away from her, so I'm stuck here with her torturing me - _feeding _off of me! I'm helping her, don't you get that? And there's nothing I can do to stop it!"

Akai gripped both of his shoulders, pulling him forward so they were looking each other in the eye. "Of course you can break free. My friend Tasuki-san was an Element, just like you, but Setsuka doesn't have any power over him anymore. And if he can do it, then I'm sure—"

Tsuchi shook his head. "Kaji hasn't broken free either, or that red gem on Setsuka's necklace would've shattered. He didn't know her like I did, so she doesn't have as tight a grip on his life force, but at close range I'm sure she could hurt him the way she's been hurting me." He looked back and forth between Akai and Houki, his face a mess of snot and tears. "Don't you get it? There's no escape! I can fight it all you want, but there's nothing I can do!" He crumpled forward, head resting weakly against Akai's collarbone. "And I'm tired of fighting it... I just want to die..."

Akai's teeth snapped together. Her hands turned into fists and she shoved them at Tsuchi, throwing his paper-thin frame back against the wall. "You _idiot_!" she roared. "You think that just because you're tired you can give up? You think it _works_ that way?"

"Akai..." Houki murmured, setting a hand to her friends arm.

Her champion ignored her. "The Warriors in Konan have suffered more than you could ever know! They're as sick of this war as you are, but do you see them surrendering? Do you see them lying down and just waiting for someone to come along and kill them? And it's not just in Konan, either! The RAFT gave life after life to free this country, and they succeeded because they never stopped fighting, don't you understand that? You can't win anything if you give up on it!"

Tsuchi opened his mouth to argue, but stopped when a pair of tears slipped down Akai's cheeks. "The two men I loved are _dead_ because of this war, and you wanna treat your life like it's a curse? Then find a way to give it to them, so I can see Aoi-kun and Koji-san again! But don't you sit there sniveling about the best gift you've got, you hear me? Don't you dare tell me_you're_ the one who's got it rough. You, who's _lucky _enough to still be alive." She pulled back, looking away. "If you believe that, then you really are just a stupid kid."

Without Akai's hands to support him, Tsuchi slid down the wall, still staring at her even as the rest of him caved in on itself. He swallowed hard, turning his eyes down to his hands. "But what else am I supposed to do?"

She turned back to him, unrelenting. "It comes down to a choice: you can either keep fighting, or you can run away." She stood in one smooth motion, unsheathing the sword from her back and offering the hilt to the Element. "I'm not heartless enough to deny a coward his last wish. But I won't let you dirty Her Majesty's hands, either. So if you really want to let Setsuka win, then fine. Do it yourself."

Tsuchi's shoulders rattled with tears. "Akai... please... help me..."

"I can't, not with this," she said coldly. But a moment later she smiled, and some of the harshness slipped away from her. "But if you decide to fight back, then you'll have as much of my help as you can get, and Houki-sama's, too. We'll do everything we can to help you survive. But the first part is up to you."

He looked up at her through his sweat-soaked bangs, eyes shifting first to the empress, fidgeting beside the bed, and then to Akai, standing over him, her sword gleaming blue in the lamplight. The threat of tears still glistened her eyes, but she didn't blink them away, and her lips never once trembled.

_'Akai's my age, and she's already lost so much... but she can still live, even after all that? She can still smile and laugh, even after losing them? "The two men I loved," she said...' _He swallowed, staring hard at his trembling hands. _'So, so if Akai can go on living, then maybe... maybe I...'_

He clenched his hands to still their shaking. It was a struggle to look up again, but he managed it, meeting Akai's stare. Something like hope glimmered in her eyes. "Well?"

His pushed the hilt. "I'll fight her. Until she kills me, I'll fight her." He collapsed, too weak to hold himself up any longer, but both Houki and Akai caught him and held him up. He glanced at Akai again and saw that she was smiling. He didn't know how he did it, but somehow he smiled back. "I'm going to hold you to that promise, though. So please, Akai-san, Houki-sama... do whatever you can to help me survive."

oOo

Chichiri stared at his bobbing fishing pole, watching the water ripple away, blurring the lines of the sunset. After Ritsuka's intrusion in the baths, the day had passed in an exhausted blur, shifting from failed meditation to a lonely evening out by the pond. His net was empty, but then again his lure wasn't baited either. He wasn't here to fish, not really. It was just something to keep his hands busy, something to focus on other than the little lead ball that had settled in his stomach.

His head began to nod and he jerked it up again, blinking hurriedly. _'No sleeping,' _he scolded himself. _'If I go to sleep I'm just going to have one of those dreams again, and I'm too worn out to deal with that on top of everything else no da.' _He sighed, letting his head thump against the tree behind him. _'I did what I needed to do. I should be relieved. So why do I feel so...?'_

His thoughts trailed away, eye widening as he sensed a trio of familiar life forces coming closer. He looked across to the far shore of the pond, sitting rigid as Tasuki, Ritsuka and Kiori flickered in and out of sight, moving between the trees. They were walking slowly, their stances relaxed, their steps unhurried. Laughter carried faintly over the waters, Tasuki's rough one perhaps louder than it needed to be, more boisterous, encouraging the girls to join in.

Chichiri frowned, surprised by the pang of loneliness he felt at seeing the three walking along without him, the bandit in the middle with the girls flanking him, smiling at whatever joke he had just cracked. The gap between Tasuki and Kiori was just about the right size for him, he thought, as if the two were keeping his place, waiting for him to catch up and for things to be like they'd been before.

He slumped back against the tree. _'Only it's never going to be the same, is it? Things will get better, eventually, but...'_

Kiori glanced across the pond, and although Chichiri couldn't see her face he could tell by her slowed steps and jolting life force that she'd spotted him. She hesitated, then raised her hand in a weak wave. He almost looked down again, almost pretended not to see her, but then he swallowed his cowardice and hailed her back. They hovered, awkward and unhappy, until Ritsuka grabbed Kiori's arm and pulled her forward, back into the group. Chichiri stared after them, surprised to find himself smiling sadly.

_'Ritsuka's right no da. Kiori deserves a real answer. She needs to be able to put this behind her so she can settle into her life in Konan, her work as a doctor. Move on. Meet someone else. Maybe even start a family.'_ His hands tightened on his fishing pole. _'And we'll drift apart.' _He shook his head to clear whatever had been building. _'It's not surprising. It's part of who I am – part of the vows I took no da. So I don't have any right to be upset. This is just how things are.'_

And like lightning, Ritsuka's voice crackled back to him, demanding and tactless and true:

"_Stop making excuses already."_

He set his fishing pole to the side, reaching into his _kesa_ and pulling out his scroll, still tied with its honey-yellow ribbon. He unrolled it slowly, eye scrolling down the long Elemental prophecy before resting on the words at the bottom, the "gibberish" that he hadn't bothered to mention to Kiori:

_To those you will love, I have offered advice. To you, I offer those you will love. There are things we must cling to and things we must release. Knowing the difference will make all the difference._

_(Do you understand me? _the seer had scribbled along the edge of the scroll, his writing a scrawl almost as desperate as his words, _I cannot see as you see nor think as you think but I feel as you feel and for once I will try to be clear. It is futile, it will not be enough, it will have to be.)_

_The future is what it is only when it is no more. Its doors still stand open. Do not lock them before they have closed. The key is the answer but will you look to it? I see that you won't. I pray that you will. But what is the use? _Tathata - _things are what they are, and my visions have never been wrong. But this was your excuse. There is no excuse for an excuse. Turn away from them. Look to yourself. That and one other you must never turn away from.  
Luck is as false as fate but I wish it on you regardless._

Chichiri sighed, dropping his forehead into his palm, letting the scroll roll into the grass. "As clear as you could make it, huh? No wonder I can't find your name in any of the palace records – your emperor must have been so frustrated that he didn't even bother to appoint you as one of his diviners no da."

He tumbled onto his side in the grass, then rolled onto his back, staring up, watching as night chased the day away, the blanket of black slowly overtaking streaks of purple and orange. "There is no excuse for an excuse," he murmured to the awakening stars. "Ritsuka was more right than she could have known no da."

He pressed the back of his hand to his forehead, taking another long breath. _'There's an answer to this riddle. I know there is no da. The key is the answer, but what is the key? I can't see it.'_He squeezed his eye shut. _'No – not that I _can't _see it, but that I _won't _no da. The seer said that. Ritsuka did, too. But what is there to look at? The answer... myself...'_

His hand slipped from his forehead. He felt himself drifting, sinking, but he was too tired to stop it this time. As his sleeplessness caught up with him, pushing him softly into the murmuring darkness, his last thought was of excuses, and answers, and things he had tried not to see.

"To myself... and one other..."

oOo

Mizu listened carefully to Setsuka's plan, her lips pressing tighter with each word. She tried to look away but Setsuka kept her hands on Mizu's cheeks, forcing her to feel the strength of the bond between them. The young Element's eyes went from wide to narrow to wide again, until finally some light inside of them flashed and then, abruptly, went out again. By the time Setsuka finished, Mizu's face was empty and her gaze glassy, unreadable even to her mistress.

Setsuka frowned. "Well? Do you think it will work?"

"Work?" The question seemed to knock her back to the present, though the spark in her eyes remained dimmer, somehow. She swallowed hard. "I can do it, if that's what you're asking. Only... Setsuka-sama, are you sure?"

"Yes."

"It's the only way?"

Setsuka fixed her with another long stare. "It is."

Whatever tears had been building, whatever panic Mizu had been fighting disappeared. She looked away, nodded once. "Okay," she whispered, beaten. "I'll do it."

Setsuka's hands landed tentatively on her shoulders. "If there was any other way..."

"But there isn't. I know. That doesn't mean I don't feel awful about it." Mizu's shoulders shuddered beneath her lady's hands. "I'm still going to be a murderer."

"You'll be my champion. And you'll save your Houjun." Setsuka tried a smile, forced her voice to gaiety. "That'll be something, won't it?"

She waited, but when Mizu said nothing Setsuka let her hands slide from the girl's shoulders. She stepped back, watching the Element, searching for some kind of reaction, but Mizu kept her back straight and her eyes fixed ahead, her gaze as blank as the cloudless sky above them.

Setsuka clenched her teeth, stumbling back into the mansion and the safety of her room. She meant to lay on her bed, but a flicker to her right made her stop. She turned and found herself staring into the dusty glass of the room's single mirror. She watched herself watching herself - the calculating gaze, the proud rise of her chin, the soft curves of hips and breasts offset by the sharp lines of her shoulders and back, as if she had switched out bones for steel, had traded her blood for ice.

"It's necessary," she snapped at her reflection. "It doesn't matter who I hurt, doesn't matter who I lie to. So let her believe she can save the monk. Let her think this isn't going to kill him. I don't care what happens to her. If it gets me what I want - what I _deserve _- then it doesn't matter. The rest can go to hell. Even her. Even him."

The reflection's eyes crinkled, tried to shed tears, but Setsuka slammed a fist against the glass, sending spiderweb cracks across its surface. Her eyes flickered across the disjointed slices of her reflection. It was pale, shaking and afraid, a stark contrast to her callous words. It only made her angrier. "Shut up," she hissed at the silence. "I'm right. I am. I _am_."

She waited as if expecting an answer, but of course the mirror offered nothing. Setsuka watched her face tighten, lips pulling back, eyes squeezing shut, and then she was struggling too much to keep looking. She crumpled against her cracked reflection and slid to the floor, hands clenched to her chest as she gasped for breaths she couldn't quite find.

"Gods damn you, Mizu-chan," she rasped, pressing her forehead to the glass. "Not like Sora. I won't let you be like Sora. I'll fix you when it's over, I will, so please... please... _please_... Don't you dare look at me the way she did. It brings back the old weakness, and I won't stand for any weakness. I can't. Not now, not when I'm so close."

oOo

_He came awake in darkness, which was how he knew he wasn't awake. His feet were bare and wet to his ankles, and when he reached for his prayer beads they were gone. His _kesa _too. He was down to nothing but a layman's robe and trousers. He held his arms close to his chest, partly to fight the cold, partly to fight the sense of nakedness, vulnerability._

_He walked on. Sparks of light hovered ahead of him like ghost fires, flashing and fading, their green tails leaving trails of color through the void. He began to wade towards them but a voice broke through the gloom, stopping him in his tracks._

"_Where am I?"_

_He moaned softly. He knew this dream. He closed his eye and murmured, "Wake up," but when he opened it again it was still dark and her presence was still with him. He took a breath. "Kiori?" He held out his hand and she took it, just like she'd done before. The words rolled off his tongue the way they were supposed to, the way this shadow play had to run. "Stay close, okay? We'll find a way out of here soon no da."_

"_Mm. I trust you, Chichiri."_

"_Yes," he said wearily. "I know you do."_

_They had only gone a few feet before the ground gave way and the current picked up. Chichiri pulled back sooner than he had the last time, a vain attempt to break the cycle, but it did him little good. He called for her to wait, but it was too late – she was over the precipice and into the water, and her hand was dragged from his, and then there was nothing but the dark current, dragging her away from him._

_His legs bunched automatically, but _She _was there before he could dive, just like the other time – like all those other times – wrapping her arms around his chest and pulling him to safety._

"_Houjun, stop! Please!"_

_Kouran's voice, desperate, pleading, reminding him of all the dangers. He tried to find a reply but couldn't, tried to find his strength but couldn't. Just like before. Just like all the befores._

"_You mustn't! It's too dangerous! You could – something might... I'm afraid for you. I can't stand it. Please, Houjun, just let her go."_

There is no excuse for an excuse.

_His fists bunched at his sides. His jaw tightened. And suddenly he could speak again. "Stop it," he said, so quietly that it was almost lost beneath the crashing waves. There was a strength beneath it, though, building like the waters behind a dam. "You've got to stop doing this."_

_The arms around his chest squeezed him once, softly. "After all," she whispered, daring him with the question he always refused to face, "you don't even love h—"_

"_I said stop it!"_

_His voice was a crack that broke through the darkness. The current subsided. The ghost lights vanished. The arms around him loosened but didn't release. He took a breath, let it out, and stared at the emptiness in front of him. "There is no excuse for an excuse," he said aloud. "This isn't a betrayal, so stop making Kouran the villain. It's unfair to her memory. There are things we must cling to and things we must release." He pressed his hands to the ones clasped around his waist, the ones he still knew by touch alone, despite all the years between them. He felt a tear slide to his chin, but it was one of relief, not regret. "Let her go, Houjun."_

_The hands released him and he turned, not at all surprised to find that there was no one there. The ghost lights reappeared to hover around him and below him. He looked into the waters at the faintly rippling image of himself, then crouched beside the pool, staring at his layman's tunic and breeches, his hair grown long again. "Keep it simple, hm? Fair enough." He flicked at the spot that reflected his scar, smiling to himself. "D'you know, I should be able to see out of both eyes when I dream, but these days it seems like I never do. What do you suppose that means no da?"_

"_You really want my answer?"_

_He didn't look up, instead watching the water as Kiori's reflection stepped up beside his. Chichiri chuckled. "Seeing as how this is my dream, it's really just _my _answer, isn't it? But I told you already. I like listening to you no da. Go ahead."_

_Her reflection crouched beside him, chin in hands. "Well, if I had to guess, then I'd say it means you're sort of comfortable with it. Like that scar is a part of who you are now, so it's with you all the time." She smiled. "That sound about right?" He nodded slowly. "Two points for me. Now it's your turn to answer." Her reflection looked at him, though he kept his eyes on the water. "Can you wear the other scars as comfortably as this one?"_

"_I think I already do, no da."_

"_Then why are you so afraid of me?"_

_He stared at his hands as they clasped and unclasped each other. "Because someday I'd lose you."_

"_Minus two points." He looked back at the reflection, surprised to find her smiling, teasing, like she was making fun of him. "You're losing me right now. You _chose _to lose me, in fact, so that can't be the part that scares you the most. It's got to be the part before it. The falling part. That's why you keep building walls, finding all these reasons you _can't _be with me instead of thinking about whether or not you _want _to be. That's why you wouldn't answer Ritsuka's question." Her reflection leaned forward, peering at him. "Well? Am I right?"_

"_I... I think so, yes."_

"_Two more points for me, then. You ask the next one."_

_His hands twisted. "Can you promise me that this wouldn't all fall apart, like it did the first time?"_

"_No." Her reflected hand extended, offering him her palm. "But I promise to be honest about it. So that even if it does fall apart, days or months or even years from now, I won't try to hide it. You'll always have the truth." She laughed. "But you're such a pessimist. Try pretending for a second that it _won't _fall apart. That would be pretty amazing, wouldn't it?" He didn't reply. The reflection didn't withdraw its hand. "My turn again. Are you ready for this one?" His nod was small, but it was enough. She took a breath. "Are you in love with me?"_

_He stared at the water. Slowly his hand reached out, cupping her offered one, letting his fingers slide between her own. "Since that day in the woods, when those Takkan trackers almost caught us. I looked up at you, terrified and brave and beautiful, and... and that was it. My life didn't belong to me anymore. It was all yours."_

"_You've loved me for that long?"_

"_I think I must have no da."_

_The reflection gave his hand a squeeze. The smile was still a mocking one, but why wouldn't it be? The reflection had known his answer long before he'd been willing to admit it. "Well," she said, laughing, "I think this is the part where we're supposed to kiss."_

"_Probably."_

"_It's tricky, though, with this being a dream and all. In this strange way, you'd sort of be kissing yourself."_

"_That doesn't sound very romantic no da."_

"_It isn't really. So let's try a magic trick instead. Close your eye." He did as she said. The ghost lights vanished. The sloshing water went silent. Even the reflection's hand dissolved._

"_Okay. Now open it again."_

Chichiri stared at leaves in shadows. Fireflies flickered like ghost lights. Water lapped quietly against the pond shore. Everything looked hazy, out of focus, more like a dream than the dream itself, and for a moment he thought that he'd gone through one of those strange shifts where one scene faded to another. It took him a moment later to realize that the blur was not from dreaming but from tears.

He took off his mask and wiped his hand across his face, over both scarred and working eyes, before letting it rest against his mouth. He watched the sky through the branches, the faintly glittering constellations of passed friends and living ones alike. His other hand slid sideways, touching his unrolled scroll. He smiled...

And then he laughed, great, heaving peals of relief and joy and understanding. He let them roll on and on, across the pond and up to the heavens, each crashing laugh taking a chunk of worry and frustration and fear with it, leaving him somehow unburdened, free, careless for the first time since the war's beginning.

As the laughter trailed away and his hand slipped from his mouth to his chest, fingers rolling pleasantly across his prayer beads, he let out a deep sigh, surprised at how easy it came. "Was it really that simple no da?" he murmured around his smile. "Is all of it _really_ that simple?"

"_Of course it is," _he could hear the reflection saying, teasing him yet again. "_You beat the bad guys, save the country, get the girl, and live happily ever after. That _is _what you promised Tasuki, isn't it?"_

"Happily ever..."

Chichiri sprang to his feet, grabbing his scroll and shoving it back into his _kesa_. He paced the shore in a giddy rush, hands gesturing to nothing, simply too excited to stay still. "I have to tell them everything. All of them, all of it. How late is it?" He looked to the moon, already high in the sky, and hissed a curse. "Late. Okay. Tomorrow then. At breakfast no da. I tell them everything. I have to. Because the key is the answer, and if they're the answer, then... And Kiori, she needs to know, I don't even know if she'll forgive me but I have to tell her, to explain, all these stupid things I've been so afraid of, all these messes I've made for us both, when all I had to do was... And Tasuki and Ritsuka, they should know too, about the legend, about everything..." He laughed. "It doesn't matter no da. We can beat it. I'm sure we can. I'm _sure_ we can."

He stopped suddenly, whipping around to the north. He cupped his hands to his mouth and shouted across the waters, the words pouring out of him as fast as his laughter had. "You hear me, Setsuka? I've figured it out, and you don't stand a chance no da! Konan, the people I love – I'm going to save it all! You don't stand a chance!"

Chichiri paused, blinking at the sudden outburst, then pressed his face into his hands and laughed again. "Suzaku help me. I really am in love no da."

oOo

"Mizu-chan."

The young Element ran a sleeve across her eyes, then turned to face her lady. Setsuka stood behind her, dressed in men's trousers, her hair tied in a tight bun. A warrior's garb. Only the necklace, its three gems glowing faintly, its lady's fingers running again and again over the green and red ones, betrayed her former finery. Mizu looked from Setsuka's clothes to her face, expecting to spot the malice she'd glimpsed the night before, but there was no spark in her mistress's eyes, no flicker of excitement or vengeance or even fear. She was dim. Tired. Sad.

Mizu watched her, sorrow ricocheting between them. "My Lady?"

"It's time. Are you ready?"

She swallowed. "I have to be."

"Then go. And hurry. I want this finished soon."

oOo

Chichiri slid the door to his room shut behind him, still smiling to himself. He snapped his fingers and the lamp beside his bed flared to life. He set his mask beside the lamp, then unclasped his _kesa _and slung it over the back of his chair.

He had just sat down on the bed when a breeze jolted through the room, making the lamp flicker and knocking one of the many scrolls off his nightstand. He looked to his window but it was half-open, hardly wide enough for a gust of that size to get through. Chichiri frowned and picked up the half-open scroll, eye landing on the bottom lines. It was the first scroll the group had received, with that one last riddle he still couldn't quite solve. The monk smoothed out the parchment and sat down at his desk, tracing the _kanji_ with a finger.

_"Will Konan prevail? Only time shall tell. / The answer lies within love's well."_ Chichiri chewed on his lip. "The key is the answer, he said, and the answer lies... where? The well might have something to do with my seishi symbol, but love's well, a well of love... what in the world is that?"

The voice of a brilliant young seishi seemed to whisper in his ear. _"He doesn't see how you see or think how you think, remember, Chichiri-san? You have to read it from a new angle. And hurry! You don't have much time."_

He glanced up, but of course there was no one there. He smiled grimly and looked to the scroll, his finger tapping first the _kanji_ for _love_ and then the one for _well. _He started to move back to the first but stopped, eye snapping open. "It's an inverse. Like 'weave a prayer.' It's not _love's well_, it's _well's love!_" He jerked upright, taking in a breath. "But that's—"

In a room on the other side of the palace, an Element appeared. Her feet landed silently on the wooden floorboards of the bedchamber, never once disturbing the woman in the bed and the other on the futon, but her life force was like a war drum for the monk.

"Kiori."

Chichiri's chair clattered to the floor as he stood, grabbing his staff and sprinting for the door.

oOo

Kiori had been having a pleasant enough dream, but it soon turned into a nightmare. She was trapped, unable to move, barely able to breath. A monster was clutching her in its claws, cold and hard and as unavoidable as death. She tried to shout, but no sound would escape. The creature was moving in, teeth bared—

Her eyes snapped open, but she found her reality to be little better than her dream. Kiori really _couldn't_ move, though not because of a monster. A girl stood in front of her, bangs masking her golden eyes. "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..." she whispered, her crystals humming at her sides.

Kiori didn't waste time struggling. She'd felt this power once before and she knew she couldn't fight it. So she did the only thing she could: she screamed, one shrill, piercing blast before Mizu threw out a hand, snapping a coil of magic tight across her mouth. Kiori choked on the crackling power, gasping for air, watching in terrified silence as Ritsuka jerked upright, still blinking sleep from her eyes.

"Kiori?" The crystals buzzed and Ritsuka came awake in a hurry, staring with growing horror at the tendrils of magic wrapped around her friend. She tried to move but found her body frozen from the neck down, rigid as ice. Her eyes snapped from Kiori to the girl at her side. "Who are you? What the hell is this?"

Mizu kept her head down, her face shaded by her bangs. "Please don't struggle. It makes it harder for me to concentrate."

Kiori and Ritsuka's eyes met across the distance, but they could do nothing but stare helplessly, Ritsuka roaring curses, Kiori unable to do even that. The cord around her mouth tightened with each jerk of her head, and every attempt to break free only seemed to weaken her. Her chest moved in a panicked rise-and-fall as she fought for air, but already her vision was blurring, and it was all she could do to keep her eyes open. _'Somebody, please...'_

The door slammed open and the wash of familiar power at last made Mizu look up. She had to fight back a wave of vertigo. "Houjun."

Mizu had blanketed the room in her _ki_, so it only took a moment's thought to snap her hold down on Chichiri as well. He struggled under the spell for a moment, then squeezed his eye shut, throwing his heart into a short, powerful sutra. A crack like the sound of lightning hitting a tree snapped through the room and the blue cords melted away from him, vanishing as quickly as they had been formed. Chichiri opened his eye again, ignoring the Element completely, his attention fixed on the unconscious woman in her grasp.

So of course he didn't see the lance of blue fire that blazed across the room, shooting straight through his throat.

There was no struggle, no jolt of pain, nothing to prove that he had been hurt at all. He simply collapsed soundlessly to the floor, his head tilted back and his limbs askew at his sides.

"Chichi—!" Ritsuka choked on the name, snapping back to face Mizu. "If he's dead—"

"No!" Mizu shrieked, crystals screaming at her sides. "It's not like that, I just—"

"_Mizu-chan!" _The Element stopped mid-sentence, looking to the ceiling as Setsuka's voice rang through her mind. "_What's taking so long? If there's trouble then I want you home now, mission completed or no. That's an order from your lady!"_

Mizu nodded once. Her eyes slid across the room one last time – to Kiori, limp in her chains – to Ritsuka, pinned to the floor, contorted with fear and rage – and finally to Chichiri, unmoving, a rag doll left forgotten in the corner. "I'm sorry," she whispered again.

oOo

"_'...And then, with a hum of crystal, she and Kiori were gone.'_" Keisuke swallowed hard. "End Chapter Thirty-Six."

-  
Chichiri: Kiori... all this time, I've been trying to figure out myself out. And, now, when I finally have my answer, you're... No! I can't let this happen! I am _not_ going to lose you! Setsuka, you wanted to lure me out? Then fine, here I am. And I'm going to end this.  
Drawn out, separated, and pitted against friends and enemies alike, the Konan Warriors struggle to protect both their home and the people they love. But what if you can only save one? Do you make the choice? And how? Our questions are the same but our answers are our own, and the choices we make could save or ruin everything we've fought for.

The Next Episode of _Fushigi Yuugi: The Next Chapter_: "Battles for a Nation – To The Center of the Labyrinth."

I won't let my past repeat itself.

* * *

**End Notes  
**(1) _Janken – _I tried to make this as obvious in the description of the game as possible, but _janken_ is just rock-paper-scissors. Long before American siblings used it to decide who had to do the dishes this week (and then, upon losing, immediately resorted to "best two of three" and "I'll arm-wrestle you for it instead"), several East Asian countries were playing the game and countless variations of it as a means of getting good 'n' hammered with their friends. I would imagine, of course, that their children were playing it to decide who had to do the dishes that week as well.

(2) Pleasure Houses and Courtesans - This scene is historically accurate but admittedly non-canonical. Watase has made it known several times in both FY and FY:GK that she has nothing but distaste for the brothel system of medieval China, generally portraying it as little more than sex slavery. And to an extent she's correct, but I feel it's unfair of her to take such a harsh stance against it. True, few women willingly became courtesans, but few women willingly became minister's wives or farmer's wives or merchant's wives, either. Life in a low-level brothel was harsh, but mid-tier or top-tier courtesans often lived quite comfortably. Many were renowned for their beauty and talent (some of China's top female poets were courtesans, in fact) , and more than a few eventually became second wives or consorts for respectable ministers or businessmen. As courtesans, they experienced a great deal more freedom than the cloistered gentlewomen of the day (and yes, some could and did turn down distasteful customers), and most were given better educations than much of the peasant class. Some were even able to live independently, making a living off their poetry, music, or as the madame of their own top-tier tea or pleasure house.  
Er, excuse the history lesson. (_sweat_) My point is, I know I diverged from Watase, but I did so in the interest of preserving historical accuracy. I'm not really trying to make a politico-feminist-anything statement. The reader is welcome to draw their own conclusions about the courtesan system; I just wanted to give you the full picture.

(3) _Rakugo_ – A kind of traditional Japanese stand-up (or "sit-down," as is the case) comedy, revolving around a single storyteller with minimal props and a wide array of clever puns. I haven't read up on it recently enough to tell you more than that, but I'd encourage you to search YouTube for some subtitled or English performances if you're curious to learn more. Some of it really is quite funny.

_**Ye Olde Author's Note: September 24th, 2010  
**_Ni-hao, minna-san!  
So I kind of love this chapter, and I hope that everyone else does, too. Almost everything in it is either new or so majorly revised as to be unrecognizable from the original scene, and I'm just so much happier with this version. The Ritsuka-Chichiri scene may be one of my favorites in FY:NC - I love how straightforward she is, and how she's one of the only people who can actually get a rise out of our mellow monk. She's very good at pushing buttons, but I think she also has a knack for forcing people to confront some unpleasant truths about themselves. You sort of get the feeling she's a lot more perceptive than she lets on, you know? Anyway, she lays some truth on us this chapter (insert hipster snapping here), which leads to my second favorite scene, the Chichiri dream sequence. Majorly revamped, but in what I hope is a rather poetic way. And Ahn Trio's "Lullaby" really adds to the mood, so I hope ya'll were listening while you were reading.

I'm fresh out of character profiles, so I thought I'd throw out some Fun Facts for the last few author's notes (just three more to go! Can you _stand_ the excitement?). Just some random tidbits for the curious reader.

_**FY:NC**_** Fun Facts: "In The Original Outline..."  
**-FY:NC was 16 chapters long, an extremely linear, 2-dimensional story line that had almost nothing to do with the Elements, Hataku, the RAFT, or even Akai, Houki and Koji. It was, simply put, a love story, and a rather straightforward one at that. All the battles have stayed basically the same, and the format for the first 13-16 episodes of the current version follow the original outline pretty closely. Past that, characters and events started gaining a mind of their own. Needless to say I like the complexities of this version a whole lot better.  
-Akai was supposed to die in the battle with Sora. She was going to give the Holy Sword to Aoi before she died, then Aoi was going to pass it on to Ritsuka because "he didn't feel worthy" carrying it. I flirted with the idea of flipping it so that Aoi was the one who was killed in the battle, but I honestly didn't know which of them was going to make it out alive until I actually wrote the scene.  
-I mentioned this briefly before, but Hataku's role as "Takkan turn coat" almost belonged to Tsuki. I was going to have him survive Chichiri's attack, be taken in by the Konan Warriors, and eventually join their cause, swearing vengeance for his brother against Setsuka (or something dramatic like that). So why didn't I? Because Setsuka wound up being more complex than your cardboard cutout villain-lady, and I needed a "turn coat" who could reflect that complexity... And also because Hataku is just way more interesting. (_laughs_)

And finally, I really should remind you to **Never Edit at 1am,** particularly when you've got a scene that takes place in a pleasure house:  
—_Ritsuka's pointing fingers couldn't decide where they wanted to go, so finally she just stuffed them in her lap, forcing her body to stillness even as she gaped at the smiling courtesan. "But _how_?"_-Me: "Well you see, Ritsuka, when a man and a woman love each other very much... or when they're lonely or horny or just kinda drunk – they get together and" (begins miming the bone dance) "awww yea-ah..."  
—At the Dove, after Ritsuka hugs Tasuki, the original line read, "Tasuki went stiff" – and then your Very Mature Author shouted, "Yeah he did, ow_-ow_!" and spent about five full minutes laughing hysterically. Once I wiped the tears from my eyes, I decided that I probably ought to change the line to read "Tasuki went rigid" and save us all a lot of unnecessary gutter-thoughts.

Thanks to Amaya, IttyBittyTidbits, LordAxelLover, antyem, Ayriel, VirginiaWolfe, and The White Phoenix for leaving some of the most amusing reviews I've ever had the pleasure to read (I think I laughed out loud a couple times), and I hope to hear all your frustrated snarls after this one, too! :)

See you in October!—Dee


	37. Episode Thirty Seven: Battles for a

_**Disclaimer**_**:** I still don't own Konan, Suzaku and all characters and seishi pertaining to them. Kiori and Ritsuka are and shall forever be mine, and that holds for all the other "originals" (you'll know 'em when they appear, trust me). Obviously the story is mine as well.

_**Rating:**_ PG-13, for moderate language and violence.

**Musical Selection:** This episode has a running soundtrack pretty much from start to finish, so prepare yourself, Kakarot! (_Ah-hem_) "Belladonna's Snare" for the early Setsuka scenes, "Shadow of Doubt" for all the early-to-middle Mizu scenes, OLIVIA's "Stars Shining Out" for when the swords start swingin', and then go ahead and cue up "Determination" right after Chichiri gets his surprise visitors. You can let that one play through twice if you'd like. Finally, "Destiny -Shukumei-" functions as the ending theme. Start playing it when... uh... (_trying-to-think-of-a-way-to-explain-without-spoiling-anything, and failing_)... oh, just whenever it seems appropriate to you. It's a shame this site won't let me insert links so you could cue up the music easier. Alas. Well, everything's posted on **my blog**, as usual, so if you're up to the challenge you might wanna head over there and get those files ready to go.  
...Of course if that's too much for you, the **abridged, vocals-only version** goes: "Stars Shining Out" for the fight scenes and "Destiny -Shukumei-" for the ending sequence. Maybe that'll be a little easier for all you minimalists out there. :)

**Previously on **_**Fushigi Yuugi: The Next Chapter**_**...  
**-Houki met her Element, Tsuchi (aka Fuyuko), who begged her to kill him. However, after an impassioned speech from Akai, Tsuchi decided to continue fighting Setsuka. Houki and Akai promised to do all they could to help him break free of his lady's control.  
-Chichiri at last confronted his own mixed fears and hopes, acknowledging his feelings about Kiori, but no sooner had the revelation been made than Mizu appeared in the room where Kiori and Ritsuka were sleeping. Chichiri rushed to stop her, but Mizu halted him with a spell, leaving him crumpled on the floor before she fled, taking Kiori with her.

_In honor of the stage play version of _Fushigi Yuugi _coming out this week in Japan, I hereby declare this the musical episode of _FY:NC_! Featuring such classics as "Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better" (Tasuki and Ritsuka), "That Face," (Chichiri and Kiori), "Hard-Knock Life" (the RAFT), and the highly ironic "Popular" (Uh...Setsuka?). It's toe-tappin fun for the whole family!  
(...Okay, not really. But if this actually was a TV show, I would have totally done a musical episode. Not even joking.)_

_

* * *

_

**-Episode Thirty-Seven: Battles for a Nation-  
To the Center of the Labyrinth**

Keisuke wasted no time discussing the previous chapter with his friends. He didn't bother offering the book to one of them. He didn't even pause to take a breath, but just flipped to the next page and hurriedly began: "_'As soon as the young Element disappeared, the spell she had cast on the room vanished as well. The remaining warrior wasted no time in seeking help, never once doubting that her companions' lives were in grave danger...'_"

oOo

Ritsuka was halfway out the room's doorway when she slammed straight into Tasuki's chest, nearly knocking them both to the floor. He caught her arm before she tumbled, pulling her back to her feet. "What's goin' on? I felt a jolt, like 'Chiri'd been hurt, but—"

"They took her!" Ritsuka shrieked, tears already streaming down her face. "They took her and I was right here and I let it happen _again_! I couldn't do anything, just sat there _useless_ while that little..." She choked on a sob, pointing over her shoulder at the crumpled monk. "That Element did something to him, I don't know what, he's breathing and I think he's awake only I can't get anything out of him, and what the hell took you so long to get here, we've got to get a doctor, we've got to save Kiori, we've got to..."

She tried to brush past him but he kept a grip on her arm, tugging her to a stop. "Breathe, Red. You said the _Element_ took Kiori?" She jerked a nod. Tasuki's lips tightened. "Okay." He released her, stepping back out the door. "Doctor's farthest away so that's where I'll go. You go back t'the men's quarters, wake up Ran-shogun an' Hataku, let 'em know we're under attack. I don't think Setsuka's gonna come straight at us but we gotta be ready, so you make sure they take this seriously, get everyone in position ta defend th' city."

She wobbled another nod and turned to go. Tasuki caught her shirt, spinning her around to face him. "Hey. Calm down. If they took Kiori then that means they don't want her dead, an' if it was Mizu than that means 'Chiri's gonna be okay too." She opened her mouth to say something else, but he pinched his fingers together in front of her lips, miming for silence. "Work first. Panic attack later."

"Okay." She sounded almost composed when she said it. "Yeah. Yeah, okay."

He grinned. "That's more like it. Now get goin'. You 'n' me got some work ta do."

oOo

Ritsuka returned to Kiori's room with Hataku limping a step behind her, unsurprised to find Tasuki and the head doctor Yukeda already there and attending to Chichiri. Yukeda had propped Chichiri up against the wall, his back flat on the wood and his head lolling listlessly to the side. The doctor had a hand on Chichiri's wrist, checking his pulse. He didn't look up when they came in, but Tasuki did, frowning at Hataku. "Th' defenses?"

"Are being handled by the real shogun," he said. "Ritsuka said there was an attack. Setsuka—"

"Is too chickenshit ta do it herself," Tasuki spat. "Gods damned kidnappin', an' whatever she done ta Chichiri." Hataku opened his mouth to say more, but the bandit waved it away. "We won't know nothin' 'till 'Chiri wakes up an' tells us where th' hell they took Kiori. I'll be sure ta tell ya when there's Takkan Lady ta fry, but fer now we need ya helpin' Ran-shogun. Ain't no way this ain't a trap, an' I don't want us caught with our pants around our ankles when it hits. Go."

The two stared at each other for a moment, a silent fight for authority, but Hataku was not blind to reason. "Very well. But you _will_ keep me informed. If that woman attacks—"

"Yeah, yeah, you 'n' me c'n roll dice ta see who stabs her first. Not really my main concern right now, y'know?"

Hataku's eye slid over to Chichiri. He softened. "Of course. Keep me updated on _that_ as well." He offered a short bow and hurried out of the room again, though neither warrior paid him much attention. Tasuki was too busy watching Yukeda, and Ritsuka was too busy watching Tasuki.

"Well?" she said at last. "What's wrong with him?"

Yukeda sighed, sitting back on his heels. "Nothing, as far as I can tell. His pulse and breathing are slow but not abnormal. Nothing bleeding, nothing broken... I'd think he was just unconscious save for the fact that he isn't." He pointed to Chichiri's hand, the fingers jerking awkwardly but not randomly, moving in a direct if not stuttering line towards his knee. "His eyelid twitches when I ask him to respond, and he's been trying to move that damned hand this entire time. Heaven knows why."

Ritsuka grinned. "Heaven and me, maybe. Here."

She knelt down beside the doctor, grabbing Chichiri's hand and slapping it against his knee. She looked back to Tasuki expectantly, but he had already snapped away, listening to something neither of the other two could hear. After a moment he cocked an eyebrow, glancing back at his friend. "You sure about that?" Chichiri must have told him yes because he leaned over, pressing thumb and forefinger into the skin just above the monk's collarbone. "Okay, but you don't get ta yell at me if I screw this up."

Tasuki drew back his fingers and then plunged them into the base of Chichiri's throat, punching and twisting in one swift motion. Crimson flashed around the bandit's fingers and Chichiri jolted forward, doubling over as he choked for air. Tasuki pulled away, studying his pinched fingers with a grin, but he only had moment to admire his handiwork before Yukeda dove at him, grabbing his collar and dragging him away from Chichiri.

"That is not helping! That is the _opposite_ of helping!"

"Nah, I think it worked."

Yukeda spluttered. "How in the gods' names is crushing his windpipe supposed to—?"

"Sensei." The croak was all Chichiri could manage before he fell into another coughing fit, but it was enough to get Yukeda to hesitate. He stopped shaking Tasuki long enough for Chichiri to glance up, a pained smile on his unmasked face. "Thanks, Tasuki. That was perfect no da. I really wasn't looking forward to being stuck that way for another hou—" He was cut off as Ritsuka slammed forward, throwing her arms around his neck and squeezing him tight. "R-Ritsuka...?"

Her voice muffled in his _kesa_. "Just because I promised to drown you doesn't mean I want you to die, okay?" He smiled weakly, but the redhead had already pulled away again, her hands resting on his shoulders. "What the hell was that, anyway?"

"A _chakra_ block," he said, wincing as he pushed himself into a more comfortable sitting position. He moved slowly, and the others could almost hear his joints creaking in protest. "And a damn good one at that no da." (1)

"How d'you feel now?"

He rubbed at the back of his neck, grimacing another smile. "Stupid, mostly. I don't have a talent for them myself, so I assumed that Mae-chan wouldn't either no da. Serves me right for being arrogant, I suppose." His smile faltered. "She's stronger than I'd guessed. Weaker than Nakago but more versatile. Guess she gets that from her stupid teacher. I'll have to be more careful next time no da."

"Next time." Ritsuka's face darkened. "Chichiri, they took—"

"I know." She gripped his arm and he smiled. "It's all right. Did you think I'd be this calm if they had hurt her? Kiori's fine. Mae-chan took her back to the mansion no da."

"But what about—"

"Well." Yukeda stood in a swish of robes, grabbing his medicine bag and glaring down his nose at the trio. "Since it seems I am thoroughly useless, I shall return to where I am needed. Enjoy slamming your fists into each other's throats. I'm sure it will be all the rage in the medical world before long." He turned on his heel, all but leaking pomposity as he strode towards the door. He paused only long enough to glare over his shoulder, one finger pointed at the trio. "And see that you bring my assistant back safely. Sakamoto is the only good thing this idiot's war has brought me, and I'll not be losing her because of it."

And then he was gone, slamming the door in his wake. Tasuki couldn't help but grin. "He's more puffed up'n usual today. He must _really_ be worried about her." He sobered in a hurry when he caught Ritsuka's glare. "What? I'm worried too."

"You could try acting like it," she snapped. "Setsuka has Kiori and the two of you are sitting here cracking jokes and talking about power levels like we're in some lame _shounen_ manga! We've got to help her, rescue her, do _something_ before they... before she's..."

"They won't hurt her," Chichiri said, surprised at his own certainty. "They don't have any reason to. She's the only one of us who isn't a threat to them no da."

Ritsuka snorted. "Yeah, 'cause I was a big freakin' threat against that Element."

"No more or less than me," he replied gently. When she looked away, Chichiri pressed a hand to her shoulder. "I spent the last ten minutes mostly paralyzed. I've had more than enough time to both panic _and_ be reasonable, and what I've decided is that there's no need for any of us to worry no da. Kiori isn't in any danger, at least not for a while." He looked to the bandit. "But I'm not the military strategist here. Any thoughts?"

"Only that this thing screams 'trap' so loud it's makin' my ears bleed." Tasuki sighed, crossing his arms over his chest and turning his eyes to the ceiling. "Setsuka pretty obviously wants us ta go runnin' after her. Only real question is: does she wanna attack us, or th' whole capital city?"

The seishi sat in silence for a minute, considering this. Ritsuka's head whipped back and forth between the two of them, her face growing redder by the minute. Finally she slapped her palms to her knees. "Oh c'mon, quit sitting there trying to look smart! What's there to think about? You know damn well we're gonna take the bait. I mean it's not like we can just _leave_ Kiori out there."

Chichiri and Tasuki exchanged smiles, but Ritsuka was all earnestness as she held out her fist, glaring at first one seishi and then the other. After a moment they reached forward, clasping hands solemnly.

"Yeah, Red. We're gonna fall right th' hell inta this thing."

"I don't have much of a choice no da. I still have to give Kiori a real answer."

Ritsuka's head whipped around. "And?"

Chichiri met her with a crooked smile. "Do you even have to ask?"

Her reply was a squeal of joy. Ritsuka sprang to her feet, breaking their handshake so she could raise her fist to the ceiling. "_Yossha_! Team Konan is back in action. Better start tremblin', Setsuka, 'cause the power of love is gonna save the day!" She whirled back to the two seishi. "So what's the plan?"

"Simple," Tasuki said. "We go ta bed." Ritsuka face-vaulted, and even Chichiri looked startled, but the bandit went on before either could speak. "Look, 'Chiri's still recoverin' from that _chakra_ whatsit, and it's th' middle-a th' night. We'd be fightin' in th' dark, on unknown territory, _an_' with our best guy draggin' his feet." He looked to Chichiri. "Setsuka can't hurt Kiori if she wants us, an' trust me, by now she _really_ wants us. So what's th' harm in gettin' a few hours-a rest an' then headin' out at dawn?"

"No harm at all no da." Ritsuka's jaw just about hit the ground when Chichiri nodded, shoving himself creakily to his feet. "Okay. We'll meet in the stables at dawn."

The two seishi turned to go, but Ritsuka stepped in front of them, hands on hips and glare back in place. "What is with you two? Usually I'm the one who has to keep _you_ from running off on heroic deed-a-thons." She narrowed her eyes. "This better not be more Seishi Code."

Chichiri sweatdropped. "I don't know what you're talking about no da. Tasuki's right. We're already walking into a trap. No reason to give ourselves more disadvantages than we already have no da. That makes sense, right?"

"Well, I guess so..."

"Then that's that." Tasuki grabbed Chichiri by one shoulder and Ritsuka by the other, hustling them both out of the room. "Back ta bed, then, an' hey, Red, ain't yer room next door? Did you wander in here drunk again?"

"No, Kiori asked me to stay the night because of," she caught Chichiri's eye and looked away, "stuff." She changed her mind and glared at him again. "And not just you-stuff either, so don't get a big head. War-stuff too, only she was kinda vague on that. Maybe she had a premonition about getting kidnapped or something."

Chichiri paled. He looked from Tasuki to Ritsuka. _'Don't turn away.' _He took a breath. "There's something else I need to talk to you two about. You see, I—"

The bandit laughed and slapped his friend on the back, knocking the words out of him. "C'mon, 'Chiri, ya don't have ta say a word!" He winked widely at Ritsuka, keeping his arm on Chichiri's shoulder as he steered them both down the walkway. "Red 'n' me are yer pals, right? So when we rescue Kiori t'morrow, we'll be sure ta look away so you c'n give her a big kiss, all nice 'n' private-like!"

"Woo-woo!" Ritsuka crowed.

"Eh?" Chichiri tried to pull away, but Tasuki's grip just tightened further. "But that's not what I was going to—"

"_Oyasumi_, Red!" Tasuki called over his shoulder, all but shoving Chichiri around the corner and out of the other redhead's sight. He spoke before his friend had the chance. "C'mon, 'Chiri, th' war's almost over. Do ya really wanna go an' spoil th' endin' fer everyone?"

His eye widened. "Tasuki, you—?"

"We'll talk about it in th' mornin," he muttered, and Chichiri didn't miss the shadow that passed swiftly across his face. "Not now." He at last released his grip on the monk, shoving his clenched fists into his coat pockets. "I'm gonna give Hataku an' Ran-shogun th' full report b'fore goin' ta bed. I'll see ya at dawn. Be ready ta win this thing."

Chichiri watched, too stunned to follow, as Tasuki hurried off down the walkway. It wasn't until the bandit turned the corner that Chichiri felt a small, sad smile touch his face. "All that work just to protect Ritsuka, huh?" He chuckled softly. "Maybe there are a few thoughtful bones in your body after all no da."

oOo

The Lady of Takkan had made a few minor adjustments to her Elemental necklace, and it was now the perfect size for her to loop it around the second digit of her fingers. By curling her hand around the chain, she was able to stay in constant contact with her three remaining Elements. Setsuka studied her necklace's new fitting, flicking her wrist and twisting her arm, making sure that she could grip it in her hand without the risk of it slipping off.

Satisfied, she checked herself in the unbroken part of the mirror one last time – her hair pinned back tight, her slippers and trousers promising that she could stay light on her feet – and then swept out of her room and into the main hall. She glanced briefly at Mizu, seated on a pillow at the far side of the room, her eyes closed and her hands on her knees, before turning her attention to the unconscious Konan Warrior.

Kiori had been bound hand and foot and settled atop a molding settee, her back against the wall and her head drooping onto her chest. Setsuka studied her with a critical gaze. "So this is the woman who broke into my palace and turned one of my Elements against me? _This_ is the woman who that seishi holds so dear?" She sniffed. "I'm a bit disappointed, not to mention ashamed."

"You can't judge people just by their outward appearance, my Lady." Mizu didn't bother to open her eyes.

Setsuka smiled. "I suppose not. How else would one explain you?" Mizu said nothing. The Lady felt her smile wilt. "Mizu-chan, please. I know you are upset about this, but..."

"It's fine, my Lady. I'm just tired. Breaking through Houjun's barrier took a lot out of me."

"Yes, but even so–"

"It's fine. I'll still be able to do what you want."

"W-well _yes_, but–"

She never got any further, though, because Kiori groaned, startling Element and Lady alike. They both whirled to face her, Setsuka with a smile that was almost pleasant. "Ah, so you're awake."

Kiori pushed her head away from her chest, eyelids fluttering weakly. She tried to move but groaned again, staring, puzzled, at the bonds around her wrists. A gasp shot out of her and she panicked, working on instinct as one arm jerked up and down, trying to loosen the ropes. Setsuka couldn't help but chuckle. "A valiant effort, but it's best not to struggle. Mizu-chan wove some of her power into those ropes. It would take a greater force than you possess to break them."

Kiori's head jerked up, staring wide-eyed at the Lady of Takkan. Understanding seemed to hit her at last and she nodded to herself, relaxing in her bonds but never looking away. She kept her attention on Setsuka, though if she was nervous she was careful to hide it. Rather, she seemed more curious than anything, studying the lady the way one might study a yard of cloth, trying to decide if the material was worth buying. "Setsuka-san."

"Correct – and how very polite." Setsuka offered a mocking bow. "And you, I believe, are the one known as Sakamoto Kiori, a Konan Warrior from another world, though you aren't so much a warrior as a doctor. Your closest friend is Ikido Ritsuka, you have an almost unhealthy interest in literature and fine cuisine, and you're in love with the seishi Chichiri, though you don't believe that he feels the same about you."

"You've done your homework. Chichiri said you'd been spying us." Kiori's smile was dark, a soft sorrow tinged with cynicism. "You're out of touch, though. There's no 'believe' anymore. He doesn't. Feel the same, I mean." She swallowed. "That doesn't mean he won't come for me, though. All three of them will."

"Oh, yes, I'm counting on that." Setsuka patted Kiori's cheek, sneering. "And you're wrong, by the way. He will come for you precisely because he loves you. I may have thrown away such useless feelings myself, but that does not mean I do not recognize them when I see them." She leaned down, hissing in the warrior's ear, keeping her voice low enough that Mizu could not hear. "His love will make him weak, and he will damn his nation for the sake of it. I am counting on _that_, too."

"Yeah? So what's your excuse?"

Setsuka jerked back, surprised by the snap in Kiori's voice. "My excuse for what?"

"For damning _your_ nation." The warrior stared a challenge at her. "You'd have ruined Takkan if the RAFT hadn't brought you down, the same way you've ruined everything else you've touched." Kiori nodded to Mizu. "You'll ruin her, too, if you keep this up." Setsuka paled. The Element said nothing. "So I don't know, maybe you're right. Maybe Chichiri would be willing to risk Konan to save mine or Tasuki's or Ritsuka's lives. But at least he'd have a reason. What's yours?" Kiori's lip curled contemptuously. "You can throw whatever traps you want at us, but don't you dare look down on us. We aren't the ones who've lost everything."

The lady wobbled a laugh that tried to find scorn but could only find uncertainty. "W-well. Not _yet_, anyway."

"Setsuka-sama." Both women turned to find Mizu crossing the room, though she refused to look at either of them. Her green crystal floated just ahead of her, reflecting an image from Eiyou. "Things are moving in Konan. We should get started too."

"Ah, of course." Setsuka smoothed down her tunic, forcing composure. "Whenever you are ready."

The Element didn't respond, but just laced her hands, murmured a sutra beneath her breath, and then drew them apart again. A thin sliver of blue _ki_ trailed between them like thread. Mizu stood on tiptoe so she could wrap one end of it around Setsuka's neck, and then bent down so she could do the same to Kiori. She beckoned Setsuka forward until all three were huddled over the settee. Kiori scooted back as far into as she could go, trying to keep her distance from the spell. It did her little good, though, as Mizu touched first Kiori's forehead, whispering, "_Mei kechi kitsu mou_," and then drawing her finger from Kiori's head first to her own and then on to Setsuka. (2)

"Bind."

Kiori groaned as her forehead pounded like – it had a heartbeat? it was being struck with a hammer? – but the pain was gone before she could name it. When she opened her eyes, the blue thread between the three had vanished, leaving them staring at each other. For the first time since she'd woken, Kiori tasted fear on her tongue. "What did you do to me?"

Setsuka patted her cheek again. "Silly girl. If we told you, it'd ruin the surprise. Now for the next part..."

She pulled a pouch from her tunic and turned it upside down, dropping a dun-colored pellet into her palm. She whispered a spell and tossed it into the air, letting the _ki_-cloaking dust cover her. With that finished she returned her attention to the lone warrior, offering her another low, mocking bow. "Well, I must be off. There's a rogue Element I need to chastise. If you ask politely, perhaps Mizu-chan will let you watch him die... though I somehow doubt you'll live to see the finale." She raised herself again, sneer firmly back in place. "Enjoy losing everything, Konan Warrior."

She turned to go, but Kiori's voice stopped her. "You can stop trying to scare me. I'm not afraid of you anymore." Setsuka glanced back at her, eyebrow cocked, looking more amused than anything. Kiori took it as encouragement. "I used to be. Then I started learning about you, from the RAFT and Hataku, and I wasn't sure what to think." She tilted her head. "But now that I've met you, I think I finally get it. You're not worth fearing. You're not even worth hating. You're just..." She searched for the right word and struck it like a bull's-eye. "Pitiful."

Setsuka backhanded her, striking so hard that her nails left welts along Kiori's cheek. Kiori's head snapped sideways and she gasped, blinking back unwanted tears, but when she looked up again there was triumph in her eyes. "See? Now you're the one afraid of me. Isn't it funny how that works?"

The shaking lady whirled, striding quickly across the room. "Mizu-chan," she snapped, fighting to keep the tremor from her voice. "I'm leaving now. Please take care of yourself. I hope for the sake of your sanity that we drain this bitch soon."

She was halfway to the door when Kiori spoke again, her voice following the lady like an angry ghost. "Hataku-san can't hate you either. Were you afraid of him, too? Is that why you tried to murder the man you loved?"

Setsuka never answered. She just shimmered silver and vanished, using Tsuki's stolen powers to take her from the mansion to a glade north of Eiyou. She stumbled into the shade of a oak, pressing her back to the wood and her hands to either side of her necklace, rolling the gems between them, trying to draw strength from their warmth.

"Foolishness," she hissed. "Weakness," she spat. "There is _only_ power, _only_ victory, _only _fear and if you cannot be that then you are the weakness and I have to kill it, I have to, I can't let those painful clutching grasping weak things back in, I won't allow it, not from that bitch warrior, not from Mizu-chan, not from..."

Her hands slowed until they were still, clasped around her gently pulsing necklace. She looked up and her face was drawn tight, eyes squinted against tears and lips pulled back in a snarl of lonely agony.

The rest was a whisper, but the wonder was that she said it at all.

"...from the man I love."

And slowly, something already cracked at last began to break.

oOo

Thirty minutes after Chichiri had said goodnight to Tasuki he was out of his room and on his way to the palace stables. The monk carried his staff over his shoulder and his amulet looped around his neck, casting glances every so often back at the palace's sleeping quarters.

"I'm sorry Tasuki, Ritsuka," he murmured aloud before letting his thoughts turn inward. _'I want you there with me but I just can't risk it, not when I know what might happen no da. I'll figure out a way to defeat Setsuka and save Kiori on my own.'_

Chichiri reached the stables in silence. He whispered a few quick requests to the one stable boy on night duty, then helped to saddle the horse Rin, who had by now seen far more of the Elemental War than she would have liked.

"All ready," the boy said, giving the horse a quick pat before turning to Chichiri. "Though, uh, with all due respect, can't you just use some seishi trick to zap yourself there in a hurry?"

"I'm going to need all my seishi tricks tonight," he whispered back, offering the boy a smile and a few copper coins. "Can't waste any of them on a little thing like zapping no da."

He led his horse out of the stables and bid the boy a good night. Chichiri waited until the doors had closed behind him before at last acknowledging the presence beneath the awning. "Tasuki, what are you doing here no da?"

The bandit stepped into the moonlight, grinning. "Doncha think I oughta be th' one askin' that question?" He set his arms across his chest, and despite the hard glint in his eyes, he couldn't help but chuckle. "Damn, but I know you too well."

"I guess you do, no da."

"You always gotta try goin' it alone, doncha? But ya still haven't figgered out that bein' a seishi means ya can't do _nothin_' alone. I've always come with ya, an' as long's I'm alive I always will." He flashed a thumbs-up. "After all, someone's gotta keep yer dumb ass from gettin' killed, na?"

"What about Ritsuka?" Chichiri glanced around, half-expecting the other redhead to pop up from behind the bannister. "Aren't you worried about leaving her here by herself no da?"

Tasuki glanced away, muttering under his breath, "'Course I'm worried about her. Why else d'ya think I want her t'stay b'hind? Why else d'ya think I made up that crap about Kiori bein' safe 'til mornin'? Shit, 'Chiri, I know better'n that, but I couldn't let Red think it. Couldn't let her come along, knowin' what I do."

"Tasuki..."

The bandit cut him off. "I know what's gonna happen t'night, all right? I've sorta had a hunch ever since I killed Taiyou, and now I think I got it figured out."

"There's no guarantee—"

"Nah, but there's a damn good chance. I know that. An'..." He took a breath. "An' I'm ready fer it. But if I gotta go, then I wanna choose how it happens. None-a this Kaji the Element gettin' killed by a Konan Warrior bullshit. I ain't gonna let some legend make my answers for me." He clapped Chichiri on the shoulder. "So I'm comin' with ya. You save Kiori, get through ta Mae-chan, an' I'll do what I can against Setsuka. Hold her off. Kill her, even if I gotta get killed, too. I'm gonna die protectin' my friends, not fightin' against 'em."

Silence clung to the air, and for a moment Chichiri could do nothing but stare, touched and horrified and terribly, achingly proud of the seishi brother standing in front of him. He tilted his head for a moment, studying Tasuki with a quiet smile – and then, to the bandit's surprise, Chichiri stepped forward and pulled him into an embrace.

"_Arigatou_," he said quietly. "You've always been there for me, both in battle and out of it. I've come to depend on you for that, more than I think you realize – and maybe more than I'd realized, too. I'm so grateful for what you've done for me, so proud of the man you've become, and I am deeply, _deeply_ honored to be able to call you my friend.

"After that night ten years ago, the night of that awful flood... for so long after that, it felt like I had to spend every day just trying to put myself back together no da. I thought I had finished, that I'd found all the pieces again, but recently I've come to realize that there were things I was still missing, things that I couldn't find on my own." His voice hitched and Tasuki found himself struggling with a lump as well. "You and Kiori... you've given me back something I thought I'd lost forever. And I can't thank you enough for that."

"H-hey, c'mon, Chichiri..."

He went on as if he hadn't heard. "I love both of you so much. I don't know if I ever told you that, and I know I never told Kiori that, but it's true no da. I'd do anything to keep the two of you safe. That's all that matters to me anymore." The bandit didn't notice as one of Chichiri's hands lifted from his back and shifted into a one-handed _mudra_ for containment. "Which is why," he broke his hold, glowing crimson, "I have to do this alone."

The light spread from monk to bandit, but when Tasuki tried to move forward he found himself frozen to the spot, trapped as easily as Mizu had trapped Ritsuka. His head jerked up again, watching desperately, frantically as Chichiri turned and mounted his horse, one hand still twisted to keep Tasuki in place. He kept his head turned away and his mind on his spell, so neither could see the grief stretched across the other one's face.

"Chichiri, dammit! No! This ain't how it's s'posed ta work!"

The monk didn't reply. He just kicked his horse into a gallop, clattering down the path and toward the city gates. Tasuki struggled under the spell, his hands balled in knots, his shoulders clenched tight to his neck, but he was helpless to do anything but stare, and curse, and beg his best friend not to die again.

"Gods _damn_ it, Chichiri! I ain't losin' another _aniki_, you hear me?" Frustrated tears hit his eyes but he squeezed them away, turning them into screams. "It's suicide ta fight Setsuka alone! Come back here! CHICHIRI!"

oOo

Setsuka, necklace gripped tight, held her breath as Chichiri rode past her hiding spot, thankful for Kaze's pill magic and terrified that he would know she was there regardless. He didn't, of course, and as soon as the monk was out of sight Setsuka took a deep breath, wiping a thin line of sweat from her brow.

"Step one," she whispered to herself, "gather your strength. No sense in taking any risks." The Lady's fingers curled around her three gems. All it took was a thought, and then blue, red, and green power streamed from the gems, glowing across her fingers before merging with her own spirit. "Now, I wonder which I shall exhaust first?"

oOo

Houki sat in the Takkan palace's library, palm pressed to her forehead and eyes sliding back and forth across a thick text on life force and _chakra_ manipulation. She paused to rub at her aching neck, heaving a sigh and pressing her hand against her eyes.

"This is hopeless," she thought aloud. "I do not even know what I am searching for, only that I am certain I have read it before. Think, Houki. All those years hiding in the palace libraries must have taught you _something_ that could help the poor boy."

She was about to return to the text when the door slammed open. Akai stood in the frame, panting, her face ashen. "Houki-sama," she gasped. "It's Fuyuko-kun. Something's started."

"Gods." The empress snapped her book shut. She tucked it under her arm and hurried out the door, Akai leading at a nervous, twitchy pace. "What's happening?"

"She's draining him again." Akai swallowed. "Faster this time, though. Like maybe she's decided that she doesn't need him anymore."

"Were you able to learn anything else from him? About how she does it?"

"He says it's like when you open a sluice gate and let the water drain into a separate channel. That's the best he could explain it, though." Akai bit her lip. "If only Chichiri-san were here. I bet _he'd_ know how to break Setsuka's control, or at least how to put up a barrier between her and Fuyuko-kun."

Houki stopped so suddenly that it took Akai a moment to realize she was moving forward alone. She glanced back, watching the empress's pinched lips and tight eyebrows. "Akai," she said at last. "I may have an idea."

oOo

Chichiri released his hold on Tasuki as soon as he was within sight of the Eiyou city gates. The bandit seishi was mounted on his own horse not a minute after that, taking the twisting palace paths and the city roads at the fastest trot he could manage. He gritted his teeth, his thoughts clattering along at a pace frantic enough to match the clop of his horse's hooves.

_'Gods damn it, Chichiri. You never stopped me from comin' with ya b'fore. Ta Kutou, ta Miaka's world... hell, even that night with Hikou, ya never once made me stay b'hind. So why now? Are ya really that worried about me?' _Tasuki couldn't help but smile. _'Idiot. When're you gonna start worryin' about yer own skin fer once?'_

He had to pull to a halt at the city gates, nodding to the figure of a gatekeeper standing in the shadows. "Glad ta see yer on duty. I got someplace ta go, but be sure ta lock it tight behind me."

"That's gonna be kinda hard to do, seeing as how I'm coming with you."

Tasuki's eyes widened as Ritsuka stepped into the moonlight, Holy Sword strapped to her side and a cat's grin on her lips. He sighed, surprised to find that he wasn't at all surprised. "Red, what th' hell're you doin' here?"

"Hoping to hitch a ride, and if that doesn't work I'm thinking of becoming a stowaway." He waited for a better answer. She met him with an eye roll. "Oh, come on. You're a terrible actor, and Chichiri isn't much better. I saw right through that little 'let's meet at dawn' act. What do you think I am, stupid?"

"That's one-a those questions I ain't s'posed ta answer, isn't it?"

She ignored him, setting hand to forehead and pretending to scan the streets. "Say, where is ol' monk-chan anyway? I figured the two of you'd come out together."

Tasuki looked away. "Chichiri... left already. He forced me ta stay behind."

"He pulled a Lone Wolf, huh? Man, that guy can be really annoying."

Tasuki glared at her as she grabbed his horse's saddle, scrambling on until she was seated behind him. "An' just what d'you think yer doin'?"

"Helping," she said matter-of-factly. "If we want to save Kiori then we're going to need more than brute seishi force. You're gonna need little ol' me, the brains of the operation." She snatched Tasuki's tessen out of its sling and shook it at him. "And if you even think about telling me to stay behind..."

He opened his mouth to argue, but snapped it shut in a hurry. "Fine, fine. We ain't got time ta argue about this anyway. Now what'd you do with th' actual gatekeeper?"

"Oh, he's right up there. Jin-san!" At her cry, a Konan soldier hurried out of the gatehouse, clambering down the steps as fast as he could manage. "I told him he couldn't open the gates unless I asked him to. Good thing you let me come along, or we both would've been stuck here." Ritsuka frowned, considering this while Jin worked to unlock the gate. "Hey, it's okay for all of us to leave the palace, right? I mean, Setsuka and Mizu couldn't take over the city just with the two of them."

"Th' palace guard'll be all right. Ran-shogun's really come inta his own these past couple months, an' he'll have Hataku around if he needs any advice."

"Oh, right." Ritsuka giggled nervously. "Hatchan's going to be mad at us for fighting Setsuka without him, isn't he?"

"Maybe, but I ain't takin' no chances. I want him here as our last line of defense. If we survive this thing, he's more'n welcome ta grumble at me fer ditchin' him." As Jin pulled the gate open, Tasuki nodded his thanks and rode out. Ritsuka, tessen still in hand, hugged herself to him as he broke into a canter. The two rode in silence for a moment, then Tasuki took a breath. "Hey, Red. Speakin'-a fightin' Setsuka... c'n you promise me somethin'?"

"For you, my dear Tasuki-chan, anything!"

His reply was not nearly as lighthearted. "Stay outta th' fightin', okay? Help t'rescue Kiori 'r whatever, but leave Setsuka ta me an' Chichiri. She's got Taiyou's shields, Tsuki's teleportation, Kaze's quickness an' Sora's skill with a sword. Yer tough, but you ain't gods-chosen. I want you as far away from her as possible."

"But Tasuki-chan..."

"Red. Please."

He glanced over his shoulder so he could look her in the eye. Ritsuka was struck dumb by how worried he looked – and none of that worry, she realized with a rush of blood to her cheeks and a flood of ice to her stomach, was for himself. She looked down, hugging him tighter and pressing her face into his back. "Fine. I promise."

"Good. Now hang on tight. I'm gonna see jus' how fast our guy here c'n run." He glanced down and realized that Ritsuka still had his tessen in one of her hands. "And would'ja give that back already?"

"But I might need it for self-defense. Wouldn't want me to be helpless against the might of Setsuka, wouldja now?"

"You got th' Holy Sword!"

"Details, details."

"Oh, fine! I'll let ya hang onta it 'till we get t'Chichiri, but then I want it back!"

"Aw, _arigatou_ Tasuki-chan!"

"Yeah, yeah..."

oOo

Hataku watched from the wall top as the single horse rode out the gates, galloping hard across the Konan fields. "You'll keep me informed, hm?" He snorted, then looked to Ran, who was directing the night watchmen into position. "Shogun-sama, it seems I've some business to handle outside the city. Can you manage without me?"

The younger man paled for an instant, but a moment later he had his lips set in a line. He bowed low. "Of course. Thank you for all of your help. Oh, and please," Ran reached for a pile of firecrackers that sat beside the guardhouse, grabbing one and handing it to Hataku, "take this as well. We use them to signal one another at night. If you run into any trouble, don't hesitate to alert us. I'll send men out to find you."

"And doctors."

"_And_ doctors, though let us hope there will be no need of them." Ran bowed again. "May Suzaku watch over you tonight."

"You as well." Hataku made one last, brief sweep of the watchmen, then, satisfied that they were as prepared as they would ever be, he turned on his good leg and limped his way down the stairs, hurrying as best as he could for the palace stables.

_'Setsuka... if you're going to die tonight, then I intend to be there when it happens.' _Hataku's face darkened, but his pace never slowed. _'No matter how much it'll kill me to do it.'_

oOo

Kiori tugged her wrists apart, trying to give herself a little wiggle room, but the bonds were too tight even for that. She flexed her numb fingers and toes, then looked over to the young Element at the far side of the room. Mizu had her hands clasped and her eyes closed, but the dent in her forehead told Kiori that she wasn't simply resting. The air hummed with so much energy that it made Kiori's head ache, and the soft pulse between her eyebrows wasn't helping things either.

At last the silence was too much for her. "Mae-chan? What's going on?"

The Element said nothing for another long minute. But then she opened her eyes, turning them slowly to face Kiori. "It's finished."

"What is?"

"The barrier. And the chain."

"I don't know what you're talking about. If you're going to keep me here, can't you at least tell me what you're doing – to me, and to my friends?"

"I wove a barrier around the mansion and double-coated it across the entrance. Taking it down will be tough, 'cause if I do it wrong the whole place could collapse, but it'll keep anybody from coming in." She spoke so indirectly that it took Kiori a minute to realize Mizu _was_ answering her questions. "And the chain..." She looked to the empty wall. "That's for you, me, and Setsuka-sama."

"That spell you did earlier," Kiori whispered. "But what—?"

"It isn't cast a lot," Mizu went on, her tone a weary monotone. She tugged sadly at her robe, so similar to Chichiri's, that she wore looped around her shoulders. "Houjun told me I should only use it in an emergency, 'cause it can be really dangerous, but I guess this counts... I'll be saving him, after all..."

Kiori tried to keep the edge out of her voice. "My friends. What's Setsuka got planned for them?"

"They're going to die, of course. First Tasuki. Then Ritsuka. Probably Hataku-sama after that. If the fight is over fast then you might live through it, but it's pretty unlikely. Setsuka-sama really doesn't like you right now. And once that's over..." Mizu shrugged. "I don't know. We can't take Konan like this. Takkan's unorganized enough at this point that we could maybe win it back, but..." She squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head. "Anyway, it doesn't matter. I just have to do what she says."

"And Chichiri?" she pressed. "Are you going to let Setsuka kill him, too? Are you going to _help_ her kill him?"

"Houjun will survive. Setsuka-sama promised me that much."

"And you believed her? Mae-chan, think about it for a second. How could Setsuka possibly let Chichiri survive? If she attacks us then he's sure to go after her. Even if she figures out a way to kill us it's not like he'll just roll over and let Konan be taken."

"I'll find a way to explain it to him."

"Explain _what_? That you helped murder his friends and ransack his nation?" Mizu curled in on herself. Kiori's voice softened, just slightly. "Look, I know Setsuka's been manipulating you. She's probably told you that we're the bad guys, but that's not true at all. We just... we're just trying to protect our home, is all."

"Don't you think I know that?" Mizu's voice was hard, filled with a lead that Kiori knew she couldn't budge. "I'm not so stupid that I can't tell the difference between right and wrong." Her eyes closed again. "But it doesn't matter. I don't have a choice. My loyalty in exchange for his life. That was the deal. So even if it's a long shot, it's still the best one I have. This is the only way I can protect them both. I'm sorry."

"Mae-chan..."

The girl's head shot up as if listening to a voice Kiori couldn't hear. After a moment she nodded, turning back towards her captive. Her eyes were dull, empty, filled with the same lead as her voice. Mizu was sinking and, to Kiori's horror, she wasn't even trying to stay afloat. "It's time."

oOo

Setsuka spotted the bandit and woman riding hard across the plains. She smiled, shimmering once again with Tsuki's silver _ki_. The Lady of Takkan gripped the three gems in her hand and applied even deeper pressure to all of them. "It's time. Here's the moment you've waited for, my rogue Element."

oOo

Something tore from the base of Kiori's neck to her forehead, and she gasped as her vision flashed white. It wasn't until she opened her eyes and found the world tilted on its side that she realized she had blacked out. The pain had faded to a dull thud, filling her ears with cotton and her eyes with fog, but she wriggled her way back into a sitting position all the same, peering through the gloom at Mizu's tense back.

"What the hell did you do to me?" she demanded, surprised by the sandpaper in her voice.

Mizu didn't turn to look at her. "I told you. It's a chain. Setsuka only just started using it. It hurts me, too." A shudder rippled through her shoulders, but she kept her voice steady. "Anyway, you should save your strength. You only have so much left."

"So much lef..." Kiori felt a bubble of fear press against her chest. She turned her attention back to her bonds, struggling helplessly against the ropes. She spoke as she fought, trying to ignore the pulse behind her eyelids and the sudden heaviness in her limbs. "You can still stop this," she hissed, half-pleading, half-scolding. "Chichiri's probably the nicest person I know, and he loves you, Mae-chan, he really does, but even he couldn't forgive this. Even he couldn't love a murderer."

"No," she said, and this time Kiori thought she heard a sob in the word. "But at least he'll be alive."

"And if he comes for me? Then what? Would you fight him then, Mae-chan?"

"He's already coming," she said. "That was part of the plan. But I won't have to fight him. He'll never get inside – my barrier's too strong, even for him. I made sure of that."

"But what if—"

"It doesn't matter anyway." And this time Kiori _knew_ she heard grief choking the ends of the Element's words. "I can't stop it now." Mizu buried her face in her palms, composure at last giving way to guilt. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I never wanted to do this... but... but..."

She dissolved into silent weeping, her shaking back the only sign that she was crying at all. Kiori opened her mouth to say something but thought better of it. _'Nothing I say would help anyway. Chichiri's the only one who could get through to her now.' _She felt her eyes drooping and bit down hard on her own tongue, forcing herself to stay awake. She renewed her efforts on her wrists, ignoring the chafe of the rope and her growing weariness, as if a day of work had been dragged out of her in minutes. _'Chichiri, please hurry. Mae-chan and I are both counting on you.'_

oOo

Chichiri rode across the Konan plains, urging his mount on even harder once the mansion was in his sights. _'There's Mae-chan... and Kiori...' _He frowned. _'She's weakening. Fast. What's going on in there no da? And why can't I sense Setsuka?' _He gritted his teeth. _'That _ki_-suppression spell. She's planning to ambush us.' _He shook his head. _'Doesn't matter. I'll deal with her when the time comes no da. For now, I just have to hurry._

_'Please, Kiori, hang on.'_

oOo

Akai winced as Tsuchi's nails dug into her skin. She squeezed his hand hard, working to anchor his jerking form to the bed, though she couldn't tell if she was actually succeeding or if he were just too weak to do anything more than twist against his sheets. "Oh, hang on, Fuyu-kun. You can get through this." She snatched a glance at the curtained entrance before turning back to him. "Houki-sama's going to help. We just have to hold out for her. But until then you've got to do what she said, okay?"

vVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVv

"Listen carefully, Akai. What Tsuchi-kun described to you – that sense of an opened floodgate – may be our best chance to help him. I had worried that Setsuka was draining him in some unique fashion, but this sounds no different from a standard movement of life force."

"Which is?"

"Think back to everything you have seen. _Ki_ does not travel like rain, striking a wide range, but like a river, channeling from one point to another. This means that Setsuka is dragging all of Tsuchi-kun's life force out _from a single point_. And if we can discover that point—"

"Then we can dam it up!" Akai finished breathlessly. Her confidence fluttered. "Right?"

"I hope so, but I need to check a few things first. For now, please return to Tsuchi-kun and explain the situation. Finding that exit point is something that only he can do. Tell him to follow that channel of his life force to the point where it leaves him and enters Setsuka. It is imperative that he be as accurate as possible. And Akai?"

"Y-yes?"

"If I am right, then this is going to hurt very much. Please be brave for him."

Akai swallowed. "I will be. I promise."

vVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVv

"But if we'd only known..." Akai wiped the already sweat-soaked towel across Tsuchi's forehead, pausing for a moment to stroke his cheek through the cloth. "Oh, keep at it, Fuyu-kun. I know you can do this."

"It's no good." His voice was a rasp, throat rubbed raw from screaming, but when he looked up at her there was no fear in his eyes. Just a dark certainty, and a pain so deep that it had turned to numbness. "She's going to kill me. Whatever Houki-sama's..." He paused, back arching as another shred of his life was dragged from him. "Whatever her plan is, it can't work."

"Of course it can."

Akai looked to the door as the empress entered, alone save for a tome clutched to her chest. "I apologize for taking so long. I had hoped to find a priest to help us, but it seems that Setsuka treated the gods as well as she treated her people." She shook her head, taking a seat beside the bed. "No matter. Have you found the exit point, Tsuchi-kun?"

"It won't help."

"It will. Tell me."

He was too weak to move his body, but his eyes rolled to face her, already clouding with death. "_A piece of a soul living within each gem,_" he said, quoting Takkan's own prophecy. "The legend wasn't joking. The exit point is in my soul _chakra_. And it's living inside Setsuka's necklace."

oOo

"Say Tasuki, what d'you think you'll do when the war's over?" Ritsuka asked, trying to make small-talk as they crossed the plains.

He didn't have to think long before answering. "I'll head back ta Reikaku. I promised a lotta people that I'd b'come th' gang leader once I was done travelin', an' I don't mean ta go back on that."

"I was hoping you'd say that. They were a fun gang, I'd love to hang out around there. And that part of the country seemed like a nice place to raise kids."

Tasuki almost fell off his horse. "_Kids_?"

"Well, yeah. Kiori and Chichiri are gonna want to live nearby, and I know Kiori's always wanted a family," Ritsuka giggled. "I bet they'd have super-cute kids, too! Why? What were you thinking?"

Tasuki breathed a short sigh of relief, glad that Ritsuka couldn't see him blushing. "Uh, nothin'. I wasn't thinkin' nothin'."

"Heh, that's not surprising."

The bandit was about to retort when a snap of pain tore through his chest. He grunted, doubling over and pressing a hand to his heart.

"Whoa!" Ritsuka's hand darted forward to grab the reins from him, pulling their mount to a halt. "Tasuki-chan, what's wrong? Are you okay?"

He coughed and tugged at his shirt as if that might loosen the ache that had suddenly flared across his chest. "I... I dunno. All of a sudden, I jus'..." He sensed movement and jerked his head up, eyes first widening and then narrowing to slits. "Shit."

Ritsuka followed his gaze and felt her throat catch. Standing ahead of them was none other than the Lady of Takkan, a sword in her hand and a smirk on her face. "Um... isn't she supposed to be hiding out in some rundown mansion?"

"That's what I thought, too." Tasuki's left hand remained pressed to his chest, but his right slid down to his sword hilt. "Stay put, Red. I'm gonna see what's goin' on."

He gritted his teeth as another needle seemed to shoot into his heart – no, that wasn't right, it was more like it was shooting _out _of him, taking a sliver of his strength with it – then shook off the pain, dismounting and unsheathing his sword. He didn't move towards Setsuka, though, but instead called across the tree-speckled plain, "What th' hell're you doin' here? An' where th' hell is Kiori?"

"Who? The woman?" Setsuka nodded over her shoulder. "Mizu-chan is keeping her company, though she will have little need of it once she's dead. Your monk friend will likely join his beloved soon after that, if all goes according to plan. And trust me, Kaji, it will."

Tasuki's symbol flared. "You call me that again an' I'll—!"

The needles in his chest became a lance and he gasped, choking to find air. Setsuka's smirk only widened as she raised a finger, waggling it like a mother scolding her child. "Temper, temper, my headstrong Element. All this anger is quite detrimental to your health, you know." The pain loosened and Tasuki looked up again. He hesitated, glancing first at the lady and then at Ritsuka, torn between a desire to attack and one to protect, but Setsuka made the choice for him. "Come now, Kaji. Are you going to fight me or aren't you? I came all the way out here to offer you a fair chance at revenge. The least you could do is accept it."

Ritsuka snorted. "Like you'd ever fight fair!"

Setsuka ignored her. "Now naturally I had to separate you from that other seishi in order to make this a winnable battle for me as well, but I am sporting enough to face my enemy directly. So Kaji, how about it? A one-on-one duel to the death," her eyes snaked past him to the redhead on the horse, "winner take all."

"Tasuki-chan, wait—"

"Deal," he said, dropping into a fighter's stance. "Jus' so long as ya promise ta fight _me_, an' me only."

"As you wish." Her grin widened as she shimmered with Mizu's borrowed life force. "However, before we begin, a safety precaution must be taken."

"A what?" Tasuki saw a flash of blue and spun, eyes widening as a shining translucent barrier wrapped around both him and Setsuka. It trapped them in a pitifully small space, a circle with less than a five meter radius, and effectively barricaded Tasuki from both his tessen and the woman still holding it. He whirled back on Setsuka, teeth gnashing together. "Gods damn you...!"

"Calm down, Kaji," she said, and couldn't help but laugh at the way he snarled every time she used his Element name. "The barrier will not hurt you nor give me any advantage. It is simply to keep your friend from helping you." Setsuka sprang forward, locking blades with the seishi. Her voice was a purr in his ear. "And with this small of a space, using that tessen of yours would spell your own death as well as mine, wouldn't it?"

The bandit realized with an inward groan that Setsuka was right: a killing blast would easily overtake the tiny battlefield, doubling back on itself and roasting victim and wielder alike. Not that it made any difference either way. Ritsuka still had his tessen.

"You can't use Taiyou's ki-blasts, either," Tasuki reminded her, shoving her weapon away and hopping back a few steps.

"That was never my intention. Killing you like that would be far too simple for my tastes." She slid forward, clashing blades with him once, twice, three times before he got the upper hand and slashed back at her, using his strength to knock her off-balance. Tasuki swung for the kill, but Setsuka just grinned and teleported away, reappearing at the far end of the barrier. Her left hand squeezed against something Tasuki couldn't see and he grunted again, unaware of the red flow of _ki_ that raced from his gem and up Setsuka's arm, reviving her even as it drained him.

"And besides," she added, her smile widening with every breath she stole. "This way is much more fun for the both of us, don't you think?"

oOo

"Inside the gem?" Akai repeated, too horrified to do anything but stare at the dying Element. "But – but that means we can't reach it. And if we can't reach it, then we can't..." She looked to Houki, begging for another answer. "We can't block something we can't touch. Can we, Houki-sama?"

The empress's eyes stayed on Akai's for a while, then slid back to Tsuchi. She said nothing at first, thinking hard, her hands clenched tight across the book in her lap. "No," she said after a long silence, broken only by Tsuchi's labored breathing. "No. _We_ can't." She looked to the boy again. "But he might be able to."

She snapped open her book, flipping from page to page, eyes skimming complex characters faster than Akai could even decipher some of them. "Houki-sama, what... is that book, anyway?"

"Poetry," she murmured.

Akai almost fell over. "_Poetry_? But how—"

"The writer was an enlightened being from centuries ago. He wrote poems about his travels, all of them serving as metaphors for his disciples, many of which dealt with _chakra_ manipulation and _ki_ flow. I read them dozens of times when I first joined the palace harem, but it has been so long... His words are almost as cryptic as the ones in our own legend, yet I am sure..."

"No!" The two women jerked up to look at Tsuchi, his back arched and his eyes opened wide. There was something glassy in the gaze, though, as if he wasn't staring at the ceiling but rather through it. "Setsuka," he gasped, "Setsuka's attacking Kaji! She's draining him... she's going to kill him." He jerked, hand clawing at the air. "Kaji, be careful!"

"What?" Akai leaned over him, snapping her fingers in front of his face. He didn't even flinch. "Fuyuko-kun, where are you? How do you know she's fighting Tasuki-san?"

"I can see it," he whispered. "Like I'm there. Through Setsuka's eyes, I – ah!" He clapped his hands to his face, though it seemed to do little to staunch the visions. "He almost had her. Damn Tsuki's powers... come on, Kaji, you've got to beat her!"

Akai looked to the empress for help, but Houki had already turned her eyes back to the text, murmuring frantically to herself. "She's absorbing his _ki_ into her, using his strength to battle Tasuki." Houki bit her lip. "This is bad. We must hurry. I know there is something, something about the channel... life force is not _exactly _like a river, after all, it can flow both ways, from one person and back again, whenever the wielder chooses..." She gripped her hair in one hand, feeling hot tears hit her eyes. "Oh, gods _damn _it, why can't I _remember_? Something Chichiri told me... something I read in the past...?"

oOo

Tasuki blocked another of the Lady's quick sword swipes, then stumbled backwards, pressing himself to the barrier and breathing heavily. He tugged at his aching chest again, cursing his own fatigue. _'I've gone way harder'n this in th' rings, an' fer longer, too. What th' hell is wrong with – shit!'_

He ducked as Setsuka lunged, using his seishi speed to slide under her seeking weapon. His arm burned and he glanced to the side, hissing as blood stained his sleeve, but he had little time to consider it. She was after him again, barely even panting as she pushed him backwards, away from the barrier wall and into open territory.

"You're not going to last much longer," Setsuka remarked. He swung, but his arms moved as if they were weighted down, and she had no trouble blocking his sloppy attack. "I suppose you realize that, after I kill you, I still have that one to deal with." She glanced over his shoulder at Ritsuka, who was watching the battle from behind the barrier, her face contorted into a helpless snarl. "I'll have a lot of fun with that one. Maybe I'll keep you alive to see it, hm?"

Tasuki flared crimson, striking with such force that Setsuka felt her arm go numb. "You so much as _touch_ her an' I'll—!"

He tried to strike again, but Setsuka was ready this time. Her fingers twisted from Mizu's gem to Kaji's and she pulled hard, dragging so much _ki_ with her that her hand glowed crimson. Black spots shot up across Tasuki's vision and he stumbled, missing his mark. He still managed to nick Setsuka's thigh, but the force had been taken out of his strike, and he left a scratch where he'd intended a gash. He recovered just in time to stop a sideways slash, but his feet couldn't keep up with hers. He lost his footing and fell backwards, his sword clanging against the barrier and slipping from his grasp.

Ritsuka slammed her fists into the wall, a horrified scream tearing out of her throat. "_Tasuki-chan!_"

The Lady of Takkan's eyes widened as her blade plunged downwards—

vVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVv

The young man stumbled, blood streaming from a cut on his cheek. The girl who sat nearby could only watch helplessly, struggling under the arms of a cutpurse. Tears welled up in her eyes as the blood trailed down his chin, blood he was spilling all because of her.

Her scream ricocheted around the alleyway.

"_HATAKU!_"

vVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVv

—and Setsuka twisted to the right, missing Tasuki's vitals and instead stabbing straight through his left hand.

He grunted but didn't cry out, clenching his right fist and raising it for the strike. He hesitated for an instant, taken aback by Setsuka's slack jaw and open eyes, as if she were staring at something that terrified her, but his confusion did not last long. His fist connected with her cheek and she staggered backwards, reeling.

From the other side of the barrier, Ritsuka collapsed to her knees, hands clenched against the blue shield. "Oh, thank God."

Tasuki stood on shaking legs, pressing his bleeding palm into the folds of his jacket. He retrieved his own sword, whirling back to the lady to find her recovered, her sword reappearing as she wiped the blood from her jaw. She stared at the sticky red across her fingers as if she wasn't quite sure what it was, but Tasuki's voice jerked her out of her reverie.

"What... was that for?" he demanded, bent over double as he fought to regain his breath. "Why didn't you... jus'... finish me, huh?"

"Why?" She chuckled, curling her fingers back around her necklace. The lie came easily, perhaps easier than the truth ever would. "Because killing you like that would have been much too painless. You've been quite the nuisance, you know. I want to see you suffer a little before you die."

Tasuki accepted her answer, gripping his sword in his uninjured hand and launching the offensive this time. "Good thing I'm merciful, ain't it? Yer death'll be short an' sweet, so when they write songs about this battle they c'n leave out th' part with all yer moanin' at th' end."

oOo

Hataku rode up, unnoticed by Ritsuka and the combatants. He steered his horse to the nearby grove of trees, then dismounted so he could get a better look at the battle. He watched the fight with one hand gripped to a tree branch and the other to his sword hilt, grateful that no one could see the small, sad frown that wouldn't leave his face.

oOo

Chichiri reached the mansion at the same time Hataku arrived at the battleground. The monk hopped off Rin's back and set a hand to the hard, transparent wall that barred his entrance. He closed his eye and took a breath, then sent a quick shock of power into the barrier. It flashed crimson for a moment but didn't even tremble.

_'Not that I'm surprised. Mae-chan really poured her heart into this one. I won't be able to just slip through no da.'_

He opened his eye again, setting his staff on the ground so he could press one hand to his lips. He murmured a powerful counter-spell and sent his _ki _racing along the barrier. He felt his power meld into Mizu's, the strength of his spell and heart racing along the field, tracing its surface in an attempt to find a weak spot, some chink that he could penetrate and then use to cancel out the rest of the barrier. He swore as his power doubled back on itself, returning with nothing to report but a solid field, a complete bubble without so much as a single crack.

Chichiri took a breath and braced himself. _'Nothing for it but to shatter the whole thing, then.' _His hands clasped in a _mudra_ of power. His body shone, Suzaku-given strength building first in his soul and then focusing into his hands. He took another breath and then slammed his palms into the barrier. "..._Kai_!"

oOo

Mizu's head jerked up as if someone had grabbed her by the hair. Her eyes darted about as the floor shook, threatening to collapse if the field laced through its soil was shattered. A ball of panic nestled in her throat.

"No... it can't..." She pressed her hands together and hissed a spell for strength, crystals whirring at her sides. "I won't let you in, Houjun! No matter how much it hurts."

Kiori fought to raise her head, looking with heavy lids to the room's entrance. _'Chichiri.' _She tried to stay focused, but her neck tilted again, dropping her head back to her knees. Her eyes fluttered closed as darkness overtook her. _'I'm sorry, but I don't think... I'll be around... to greet you...'_

oOo

Chichiri felt his heart flutter as both barrier and mansion trembled under the blast. Not a moment later the shaking settled, returning the evening to its former silence. "Did it work?" He sent his _ki_ across the barrier once more, searching for any holes or dents he might have created, something he could use as a starting point for another attack.

He checked the entire thing three times over.

And found nothing.

His head snapped up, staring at the barrier with his physical eye, this time. "_That's impossible. I had to have done something to it, anything, but...This can't be right. Even against Nakago, I was able to at least—' _Chichiri's eye widened. "Oh, gods."

_'Mae-chan knows what I know. I taught her how to build a barrier... and how to break one. So of course she'd know all my counter-spells... and of course... of _course _she'd be able to defend against them...'_

Chichiri, hands still pressed against the barrier, found himself slumping until his palms were on the ground. "No, no... I can't lose her, not when I've only just found her..." His hands curled into fists and his eye squeezed shut, fighting to stop his helpless tears. "Her life force is fading, but I can't... there's nothing I can... Gods, what am I supposed to do? What else _can_ I do? There's nothing left... all this power and I'm as helpless as I ever was... I, I can't..."

Someone with strength to spare smacked him across the back of the head. _"What, so you're just gonna sit there and give up?"_

Chichiri whirled, mouth dropping as he found himself staring at the four ghostly forms of his seishi brothers. His eye shifted from one to the other, back pressed against the barrier and one hand raised timidly, as if he weren't sure whether to embrace them or run from them. "H-how...?"

Hotohori smiled, the same distant, lonely one that Chichiri remembered from life. _"Do not look so surprised, my friend. Our nation is in danger as well. You couldn't really expect us to let you and Tasuki fight this war by yourselves, could you?"_

Nuriko, the one who had spoken first, pressed his hands to his hips and glared down the monk. _"That's right! We've been busting our butts to make sure you guys win this thing, and then you go and give up just when the end's in sight?"_

"It's not a matter of giving up," he snapped back, hovering between gratitude and frustration. "But what else am I supposed to do? I can't—"

Mitsukake's calm baritone cut through his protests. "_Since when has it ever been about 'can' or 'can't'? If you love her, then there is always _something _that can be done." _

Chiriko's smile held all the confidence in the world. _"We all believe you can save her, Chichiri-san. But we can't do it for you._"

"Then how...?"

"_It's like I said about the scroll,"_ Chiriko replied. "_You just have to look at it from a different angle."_

"_And have a little faith in yourself, okay?"_ Nuriko patted the right side of the monk's chest, winking at him. _"You've got everything you need right here."_

Chichiri glanced down, understanding Nuriko's double-meaning at once. He jerked on the cord around his neck, pulling up the amulet that Kiori had given him. He clutched it, feeling the extra power coursing into his life force. A smile twitched at the side of his mouth. "_Minna_..." But when he looked up, the seishi had gone. His smile softened but did not subside. "_Arigatou." _He tightened his jaw and stood, facing the barrier once again.

He squared himself off, studying the staff in his left hand. _'A weapon of Suzaku, hm? All right, then.'_

Chichiri pressed his staff forward, sliding it straight through the barrier. His hand couldn't follow the weapon, so he pulled back once the _shakujou_ was wedged in the shield, caught like a bug in amber. He pressed the amulet to the barrier and then set his other hand atop that, angling his hands so they lay against the barrier and right above the rings of his staff. He closed his eye, concentrated, let the power course through him. _'It's simple object manipulation. So... pull.'_

He twisted his hands to the side in a wide arc. His staff followed, attached by a thread of life force, and slowly, so slowly he almost thought it wasn't working, the barrier began to crack around the _shakujou_, unable to stand to force of the Suzaku weapon as it moved through the field of _ki_. Chichiri opened a space just large enough for his palms and grabbed his staff with his left hand, letting his right hand – and the amulet clasped within it – slam into the bottom of the opening, squeezing against the splintering shield.

"_Kai_!" he cried again, and this time the barrier cracked like dried earth, rending a tear from his staff to the ground. The amulet shattered in his palm but he kept pressing, sweeping his staff around until the hole was just wide enough for him to slide through. He plunged through as the barrier snapped shut behind him, his feet clearing it by mere inches.

He shook the shards of the amulet to the ground, wiping his bleeding fingers against his _kesa_. He allowed himself a brief grin of victory, but Kiori's life force flickered and his smile died. He bolted across the courtyard, heading for the two pulsing _ki _– one strong, one pitifully weak – and praying that he wouldn't be too late.

oOo

Mizu's eyes snapped open as she felt her barrier crack. She looked over her shoulder, taking in the woman at the far end of the room, her body crumpled in on itself, eyes closed, breath coming out in short, shallow gasps. Mizu looked away again. _'It doesn't matter. There's nothing he can do anyway. She'll be gone by the time he reaches her.'_

oOo

Tasuki was in trouble. Anyone watching could see that he was struggling, and Ritsuka – her palms pressed against the barrier, her heart practically stopping every time Setsuka lunged or Tasuki slid to the side, seishi speed the only thing keeping him alive – had been doing nothing _but_ watching, her hands clenching harder and harder against the blue wall as Tasuki slowly succumbed to fatigue.

"What is _wrong_ with him?" she muttered from the sidelines. "He hasn't been sick all summer and now suddenly he gets like this? This is more than just crappy timing. Something's gotta be up here."

Setsuka pressed her back to the barrier just in front of Ritsuka and the redhead scowled, studying the flickering life forces that danced across the lady's body. Ritsuka blinked, noticing for the first time that there were small flecks of crimson mixed in with all the other Elemental colors. _'Tasuki-chan? But how...'_

Her eyes roved across the Takkan lady, at last landing on the golden chain clasped in Setsuka's hand. She caught the flash of a red orb and her eyes snapped open, remembering the first time they had met: the lady's proposal, Tasuki's refusal, and then the way Setsuka had gripped her necklace and Tasuki had doubled over, gasping in pain...

_'It's just like Hataku told us. She's got a hold on all the Elements. Even...'_

"Tasuki-chan!" Ritsuka bellowed. "Setsuka's got your gem on her necklace! She's sapping your energy with it like she did the first time you met her!"

His head jerked around, staring open-mouthed at her. "She's _what_?"

"That's why you're wearing out so fast," Ritsuka said, "and that's why she's not tired at all. Tasuki-chan, you've gotta beat her soon, or she might..."

Tasuki nodded. He parried another of Setsuka's thrusts, eyes shifting to the necklace in her hand. He glared at her. "Yer pathetic, y'know that? Can't even take me on in a fair fight."

Setsuka shrugged. "Pathetic, perhaps, but it makes little difference if I'm the victor. The one who wins is always the hero, and the one who fails is always the fool." Her eyes glinted malice. "Take your friend the bandit, for instance. If he hadn't been stupid enough to let Kaze kill him, he would have survived and been revered as a great warrior. Instead, he died and will be remembered as an idiot."

Tasuki tore at her like an animal, too furious to worry about conserving his strength. "You _bitch_! Koji _was_ a hero!" The seishi put on a burst of speed, and Setsuka had to fight to avoid the storm of sword strikes. "An' even if we lose, even if you kill us all, it ain't gonna change nothin'! 'Cause the people of Konan 'n' Takkan will remember what we did, they'll remember how hard we fought ta keep 'em safe! An' as long as they remember an' keep on rememberin', then it won't matter how many of yer kind rules over Konan – they'll all be th' idiots!" Tasuki pressed her back against the barrier wall. Their blades locked, his sword inches from Setsuka's throat. "But not us. _Never_ us!"

Her face slackened again, shining with something foreign – uncertainty? regret? sorrow? – but she quickly covered it with scorn. She shimmered and vanished again, reappearing at the far side of the field. "Keep on babbling, Kaji. It just wears you out that much faster."

The two continued and Ritsuka went back to pacing, her hands twisting around Tasuki's tessen, her eyes never once leaving the battlefield. She watched him stumble again and again, each strike growing weaker, each block that much slower than the last. He seemed to be aiming for Setsuka's sword arm now, his blade seeking to take either arm or hand and cut her off from her power source, but Ritsuka feared that her revelation had come too late.

"Come _on_, Tasuki-chan," she hissed, choking on his name. "You can't die now, you stupid bandit. Not after everything we've been through."

oOo

Tsuchi latched onto Akai's arm, though his grip was so weak she could barely feel it. His glazed eyes stared into the distance, but she knew that he was trying to speak to her. "Setsuka's going to kill him. She's going to kill him with his power and mine if we don't... do... something..."

"Here!" Houki cried, finger pressing triumphantly. "Yes, yes, this is it! Poem 42, 'A Jealous Lover Meets the Stalwart Wife!'"

"Er, no offense, but this really isn't the time—"

"Do not take everything so literally, Akai. The poem is a metaphor." She looked up again, hands squeezing against the Element's shoulder. "Tsuchi-kun, if you can see what Setsuka sees, then it means she is absorbing the last of your life force – but it also means that _you_ can absorb _hers_!"

"I... could stop her?"

"You could certainly slow her down. If nothing else, we may be able to reach a sort of stalemate. You have worked with _ki_ manipulation before, correct?"

"Y-yes, but..." Tsuchi squeezed his eyes shut, fighting to concentrate. "But never into myself. Always into someone else. Something else. I'm a doctor. We give life. Don't steal. I can't..." He moaned again, and the rest of what he was going to say drained away, so that all he could manage was, "Don't know how."

Akai didn't hesitate. "Then give it to me." His eyes shifted to her, and for a moment she thought that he was looking at her again, and not at some far-off battlefield. "If you have to send your life force somewhere, then open another path. Send it to me. It'll at least have to go through you first, right? So even if it doesn't make you stronger, it'll buy you some time. You won't die right away."

"But you don't need it," Houki said. "If he were to push that kind of power into a body with no need of it..."

"Would it kill me?"

She looked away. "Not immediately, no. But too much spiritual energy can kill a person just as easy as too little. If you're not careful, you might—"

"I'll control it."

The two looked to Tsuchi, writhing in a twist of sheets and sweat. He could barely control his own breathing, and yet the stare he gave Akai, straight and certain, with a clarity that the brief moments before death often brought, promised that he would not fail.

"I'm a doctor," he said again. "It's my job to keep people alive."

Warrior and Element stared at each other for a long, calculating moment. Then they nodded as one and Akai reached out, clasping Tsuchi's hands in her own. Her smile was grim, but a smile all the same. "Houki-sama, tell us what to do."

"Right." She looked back to the esoteric text before her, running her finger hurriedly down the long, convoluted poem. The empress translated quickly, shifting seamlessly from metaphor to meaning as she read. "The exit point – the soul _chakra_, you said? – is where the flow of _ki_ shifts from Tsuchi-kun to Setsuka. You simply have to find that point and pull back. Will yourself back to yourself."

"I... but I don't..."

Akai's eyes lit up. "I do! It's like the _hokuden _sword style. You turn your enemy's strength against him." She leaned forward. "Fuyu-kun, I don't know the first thing about _ki_ manipulation, but you tell me if this makes sense. Follow that flow of _ki_ to the exit point and then past it. Follow it right down into whatever's left of Setsuka's grimy soul." Her grip tightened on his arm. "And then you come back. Use _her_ power, the force that she's using against you, to whip it right back around. Make your own life force into a loop and then throw that loop into me, where Setsuka can't touch it again. Does that make sense? Do you think you could do that?"

"...I can try."

"Then do it. _Now._"

oOo

Setsuka sensed victory and pressed in harder against the weakening bandit. Tasuki fought back with everything he had left, but it wasn't much, wasn't enough. His mind raced as he dodged her blade, trying to find something, anything that might finish her off for good.

_'But what c'n I do? What c'n I possibly do t'stop her? She's got her own strength an' three other Elements t'fall back on.'_ He shot a glance over his shoulder at Ritsuka, who was still standing against the barrier, watching him with panic building in her eyes. _'An' if I fall... then Red will...'_

"_Dumbass!"_

Tasuki gasped, barely managing to bring his sword up to block Setsuka's latest attack. He knew that voice, but he shouldn't have been hearing it. Not here. Not in this life.

_"Are ya really that stupid? What th' hell did ya use t'beat every other enemy ya've gone up against?"_

"I can't," he hissed aloud, though he couldn't be sure if he was talking to Koji or just his own exhausted imagination. "Red's got it, an' she's on th' other side-a th' barrier."

The groan that followed almost made Tasuki smile. _"Is there a brain in that fluffy head-a yers? Yer tessen sure as hell went through Taiyou's barrier's all right, didn't it?"_

Tasuki shot another look at Ritsuka, the fan still gripped in her right hand. "But th' space is too small. The fire might—"

_"Ch, _you_, get done in by a few pissant flames? You got th' demon king's own luck, must be t'make up fer th' lack-a delicacy."_ Koji's voice softened a little. _"B'sides, if it's fer her, would it really be sucha bad way t'go?"_

Tasuki slashed hard at Setsuka, forcing her back a few steps before setting his jaw and nodding once. "Yeah. Yer right."

_As usual_, they finished as one, and Tasuki could hear his dead friend's smile.

"Who the devil are you talking to?"

Tasuki ignored the lady and threw back his head, bellowing to the woman behind him. "Red! Ya gotta do somethin' fer me!" Tasuki thought fast, struggling to speak in a way that she would understand but Setsuka would not. "Use the spell! Stick th' edges through an' use th' spell!"

"Yeah, that made sense." Ritsuka cocked her head, sweatdropping. "What do you want?"

"The fan! Y'know, _mahariku_ 'n' all that! It'll get through, so use it! Maybe you c'n...!" Tasuki winced as Setsuka's blade found an open spot, slashing his left forearm to the bone. "Hurry! I can't hold out much longer!"

Ritsuka looked at the tessen, then at the force field in front of her. "_Mahariku_..." It hit her like a _ki_-blast to the chest. She slammed her fist into the barrier. "_What_? Are you crazy? The fire would – you might – I couldn't!"

"You have to!" he roared over his shoulder, putting Setsuka on the defensive with one last burst of speed. "Don't you get it, Red? 'An Element fer each.' _I'm_ _yer Element_! Do it, Red! We won't get another chance like this!"

The bottom dropped out of Ritsuka's stomach. "No. Oh, God, no."

oOo

Chichiri tore into the mansion's main hall, eye flitting across the room – first to Mizu, sitting in one corner, her face to the wall and a light blue bubble of magic surrounding her, and then on to Kiori, propped against a settee like a thrown away mannequin.

He ignored Mizu as easily as she ignored him and hurried to Kiori's side. She was breathing so shallowly that it was almost unnoticeable. The monk set a hand to her cheek and almost collapsed to his knees. She was too pale, and far too cold. He patted her cheek, willing her to awaken, but already he could feel what was left of her fading, slipping like water through a sieve.

His strength drained with his fear, but that same fear pushed it back again, willing him into action. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and pressed her drooping head to his chest. "From you to me and back again," he murmured, and threw his life into her.

The room shone crimson, drawing Mizu out of her troubled meditation. She glanced over her shoulder, watching miserably as Chichiri's strength shifted. His _ki_ enveloped Kiori and then sunk into her, leaving him with half of what he'd had before.

The light faded and he really did collapse to his knees this time, trembling from head to toe but never once taking his eyes from her face. His hands pressed against her cheeks, holding up her head so he could watch her, waiting for some hint of movement.

Kiori's mouth twitched. She moaned softly, eyes fluttering open with an effort. She had perhaps half a second to take in the tear-filled eye of the seishi before he wrapped her in an embrace, all but crushing her to him. She smiled sleepily, resting her head against his shoulder. "Always have to make a flashy entrance, huh?"

"I'm a show-off like that." He pulled away again, holding her at arm's length so he could study the ropes and _ki_ that bound both her hands and feet. He muttered a few words and made a swiping motion in the air. The bonds fell away as if they were made of dust. "Are you all right no da?" he asked, rubbing her hands between his own, trying to work the blood back into them. "What happened? I thought..." He glanced around, at last remembering the missing member of the group. "Where's Setsuka?"

"Not here." Kiori winced, taking one of her hands away from his so she could rub at her aching forehead. "She's fighting Tasuki."

He hissed a curse. "Damn. So _that_ was her trap no da. She wanted to separate us, and I walked right into it."

"I couldn't tell them," Kiori murmured, already fighting to keep her eyes open. "Tasuki and Ritsuka. You were right. I couldn't tell them about the legend. I, I tried, but I just... I just couldn't..."

"Sh, it's okay. We'll get you out of here and then we'll go back for them. **No problem **no da," he chirped, using an English phrase that he'd picked up from Ritsuka. "Can you stand, or should I..." He trailed off, pressing a hand to her cheek so he could keep her head steady. "Kiori, what's wrong? Why's your life force...?"

"I don't know. Something with us and Setsuka. Mae-chan called it a chain, but—"

His hand tightened against her cheek. "Gods." He whirled on the Element. "Mae-chan! You used a _chain_ on her?"

Mizu looked away, too ashamed to meet his eyes. She offered him nothing but the smallest of nods.

Kiori's curiosity overwhelmed her fear. "What's a chain?"

"A _ki_ transfer between three or more people," he said through gritted teeth. "The last person sends their _ki_ to the channeler, the channeler to the user. In other words, it's giving Setsuka strength, barely hurting Mae-chan, and... and it's killing you."

"Can we break it?"

He shook his head. "The user – Setsuka – can start and break the chain at will. But the only other way to stop it is if..." His eye shifted back and forth between Kiori and Mizu, grief building into a tremor behind each of his words. "Is if someone in the chain is killed."

oOo

Tsuchi felt himself sinking, drifting down through pain both physical and spiritual, stripping it away until he came to the center, to the faint sphere that remained of his life. He felt more than saw the stream of it, channeling away up through his body and out his eighth _chakra_, normally located above his crown but perverted, somehow, captured in a gem hundreds of _li_ away from him. His mouth screamed but he wasn't aware of the pain, couldn't feel it as he let his consciousness take the channel, following the flow of his life force to the exit point, where it merged with a veritable rainbow of other _ki_ and disappeared into a place that was not meant for him.

_'It's okay. I've done this before, just not with this many souls. The trick is to not forget myself.'_

He braced himself and plunged into it, crying out as he brushed against a ghost of sky, a shadow of wind, was even shoved back by a strong double-pulse of moon and sun. Then he spun to the center, following water and fire, touching them briefly, feeding courage into both before moving on, latching onto the main flow, the golden glow that belonged to his mistress. He was almost overwhelmed by it – rage and malice and a guilt so deep he nearly drowned – but his body gritted its teeth and his soul pushed forward, into the maelstrom, tugged along by the raging current as Setsuka attacked her remaining Elements, never once suspecting that one had chosen to fight back.

Tsuchi found the center, let her drag him to it, let it almost swallow him before he jerked to the side, whipping around the pulse of her soul and spinning back. He dragged the current with him this time, willing himself back to himself, back to where he and the rest of his stolen life force belonged. It was almost too easy, but he shouldn't have been so surprised. A soul, after all, always wants to find its way home.

_'Brace yourself, Akai. I'm coming.'_

oOo

Setsuka smirked at Tasuki, confused but triumphant all the same. "Hm, it looks as if your little lover isn't going to listen to you. Not that it would have worked anyway. Nothing can break through Mizu-chan's barriers."

Tasuki ignored her, shoving away her weapon so he could take a few hurried steps back, buying himself a handful of seconds. "Red!" he tried again. "It doesn't matter what happens t'me! As long as we take Setsuka out, then—!"

"Bullshit!" Ritsuka roared right back. "Of course your life matters, you idiot! Just because you're some damned Element doesn't mean I can just...!" She pounded her fist into the barrier. "I know we have to defeat her, but... God, Suzaku, _somebody_... there's gotta be another way to do it..."

_"Your waist,"_ a boy's voice whispered in her ear. _"Akai's Suzaku weapon."_

"Ao...?" Ritsuka's head whipped around, but of course there was no one. Her hand fell automatically to her waist, brushing against the hilt of the Holy Sword.

And for the first time since the start of the fight, Ritsuka felt herself smile.

She stuffed the tessen into her belt, then unsheathed the sword and cocked it at her ear. "I'm gonna keep my promise, Akai," she muttered, and thrust the tip straight through the barrier.

Ritsuka gritted her teeth against the strength of the field, pulling the weapon in a wide circle. Sparks flew as if the blade were striking flint instead of energy, but eventually it completed the circle, leaving a thin, circular crack in the blue wall. She pressed against the center of the circle, hoping to knock it inwards like robbers did to windowpanes, but it didn't budge.

"Come _on_." She hissed and tilted the sword sideways, wriggling it back and forth, trying to work a gap between her circle and the rest of the barrier. The Holy Sword was more willing to work as a blade than as a lever, though, and she felt the steel bending, giving way against the enemy force. She kept at it, working with reckless speed until she felt the edge of the circle jut outwards, just slightly.

Ritsuka grinned and threw her weight against the sword. The barrier cracked even further, but this time it took the blade with it, snapping it and leaving Ritsuka with little more than a half foot of jagged steel. She stared at it, sweatdropping briefly - "Houki-sama is gonna _kill _me" - before stuffing it back in her scabbard and reaching again for the tessen. She jammed the fan into the crack, then used her fingers to pry at the corner of her makeshift doorway. The barrier groaned, crackled, and fought her every step of the way, but with one final wrench the chunk of wall came free, turning to steam in her hands. She grabbed the tessen before it could fall and threw herself forward, diving through the gap. She hit the ground just as the barrier closed itself behind her, locking her in with seishi and lady.

Tasuki had his back to her and hadn't the faintest idea what she was doing. Setsuka saw her but didn't pay her any mind, her attention focused on the bandit before her, his legs wobbling so badly that he could barely stand. The Takkan lady took two steps back, raising her sword and preparing herself for a finishing blow.

oOo

Tsuchi tore along the _ki _channel and back into his body, passing the soul _chakra_ point and reversing the flow. He ripped his life force out of Setsuka, through him, and into Akai.

She screamed—

oOo

—And so did Setsuka, reeling backwards and into the barrier wall. Her hand tore at her chest, nails digging through cloth and into flesh. She squeezed her eyes shut, feeling through her necklace to find the source of the attack. She screamed again, but this time it came with a name.

"_Tsuchi_!"

She did not hesitate. Her fingers snapped down on the emerald gem, shattering it.

oOo

Tsuchi and Akai jerked as if someone had hit them under the chin, then collapsed against the bed, hands clasped tight and eyes rolled up in their heads. Green-gold power crackled briefly across their fingertips, then fizzled away into nothing.

The last thing Houki realized before she ran for a doctor was that neither of them was breathing.

oOo

Tasuki saw Setsuka reel and moved to attack, but when he tried to crouch his knees gave out instead, sending him stumbling backwards. He would have fallen but for the arms that caught him, shoving him to his feet and snatching his sword away from him. One of the calloused hands slapped a tessen into his palm, holding his arms from behind and clasping them together around the crystal fan.

Tasuki glanced over his shoulder and caught a flash of hair. "Red?"

She winked. "You're the one who wants to kill her so damn much. Don't you think you oughta do the honors?"

"But you—"

"Made my choice." Ritsuka shrugged. "So just kick her ass already, would you? We'll survive it somehow."

He shot her an exhausted grin, then set his jaw and turned to face Setsuka. "All right, then. Let's do this. Together."

Ritsuka steadied him, keeping his arms level and pointed at the Lady of Takkan. The ancient tessen chant echoed from both of their mouths, a half-religious ritual that spoke of courage, and camaraderie, and perhaps even of love.

"_Marariku, maharita_..."

oOo

Something inside of Setsuka had broken with her connection to Tsuchi, leaving her gasping. She lunged for Mizu's gem, dragging strength from the captured Konan Warrior. She jerked her head up, focus back, preparing to turn and face Tasuki before he had a chance to attack first—

—And found herself staring through the barrier, across the field, and straight at Hataku.

A vice clamped around her chest and she almost collapsed, but the chanting "_yamubara_" from behind made her turn. Part of her, the part that grasped her necklace and stroked at her two remaining gems, knew exactly what she was seeing – recognized the tessen in their hands, the redheaded woman behind the bandit, keeping him steady so he could finish what he had vowed to his dead _aniki_ months before – and that part of her instinctively threw up one of Taiyou's shields, protecting herself from the impending flames.

But another part of her didn't see the warriors at all. Instead, she found herself staring down a gritty Takkan alleyway, trapped between a wall and a street gang, alone, except for...

vVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVv

"_Hataku_! Oh, gods, Hataku, are you okay?"

He wiped the blood from his cheek, leveling his weapon at the remaining swarm of thieves. "I'm fine."

She tried to run to him, but the cutpurse tightened his hold, stretching her skinny arms back until it felt like they might snap. She couldn't help but cry out.

Something feral flashed across Hataku's face. He was across the alley in an instant, slashing the leg of one thief and the throat of another before he had crossed the distance between them. The cutpurse tried to pull a knife but Hataku twisted his sword and slid it up and under, missing Setsuka by inches but gutting the man behind her. He fell with a gurgle and Setsuka was free to run to Hataku's side, pressing herself against his back.

"Setsuka-sama," he hissed. "I want you to run. I'll tear a path through them, hold them off as long as I can. It should give you enough time to escape."

Her guardian sagged on tired legs, but he never had the chance to stumble. Setsuka curled her hands against his shoulders, supporting him so he could face the circling bandits. His eyes widened and he glanced back at her. "You can't—"

"The only thing I _can't_ do is leave you," she snapped, fire crackling behind each word. "So let them come, Hataku! We'll take them, one at a time or all at once." She propped up his arm with one hand, helping him to level his sword at their enemies. "C'mon, you dirty bastards! I'm not going to let you hurt him without hurting me too!"

"Setsuka-sama..."

She smiled up at him, the fiercest smile she had ever worn. "Don't. Let's just win this." She turned her head resolutely back to face the advancing thieves. "Together!"

vVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVv

Setsuka pressed herself against the barrier, and it was all she could do not to slide to the ground. "Why... am I...?"

"_Ya ya ya ma_..."

"All of this... how is... all of this...?"

The two redheads raised the tessen, bringing it down and pointing it straight at the Takkan lady. Baritone and alto rang together through the night sky, shouting the final words as one.

"REKKA SHIN'EN!"

oOo

"If someone is... killed?" Kiori repeated. She struggled to understand, fighting back horror and panic as she choked on her words. "There's nothing we can do?" He didn't answer. She swallowed hard. "Then you have to leave. You have to help Tasuki and Ritsuka. If I'm lost, if there's really nothing we can do, then—"

Chichiri pressed his thumb to Kiori's forehead. "I didn't say that. There is one thing left no da."

He drew his hand away from her, leaving a long string of crimson _ki_ between them. He lifted his hand above his head as if to drop the loop around his neck, but Kiori realized what he was doing and reached out, grabbing his wrist and jerking it back to his side."You can't! If you attach yourself to the chain, then you'll—"

"Maybe," he said. "Or maybe Tasuki and Ritsuka will defeat Setsuka before my time runs out no da. We should probably have a little more faith in them. Besides," he added with a chuckle, "Suzaku gave me all this extra power. I really can't think of a better way to use it than like this."

Each word was a struggle as Kiori fought to explain, fought to swallow exhaustion and fear and make him understand. "But if they don't – if they can't – Chichiri, please, listen, I know what you said but it doesn't change it, me, I really do love you, so if you – I couldn't—"

He didn't try to argue. He just pressed his empty hand to her cheek and kissed her.

Kiori first stiffened and then relaxed, her one hand still holding his wrist while her other dropped down, settling against his forearm. She squeezed it hard, pressing lips and hand and chest as tight against him as she could, and it wasn't until he felt her lips tremble atop his that he realized she was crying.

Mizu watched them with wide eyes, her hands clapped to her mouth to keep herself from shouting. "Houjun," she breathed, her eyes filling with tears even as a smile touched her face. _'You were always so sad, but... for the first time you're actually... y-you're really...'_

She looked down as Chichiri pulled away again, still cupping Kiori's face, his lips hovering just above hers. "It's all right, Kiori. I'm much too happy right now to do something as stupid as killing myself, so you have to trust me when I say that I really, truly believe that it's going to be okay, that our friends are going to come through for us no da." He kissed her again, once on the lips, then once on each of her tear-stained cheeks. "But you have to understand that I love you, too, and if there's even the slightest chance that I can save you then I'm not about to let it slip away. So you have to let me do this. Please."

She shook her head and tightened her hold on his wrist, the red thread still glittering from her forehead to his fingertips. But her strength was waning again, drawn through the chain that connected her to the battling lady, and Kiori could only protest weakly as Chichiri untangled her fingers. He cupped them in his free hand while his other formed a loop around his head, letting the crimson _ki_ settle into a noose before dissolving, adding his life force to the chain. Kiori collapsed against him, sobbing curses.

"It's all right," he said again, holding her close, smiling faintly. "We've given Tasuki and Ritsuka a little more time no da. Now we just have to believe in them."

On the other side of the room, Mizu's horrified gaze trailed from one warrior to the other, watching through _ki_-sensitive eyes as the life force siphoned from Chichiri to Kiori and on into the Element herself. Mizu stared at her glowing hands, watching as her tears spattered and stained her open palms.

_'I'm killing him,'_ she realized suddenly. _'And not just now. I was killing him even before he got here. By letting them die... by letting _her _die... I was killing him right from the start.' _Her swimming eyes snaked to the blue crystal at her side. She reached for it, cradled it in her palm – and then tightened her hand into a fist. "I _was_ killing him," she murmured, her voice lost to the shadows before it could reach the far side of the room. "But that doesn't mean I still have to.

"Houjun."

He turned at her call, Kiori's red-rimmed eyes following a moment later. Mizu smiled sadly as she snatched up her other crystal, holding one in each of her hands. "You're right, Houjun. It _is_ going to be okay. Your friend is going to come through for you. I promise."

Chichiri arms went slack. Kiori looked up at him. "What's going on?"

"The crystals," he breathed. "If she smashes them, she'll..."

The blue one shrieked in Mizu's hands. Kiori's arms fell from his waist, pushing him forward. "Go."

Chichiri raced across room, reaching Mizu just as the blue gem shattered in her palm. It let out a hiss of pain, _ki _screaming out of it before vanishing into the darkness. The right side of Mizu's body seemed to collapse against her, the crystal shards falling out of her limp hand and clattering to the floor. The Element gritted her teeth until she tasted blood, but she didn't hesitate as her hand closed around the green crystal, the one that had been her eyes, had allowed her to be a part of the happy life she hadn't been able to lead.

Chichiri's hands closed around hers, trying to pry her fingers away. "You don't have to do this."

"Yeah, I do. You can feel it too, can't you? How Setsuka-sama is pulling more and more power from us?" Chichiri said nothing. Mizu tilted her head. "So see? I don't have a choice. Because there's no way I can let either of you die."

The mansion floor shook as Mizu's barrier began to dissolve, her spells vanishing with her strength. Clay tiles and wood beams crumbled from the ceiling, shaken from their posts, threatening to cave in around them at any moment. It was a sign of something Chichiri hadn't wanted to admit. But as his hand clutched around his adopted sister's, begging her to release the tiny chance she still possessed, he knew, somehow, that he'd arrived too late. Tears sprang to the corners of both his eyes. "Mae-chan, please..."

She ignored his grasping hand and squeezed. A long crack trailed down the green crystal, and a similar crack snapped through her leg. With nothing left to stand on she caved forward, falling into Chichiri's arms. Through eyes already misting with death she looked up at him, her smile a grimace but a happy one nevertheless. "Please don't cry. It's not your fault. I'm doing this because I want to. I love you so much, I just want you to finally be happy." Her eyes curled in a smile. "That's all I ever really wanted, Houjun."

"Mae-chan..." He choked on the words. Chichiri clutched the dying girl to his chest. "I wanted to save you. I wanted to save you both so badly..."

She smiled, nestling her head into his _kesa. _Her body was broken, her life quickly fading, but she couldn't remember the last time she had been so absolutely at peace. "I think you did," she murmured. "I'm not sad at all. So please, Onii-chan... you have to be happy too, okay? You really, really have to."

With her last burst of strength, she pressed down on the dying green crystal. It shattered between her fingers, leaving shards of itself embedded in her palm, but the pain meant nothing to the Element. Ukizaki Mae had died with her last crystal's hiss, a small smile forever etched on her young, peaceful face.

oOo

Fire erupted from the tessen just as Mizu's gem shattered in Setsuka's hand. The force of both the seishi's spell and the Element's death slammed Setsuka back against the barrier. Her eyes widened, lips parting in a soft, horrified gasp. _'Mizu-chan... too...?'_

The flames tore across the battlefield, smashing against the barricades and licking Taiyou's smaller shield, but Setsuka watched them through a haze. Her eyes had filled with tears, and for once she thought she understood why.

"And to the victor goes... nothing."

She smiled thinly, bitterly, at last letting herself cry without restraint. Her hand loosened and the golden chain slipped from her fingers, taking both its power and its final, blood-colored gem with it.

She turned as Taiyou's shield dissolved, letting her eyes shift to the field behind her, to Mizu's vanishing barrier and to her silent, watching lover. She smiled through the smoke and tears, though she doubted he could see it.

"Hataku... forgive me..."

And then the fires caught her, and there was nothing but silence.

oOo

The battlefield's barrier fell slowly, dissolving from top to bottom and giving the flames more than enough time to ricochet back around, turning the field into an inferno. Tasuki closed his eyes as the fires turned back on their creator, letting his body sag as he waited for the blast that would, without Mitsukake there to save him, surely kill him this time.

Something slammed into his back, knocking his knees out from beneath him and sending him toppling to the ground. Hands grabbed the back of his coat and swept it forward, pressing down with jacket and arms to cover Tasuki's exposed head.

His eyes snapped open again. "Red?"

"I promised Akai," she gasped, mouth pressed to his ear, "that I'd... protect... the people I loved."

Tasuki's eyes widened further, then softened again. As the smoke and flames roiled over them, he used his last ounce of strength to roll sideways, dragging Ritsuka from her spot on top of him and hugging her to his chest. Their arms wrapped around each other, covering however much of the other that they could, Ritsuka with her face pressed to his neck and Tasuki with his buried in her hair.

He squeezed his eyes shut, murmuring around a half-crazy grin, "Heh. Well. Guess we both made good on our promises t'night, huh?"

She didn't reply, but Tasuki wouldn't have been able to hear her anyway. Both of the redheads had faded into darkness.

oOo

Chichiri glanced up through his tears as the mansion trembled again, bringing chunks of ceiling down with it. He gathered Mae up in his arms and turned back to Kiori. She was trying to make her way across the room, but the rumbling building and her own sapped strength had forced her to her knees just a few feet from the settee. She tried to rise again as he hurried towards her, but Chichiri shook his head once and she sat down again, working to shield herself from the debris.

She watched as he drew closer, grabbing his arm almost before he'd knelt beside her. She didn't need to ask about Mae – the tears flowing freely down his face told her all she needed to know. "Chichiri, I—"

He met her eyes, all business. "It's collapsing. We need to get out of here." He settled Mae's broken body against his shoulder, holding her with one arm while his other hand grabbed Kiori's. "I'm going to try sending us someplace safe. I don't know if we'll make it – I've used a lot of power tonight – but I want you to know that, no matter what happens, I'm not going to let go of your hand. I won't lose you without first losing myself. Okay?"

Kiori nodded, gripping his hand with the same force he gripped hers. Her other hand she cupped against his face, brushing the tears away from the corner of his scarred eye. "We'll make it," she murmured. "We all will."

He couldn't reply without crying again, and so he just nodded, closing his eye and muttering one last, desperate sutra.

oOo

"_'The soft, reassuring grip of the other's hand was the last thing either felt before they were thrown into the void.'_" Keisuke took a deep breath, trying to still his own clamoring nerves. "End Chapter Thirty-Seven."

-  
Houki: As smoke clears and lives falter, it is "the ones who lead" that emerge, unscathed but not unharmed. For the hardest decisions are the ones made after the sword is shielded, when the white banners fly and the barricades have turned to ash.  
Save what you can, when you can. Toss aside your pettiness, your sentimentality, your hopes and your hates. Make the choices your people need most. Ignore what is wanted and do what is right. For the ones who stand with you, the ones who stood before you - and the ones who stand against you.

The Next Episode of _Fushigi Yuugi: The Next Chapter_: "Settling Dust – Promises Made Long Ago."

Where mercy and justice overlap, there is...

* * *

**End Notes:  
**(1) _chakras_ – the word gets tossed around quite a bit in this chapter, and although I assume you are at least vaguely familiar with the concept due to Avatar, Naruto, and all manner of exciting Asian media, a short explanation is probably in order. So: _Chakras_ are a Hindu concept that found their way into Buddhist sects, New Age thought, and apparently Ninja school. They are, simply put, force centers or energy points located in a more-or-less straight line through the body, starting (or ending) at the feet and ending (or starting) at the crown of the head. There are seven major chakras and several minor ones, including the one Tsuchi refers to as the eighth/soul chakra, located just above the crown of the head. Each controls certain emotions/motor functions, and the blocking of a chakra can supposedly effect a person in all manner of ways. This is what happens to Chichiri at the beginning (by the way, Mizu hits him in the _vishuddha_, or throat chakra, which controls communication, independence, fluent thought and one's sense of security. Tough stuff). My own knowledge of this rather complex concept is admittedly weak, particularly since the rules change slightly depending on the religion/mythology/manga you're studying. In the spirit of all these varying sources I've put my own twist on it for _FY:NC_. I did my best to keep it simple, so hopefully it wasn't too confusing for you guys.

(2) Mizu's spell – true story, the sounds used for this spell are the _on_ readings for several _kanji_ that do, more or less, have a meaning, but... I didn't write them down as I was researching and I can't... actually... remember what that meaning was. Suffice to say it was important. Terribly so. Probably your entire understanding of this chapter will be ruined for not knowing it. Damn.

_**Ye Olde Author's Note: October 22nd, 2010  
**_Ni-hao, minna-san!  
So you know why I love this chapter? Because at the end of it, _you have no idea who's alive_!

(_Dodges various pots and pans_) I regret nothing!

But seriously, I'm not sure if I could have written a bigger cliffhanger unless the characters were actually dangling off the edge of a cliff. The original was pretty intense too, but I wove the plot lines together a lot more intricately this time around, so when Shit Went Down it went down hard. I struggled a little with clarity and fluidity, juggling as many overlapping story lines as I did, so I sincerely hope everyone was able to follow along all right as Tasuki/Ritsuka, Chichiri/Kiori, and Tsuchi/Akai/Houki fought their pants off to keep each other alive. Whether or not they succeeded, of course, has yet to be determined...

To be honest, I'm reluctant to do much talking about this chapter (short of writing the word EPIC in huge block letters again and again), mostly because I feel like anything I say might accidentally spoil something in the next chapter. And we certainly can't have that, not when we're so close to the Big Finish. So let's just skip the episode commentary and move on to a few Extras, shall we?

**Allusion of the Episode: **Houki's "Poem Number 42" serves as a subtle tip-of-the-hat to Douglas Adams and his classic _Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy _series. This is one of those little homages that quietly crops up in a lot of writer's works, including some of my other original pieces. Because let's face it: the answer is _always_ 42.

**FY:NC Fun Facts: "What's In a Name?"  
**-I'm not exactly proud to admit it, but 14-Year-Old Me made up most of the characters' names on the fly, without bothering to check and see if they were actual Japanese names. I lucked out for the most part, though "Kiori" seems to be a very rare name and "Ritsuka" is often used on boys. (Somehow I think she'd approve.) Anyway, the kanji I use for Ritsuka's name is 立夏, which can also be pronounced "Rikka," meaning the first day of summer.  
-As you already know, "Akai" and "Aoi" are colors, and while Aoi is often used as a name (it's unisex, though more common with girls), Akai really isn't. I almost changed her name to Akane in the edit (same basic meaning), but in the end I was too attached to Akai - real name or not! - to get rid of it.  
-Setsuka's original last name was Yukibara, meaning "Snow rose," which a younger me thought was rather clever. I changed it "Rei" for two reasons: First, because "Yukibara" is not a real last name, and certainly not a good one for a Chinese setting where the last names would likely be much shorter. Secondly, because as luck would have it "Setsuka" is spelled with the characters for snow (雪: SETSU) and flower (花: KA). Pure, awesome coincidence is a lovely thing.  
-Nowadays I spell Hataku's name 霸乇, using the characters for "leadership" and "to entrust with," but if you just look up the word "hataku" in a Japanese dictionary it means "to strike" or "to beat." Another coincidence, I promise... Though the part of me that enjoys black humor _was _rather tickled. (_sweat_)  
-The RAFT's names tend to be short and sweet, partly to make them easier to remember and partly to make them easier to type (_heh_). I pretty much just dragged them out of my limited Japanese vocabulary, so each name has a stunningly simple meaning. In no particular order: Kita (North), though "Ankita" means "one with auspicious marks" or "conqueror" in Hindi; Yuki (Snow); Tori (Bird); Kirei (Lovely/Pure); Kazuo (First son); Ayame (Iris). Like I said, pretty straightforward.  
-And no, I didn't forget Aji, I just wanted to give him his own mini-section. See, "aji" generally just means "taste/flavor," but you can use it on a person to denote a sort of charming eccentricity. Referring to someone as "aji" would be roughly equivalent to saying "he's quite a character" in English. This was unintentional on my part, as usual, but it fits him so well I don't mind pretending that I planned it that way. :)

**Never Edit at 1am...  
**There was no exact line that inspired this, but when I was reading the part where the three stories (Tsuchi-Setsuka-Mizu) start to overlap, I muttered out loud, "Madness." Then I looked around to make sure no one was nearby, grinned, and whisper-roared, "Madness? No. This - is - KONAN!" And then I imagined Tasuki kicking Setsuka off a cliff. Which is, if you were wondering, pretty much the best mental image ever.  
**...And you know who we should all feel the worst for?** The people who actually _owned_ the mansion that just came crashing down around our heroes' ears. "Well kids, it was rough for a while there, having to move in with your grandma in the capital and all, but the war's over and we can finally go ho - ahhh, son of a bitch!" Poor random Konan family...

Okay, that's enough silliness for one author's note. (What can I say? The episode was so serious that I had to get out all my goofy in the author's note.) Thanks to The White Phoenix, Lord Axel Lover, Ayriel, antyem, and inuphantom for your screaming reviews o' rage, and I'll cross my fingers that you'll be back to shout at me after this one, too.

Till Next Time – Dee


	38. Episode Thirty Eight: Settling Dust

_**Disclaimer**_**:** I still don't own Konan, Suzaku and all characters and seishi pertaining to them. Kiori and Ritsuka are and shall forever be mine, and that holds for all the other "originals" (you'll know 'em when they appear, trust me). Obviously the story is mine as well.

_**Rating:**_ PG-13, for moderate language and violence.

**Musical Selection: **Okay, so this is really hard to do without spoiling anything, buuuut... "Letter from Mikako" for the second scene, starting from the line _He all but crushed her to his chest_; "Lullaby for My Favorite Insomniac" for the scene that begins after the line _the sleepers began to awaken _(and you can play that song for pretty much any of the scenes involving those same characters); and "Day of the River" for the final scene.

**_Previously on _Fushigi Yuugi: The Next Chapter...  
**-It was on in a manner similar to that of Donkey Kong, as Chichiri raced to rescue Kiori, with Tasuki, Ritsuka, and the latecomer Hataku chasing after him.  
-Setsuka and Tasuki met and battled outside of the Konan capital, with Setsuka using Tasuki's gem to slowly drain him of his energy. In a last-ditch attempt, Tasuki begged Ritsuka to push his tessen through the barricade and use the flames to defeat Setsuka. Ritsuka refused, worried that it would kill Tasuki as well, but some whispered advice from a fallen ally gave her the idea to break through the barrier herself. She delivered the tessen to Tasuki, and the two recited the spell as one. The fires covered them as well as the Takkan Lady, and they fell unconscious.  
-Meanwhile in Takkan, Houki and Akai struggled to help Tsuchi fight back against Setsuka, who was draining _his_ life force as well. They figured out a way for him to drag his _ki_ back to himself, but as soon as Setsuka felt his efforts she snapped his gem. Both Tsuchi and Akai collapsed, and as Houki ran to find a doctor she realized that neither was breathing.  
-Chichiri broke through Mizu's barrier and was able to reach Kiori, but learned that Mizu had the two of them attached to a spell called a "chain," which was slowly killing Kiori. Chichiri added himself to the chain in order to buy her more time. Terrified at the thought of losing him, Mizu decided to smash her own crystals, breaking the chain, destroying her barrier, and killing herself in the process. As the mansion collapsed around them, Chichiri teleported himself, Kiori, and Mizu's body "to a safe place," though whether they reached it or not has yet to be determined.  
-The sight of Hataku, coupled with the death of Mizu, at last broke Setsuka's resolve. As Tasuki's flames came at her, she dropped both Taiyou's barrier and her necklace, letting the fires consume her...

_What's crazier than writing an Honors Thesis? Writing one for each of your majors. What's even crazier than that? Writing them while putting together six grad school applications. __(_dies_) Creative Writing M.F.A., you had better be worth this madness._

* * *

**-Episode Thirty-Eight: Settling Dust-  
****Promises Made Long Ago**

Keisuke clapped a hand over his eyes and jabbed the book across the coffee table. "I'm too scared to keep going. Someone else take it."

Yui and Tetsuya, curled together on the couch, shot each other a nervous smile. Then, moving as if in tandem, they both dove forward, hands locking on the top of the cover and jerking the book away from Keisuke. He flopped back against the chair and shot air up into his bangs. "Phew! With the way things were going at the end there, I'm not even sure I _want _to know how this all turned out. _'__Taku_... at this rate I'm going to go gray, bald, and need a pacemaker before I even get out of college, don't you thin..."

He looked up and sweatdropped at the young couple, tugging the book back and forth between them as if they were toddlers with a favorite toy.

"It's my... turn..."

"But I read faster than you...!"

"But you... got it... last time..."

Keisuke sighed. "...And to top it off, the damn thing is going to ruin a perfectly good relationship. C'mon you two, why not just rock-paper-scissors for it or something...?"

oOo

Akai jerked awake, gasping as if she had just escaped drowning. She sat up on Tsuchi's bed, head pressed almost to her knees, alternating between choking breaths and low moans. She slapped her hands against her face, trying to work the blood back into fingers and cheeks. It didn't take long for the world to steady, and once it did she looked up, searching the room for a friendly face and finding none. "Houki...sa...?"

She looked to her left and felt her breath escape again. Tsuchi lay spreadeagled on the bed beside her, his eyes half-open but unseeing, face pale and fingers twitching. If he was breathing, Akai couldn't tell. She gave a strangled cry and tried to go to him, but her strength failed her and she wound up collapsing against him, nose to nose, hands patting at his cheeks. "Fuyu-kun, no, please, come on, look at me, Fuyu-kun, please..."

"Akai!"

She didn't bother to look up as Houki ran across the room, hugging Akai to her chest. "Thank the gods."

Akai struggled weakly, but she stopped when she saw the Takkan doctor slide in next to them, leaning over the boy. She watched with a whimper as he checked Tsuchi's pulse in both wrist and neck. He lay his head as near to the boy's mouth as he could, then pulled back again. His mouth was a grim line as he set both his hands to Tsuchi's chest and pressed gently against it. They waited. He pressed again, harder. And again, they waited.

"Once more," he muttered.

Akai's hand snaked around Houki's arm and grasped at Tsuchi's twitching fingers. She squeezed them as the doctor's palms fell for the last time, an incoherent sob of a prayer blubbering around her lips.

Tsuchi jerked, his chest rising in a sharp, sudden heave and his fingers turning into a claw around Akai's hand. His eyes snapped fully open, leaping around the room as fast as his chest and arms did. The doctor hissed a curse and grabbed the washrag off the nightstand, shoving it into the boy's mouth. Tsuchi convulsed once, twice, three more times, his back and limbs twitching in great, heaving slams, then he collapsed against the bed with a shudder. His eyes closed this time, head lolling to the side and hand going limp in Akai's grasp.

She looked to the doctor, but he just smiled grimly and removed the rag from Tsuchi's mouth. She relaxed when she saw his chest rising, slowly but deeply, but she didn't relax until the doctor said, "What he'll be like when he wakes again is anyone's guess. But he _will_ wake again, I think."

It was all she needed. What strength Akai had left deserted her, and she slumped against Houki's chest, weeping her relief. The empress stroked at both her hair and back, drawing the young soldier close to her again. Her hands were for Akai, but her words were directed at the doctor. "What can we do?"

He shrugged. "You could try praying, but I think sleep would be the best thing for all of you. The girl doesn't look to be in much better condition than the boy. Find her a soft bed and then find one for yourself."

"And Tsuchi-kun?"

"I'll stay with him. He shouldn't be left alone, at least not until he wakes again and we can find out exactly what that half-death did to him. It may be that he'll be fine, but that fit we just saw doesn't bode well for him. If he's come back with the falling sickness, or worse..." He shook his head. "Men who escape Enma-sama's realm often leave much of themselves behind. We may end up wishing the boy had died instead." (1)

"Never," Akai croaked. "Living is always better."

Houki gave her a reassuring squeeze. "What would you like to do, Akai? Shall we go upstairs?"

"No." Her head jerked to the empty bed in the room, the one that had belonged to the other Elemental brother. "I'll stay. I want to be here for Fuyuko-kun." She tilted her eyes up so she could look at her empress. "You should go upstairs and get some rest. Now that the war's over, you're going to have to get back to Konan, right?"

"_Is_ the war over?"

There was no hesitation in her reply. "I felt Setsuka's scream when Fuyuko-kun and I were connected. She was in too much pain to fight, and Tasuki-san wouldn't miss a chance like that." She smiled. "I'm absolutely positive that we won."

"Then I had best be returning as soon as possible. In a few days, I think."

"Tomorrow," Akai urged. "You have to go back tomorrow."

"But you—"

"I'm fine." She laughed. "Exhausted, and kind of old-lady-creaky, but fine. I'll be all right, but Konan might not be. She's gonna need you."

"You won't be coming with me, then?"

Her eyes shifted to the pale boy in the bed. For the first time since she'd met him, he actually looked like he was at peace. Akai smiled softly. "Fuyuko-kun needs me more than Konan does. And maybe the RAFT do, too." She glanced up again. "I'll visit as soon as I can. Once he's feeling better, maybe we both will. But for now..."

Akai yawned and Houki stood, helping the wobbling girl over to the other bed. "For now, we should both get some sleep, though I fear the dawn will come far too soon for the both of us." She pulled back the covers, watching as Akai all but fell into the middle of the bed. "Should I wake you before I leave tomorrow?"

"Please." She yawned again, eyes closing as Houki pulled the cover back up to her chin. "I want to... say goodbye."

The empress hesitated, but Akai looked so much like a child that she couldn't resist leaning down and planting a light kiss on her forehead. "Then I will see you in a few hours. Sleep well, my champion. You and Tsuchi-kun deserve it more than anyone."

oOo

Hataku shaded his eye against the bright flash of flames that illuminated the clearing. He blinked back purple spots, peering through the fire but seeing only smoke. He shifted from foot to foot, then set a hand to his sword hilt and limped towards the clearing, waiting at the edge of the dissolving barrier as the winds carried off the ashen clouds, leaving a charred circle at the center of the plains.

He approached cautiously, pressing a sleeve to his mouth to keep himself from gagging on the thick smell of burnt earth and flesh. He moved towards the nearest body, but when he realized that it was Setsuka he swallowed hard and changed course, looping around her and towards the two warriors. _'Later,'_ he promised himself. _'I'll face it later.'_

Tasuki and Ritsuka were wrapped around each other, the tessen still gripped in one of Tasuki's blackened hands. Hataku didn't risk kneeling for fear that his bad knee would keep him from rising again, but he watched them with a hawk's eye, checking for any hint of movement.

Beyond his hands, which looked nearly burnt to the muscle, the seishi was in remarkably good condition: his thick coat was in tatters, but it seemed to have taken the brunt of the blow, leaving his back more or less unscathed. Ritsuka protected his chest, of course, and while Hataku couldn't see his face he suspected that Ritsuka had kept that from danger as well. Tasuki's head shifted atop the other redhead's as he coughed weakly, and it was only then that Hataku realized he was still breathing. It was a good sign, but one look at Ritsuka turned Hataku's relief quickly into horror.

Protected by nothing but Tasuki's arms and a thin summer shirt, the woman's back looked like leaking paint, leathery skin bleeding into white muscle bleeding into dark blood. Her arms and the backs of her legs were in little better condition, and Hataku had to take a step away, fighting to keep from retching. He thought that she might still be breathing, but he couldn't stomach watching the rise-and-fall of her blackened shoulders long enough to say for certain. He hesitated, then threw his cloak over the pair, knowing there was little else he could do for them.

"And doctors," he muttered, an echo from earlier that evening. He hurried away from the warriors, taking the flare that Ran-shogun had given him from his coat as he went. He found a spot some distance from the injured fighters and, after struggling briefly with flint and tinder, set it alight. He backed up, watching as it shot off into the air and exploded with a _pop_ of green. Hataku was not one for prayer, but even so, he pleaded to the gods that one of Ran's men had spotted the signal. He had a feeling that Ritsuka's life depended on it.

He stared at the place where the flare had vanished for a long moment, then steeled himself with a breath and turned, limping his way over to the last body on the field. He kept his eyes on the ground, unwilling to look at Setsuka just yet, so it was easy for him to spot the glittering lump in the grass. He bent over with an effort, picking up the glinting object. Red shards fell away from his hand as he rose, leaving him with nothing but a warm mass of gold.

Hataku shivered as he felt a shock of black energy race up his arm, and he knew at once what it was. His eye narrowed, and without a second thought he tossed the melted necklace into the woods. "May your maker rot in each of the nine hells, and feel my pain tenfold," he cursed under his breath, too busy damning the demon god to remember to avert his eyes. He turned and found himself staring straight at the prostrate form of Setsuka, collapsed face-down against the ground.

Even in death there was something of the beautiful in her, he thought: her hair unbound and ravaged by fire, its fraying strands scattered across reddened arms and the rags of a tunic, her legs curled beneath her as if she were sitting down for tea. She looked as if she had fallen asleep at her studies, the way she used to do when they were children, all curled up over her desk, her face pillowed in her arms and her fingers stained with ink. Any minute now she would stir, pushing herself up and greeting him with a smile, and—

"No," he said to no one. With another deep breath he fought off the memory and bent over, preparing to turn her over and see the extent of the damage, to press fingers to wrist and confirm what he already knew.

His hand was on her shoulder when she stirred, and it was all he could do to keep from collapsing beside her. He pulled back as if her flesh were still hot from flames, stumbling away from her, a hand clasped to his mouth. A low moan echoed from somewhere inside the remnants of her ash-gold hair. He understood immediately, but that didn't make the knowledge any easier.

_'That barrier she put up at the end... it must have held long enough that she kept off most of the impact...'_

His fingers curled around his sword hilt but hesitated. He watched as Setsuka pushed herself slowly, painfully up on her elbows. She raised her head, peering through soot-streaked bangs at him. She faltered with a smile, but then her vision focused and the smile extinguished. "Hataku."

He unsheathed his sword, holding it loosely in his hand. "Setsuka." He said it as distantly as a stranger might, with no contempt or sorrow, neither condemning nor forgiving her.

She looked to the huddle of seishi and woman at the other end of the circle, then back up at Hataku, then finally to the ground. Her hands reached automatically for her necklace, but she found herself grasping at nothing but singed cloth and blistered skin. Her hands fell back to the ground. When she looked up again there was something faintly relieved lurking beneath the exhaustion. "It's finally over, isn't it? It's over and I've lost. I've lost... everything... but failure deserves no reward, does it?"

He nodded, at a loss for a better answer. "Mm. It's over."

"Why did I lose, Hataku? Was it because I challenged seishi? Was it foolish for me to ever start this war? Did a tiny nation like Takkan ever have a chance against a gods-blessed empire like Konan?"

"It _was_ foolish, but..." He considered it for a moment, then shook his head. "No. No, that's not why you lost. You lost because you forgot what you were fighting for. Glory, pride, revenge... You took the excuses and threw the rest away, so there wasn't anything left for you to stand on. No thing... and no one, either. But those people in Konan, they never lost sight of what was important. Even the ones who died still managed to save the things that mattered. You destroyed everything you touched."

She nodded once, closing her eyes. "Of course. The other one said something similar, didn't she?" She looked up again, unflinching, meeting him stare for stare. "I suppose you're going to kill me now."

"...Mm."

Setsuka glanced back at the unconscious Konan Warriors. "And them? Are they alive?"

"For the moment," he allowed.

"Keep them that way. They helped wake me up, in the end. Them, and poor Mizu-chan," she shifted back to him, and he blinked, alarmed at her tears, "and you, too. There was so much I had forgotten, but seeing you... and seeing them, so like us, so like the people we ought to have been..." She shook her head, the rags of her hair swaying with her. "It's ruined now, I know that. But I'm glad that I can end it as I was." Her eyes trailed from his stiff leg to his bent shoulders and on up, resting briefly on his cross-shaped scar, both of its slashes earned in her name, before at last settling on his remaining eye. Her tears fell unchecked. "And I'm glad that you'll be the one to end it for me. You, who brought me back to myself... and who I ruined more than anyone."

Hataku stared hard at the Lady of Takkan, tensing his hand around the hilt of his sword. He set the point to the middle of her chest. She had her eyes closed, so she couldn't see the sweat pooling across his brow or the way his hands shook as they readied the sword. Couldn't see the uncertainty and the pain stretched like a tarp across his face.

_'I have to do it,' _he hissed to himself. _'No matter how different she is... no matter how _herself _she seems... I still have to do it. For the RAFT. The Konan Warriors. Sora-kun, and Tsuchi-kun, all those other children she sent to die. I took a vow. This is how it has to to end.'_

He drew back his sword for the final strike... and wavered. Because of her tears. Because of the twisted lump of gold he'd thrown into the forest. And because of the words of a Konan Warrior, words he had scorned at the time, too bitter and hurt to care for them:

_"Because you loved Setsuka, right? And she loved you, too... didn't she? And… and if someone could love a person, then they could never be _all _bad. If Setsuka really did love you, then there must be _some _good in her!"_

_'No,'_ he replied to himself. '_She's done too much. This is how it ends.'_

He tightened his grip. Gritted his teeth. And drove his blade forward.

Setsuka heard a _thump _just to the left of her. She opened her eyes, but only had a moment to take in the gleaming sword, buried point-first in the ground beside her, before Hataku dropped to his good knee and wrapped her in his arms. Her breath caught in her throat. "Hataku..."

He all but crushed her to his chest, holding her as if he were afraid that Setsuka – the real Setsuka, the woman he had thought lost to him years ago – might slip away again, this time forever. He couldn't speak at first, but when he finally did, it was in a voice laced with grief and strangled with joy. "You're back. You're actually back. I always knew... I always hoped..."

His chest tensed against hers. His shoulders threatened to shake and she dug her nails into his back, suddenly mortified. She had only ever seen him tear up once before. To see him actually _cry_ would be unthinkable, a violation, somehow worse than any of her other crimes. Her lips fumbled over words, but eventually all she could manage was a whispered, "How?"

He choked on a laugh. "I don't know. Because I love you? Are we too old for that simple of an answer?"

She clutched at him, burying her face in his shoulder to stifle a sob. "But I broke it." She couldn't believe how small she sounded, like a child staring down at a ripped doll. The thought only made her cling to him harder. "After everything I did to you... how can you _possibly_...?"

"It wasn't you."

"Then why do I remember everything? And why do I remember enjoying so much of it?" She crumbled against him, tired of holding her head so high, of trying so hard to keep every thread of herself in its proper place. "I think it must have been me. Otherwise it wouldn't hurt so much.

"I loved you even then, you know," she added, a whisper that was almost lost against his shoulder. "Even when I tore you apart. I hated what you were to me, but I couldn't keep you from being it."

"Even when you tore me apart..." He pulled her away, holding her by the shoulders so he could look at her. Her eyes were red-rimmed from crying, her face streaked with both tears and a slash of blister where the flames had licked too close, but somehow Hataku didn't think she had ever looked more beautiful. Some of her hair had plastered itself to the side of her face. He brushed it away so he could kiss her. "Mm. I think I know the feeling."

She tried to smile, but her gaze shifted suddenly, past him and to the field. "The Konan Warriors."

Her words jerked him back to the present. He glanced back at them, then to her, fumbling for an answer. "Ran-shogun will be sending men out soon to take care of them. We can be gone before they get here. The world is a big place. We would—"

"Never be able look at ourselves in the mirror again, if we did that." She tilted her head, smiling sadly. "It's a romantic thing to say, but a cowardly thing to do. You've got too much honor to desert your allies so easily, and I've still a sliver of my pride, even if it is about the only thing I have left. So we have to stay, don't we? Stay, and face whatever happens next."

"They'll kill you."

"Can you honestly say I don't deserve it?"

"Maybe... maybe we can make them understand. The Dowager Empress is not without sympathy. Perhaps Chichiri – the monk – he might be able to vouch for you. I'm no _ki_-senser, but even I can feel a difference." His jaw tightened. "The RAFT, though... and Tasuki..."

She took his hands, squeezed them lightly. "Even so, I have to face them all."

He hesitated, a hesitation born out of a fear so thick that it almost overrode his own unyielding pride. But he knew she was right. He might be able to abandon everything right now, in this sudden, heated moment of renewal, but it would never last. The guilt would ruin them more surely than a possession ever could.

"I suppose we really are too old for such a simple answer," he muttered bitterly. He looked away, but the hesitation was gone, leaving only his old strength. "But you're right. Very well, Setsuka-sama. We'll stay."

She sighed, leaning her tired, wounded body against his. "Oh for the gods' sakes, Hataku... just call me Setsuka."

oOo

The short hours that remained of the night passed in an uncertain blur. Ran's men rode out for the Konan Warriors, though the young doctor took one look at them and immediately ordered several of the soldiers to go back to the capital and return with a cart, as they couldn't possibly load their patients atop horses. Clothing was stripped and wounds were cleaned with cool cloths, the severe ones dressed in bandages, the lighter ones left to the open air. Finally, with a young guard captain in the lead, the cart of wounded in the center, and Hataku riding at the back, the procession made its way to Konan, where even Yukeda found himself at a loss for words as he examined what remained of Ritsuka's back. He recovered with his usual dignity, ordering the warriors to one private room and the Takkan lady to another, this one with a lock on the door. She accepted without complaint.

Hataku made inquiries, but no one knew what had happened to Chichiri and Kiori.

oOo

The next morning found Houki in the main dining hall of the Takkan Palace, seated across from Aji and Kita and relaying the past night's events as briefly as she could. The two watched her with alternating grins and frowns, Boshin bouncing carelessly atop Kita's knee as the trio spoke. When the empress had at last finished, she folded her hands in her lap, meeting the rebel leaders with a faint smile.

"To conclude, we believe the war has ended, and while I know that it is impolite to shorten my stay so drastically, I truly feel that I must return to the palace. As em—" she caught herself "—a Konan Warrior, there is much that I must do for my country. I spoke with Akai again this morning, and while she seems healthy enough I fear that her strength took a rather harsh blow last night. Poor Tsuchi-kun has yet to open his eyes. I wish I could stay to care for them both, but in light of my other duties..." She clasped her hands together, meeting them with her best doe's eyes. "Could I trouble you to look after them, both my dear friend and the Element boy, until they have regained their strength?"

"After all Akai's done f' us, we'd be right monsters t'say no." Kita chuckled. "Rest easy, 'Ouki-san, y'friends is safe wiff us. Now, when d'ye needs t'be leavin', like?"

"Immediately." Houki looked at Boshin and smiled. "That is, assuming you will return both my horse and my son to me?"

Kita sighed, ruffling the boy's hair. "Reckon y'best go back wiff y'mum now, Boshin-chan."

"Kay. Thanks for playin' with me yesterday, Auntie Kita."

Boshin threw his arms around her neck, giving her a brief squeeze before clambering down and hurrying over to his mother. Kita watched him with a fond smile. "Sweet kid y'got 'ere. I might e'en miss th' li'l chap." Aji leaned over and whispered something that made her blush. "Oh, shut y'gob, we ain't 'avin' no babies 'n' that's final!"

Houki smothered a giggle. Aji didn't even bother to hide his laughter. "'Tis a pity to see such a lovely young woman take her leave so soon, but I suppose it cannot be helped." He set a finger to his lips. "Still... after everything you and your friends have done for Takkan, I'd feel rather beastly myself making you journey home all alone. You really must have an escort."

"I quite agree, but who could you spare?"

Aji opened his mouth to answer, but their conversation was broken by familiar screeches from the nearby dining table. "YOWCH! _Oi_, _oi_, Watanabe-san, take it easy! When I called Hataku a grumpyass, I meant it in th' most lovin' way possi – aaaaagh, me ear!"

"Haha-ue, please, Tori was only teasing about Ani-ue, anyone can see how fond he is of my brother."

"Ain't it the truth! Why, I think of him like an older brother, I do, an' jus' ta prove it I'll marry yer daughter an' be his brother fer real! Howzat sound, Watanabe-sa – ah, ah, aaaaaah...!"

"That is _quite_ enough out of you! First you taunt my son, and then you have the nerve to flirt with my daughter? Is there even one drop of shame in that empty head of yours?"

"Yah, bug off y'old fogey, Hourin thinks I'm a riot!"

"_What_ did you call me, Tori-san?"

"I called ya th' beauty of Takkan! Th' _beauty of Takkan_! Now lemme go! Hourin-chaaan, _tasukete_!"

"Ah... Haha-ue..."

Aji forced a pained smile. "Houki-sama, I know _just _the lad to send with you."

oOo

Doctors struggled in Konan. Akai kept vigil in Takkan. The empress rode between the two.

And for two long days, the world hovered in an uncertain limbo, caught in the precarious rift between life and death. Everyone was waiting but no one knew anything. Some, such as the pacing Hataku and the weakened Setsuka, barely knew what they were waiting _for_, only that it was bearing down on them as surely as a monsoon, ready to sweep through and shake the nations into motion again.

For two days no one made a sound. And then, as if commanded by the gods, the veil was lifted, the darkness chased away, and the sleepers began to awaken.

oOo

Chichiri opened his eye to an arched ceiling splashed in sunlight. A breeze tugged at the wisps of his bangs, and when he shifted his gaze to the right he found himself looking out a window that took up nearly the entire wall. Silky blue curtains fluttered to either side, but they did nothing to obscure his view of a mandarin tree against a backdrop of sloping mountains, lazy streams, and the ever-present glow of the hallowed land as sunlight filtered down in pink streaks and spheres.

"_Tadaima_," he murmured to no one.

He closed his eye so he could let the rest of his senses wake. He breathed crisp air and the faint scent of lilacs, listened to the chirp and coo of two _kan_ birds, felt the soft feather-down blankets covering him up to his chin... and squeezed the slim fingers laced through his own. Chichiri turned to the left this time and found himself looking straight at Kiori, her face relaxed in sleep, hair falling in trickles across her face. Her neck and shoulder shone bare but the blankets swallowed the rest of her. He gave her hand a short squeeze, smiling, though not without a touch of sadness. _'We made it... but Mae-chan...'_

Kiori's eyelid twitched. Chichiri squeezed her hand again, a gentle request for her to wake up. She did, but slowly, her forehead wrinkling at something before it smoothed out again. She opened her eyes and blinked at the closeness of his face, but her surprise didn't last long. "Mm," she murmured, a small, content noise that said so much in so little. "_Ohayou_, Chichiri."

"_O-ha-you_ no da. How're you feeling?"

Kiori groaned, managing a wry smile. "Like I just ran up Mount Fuji with weights tied to my arms and legs."

"I'm sore, too. It's a side affect of transferring a lot of _ki_ no da. It'll pass soon enough." His smile faltered. "And... the rest of it? How're you feeling about... everything else?"

"You want to know if I'm upset with you?" He nodded a bit sheepishly and she couldn't resist an eye roll. "I did consider smacking you when I first woke up. But seeing as how you sort of saved my life, I figured I'd let you off easy this time." She leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. "So thank you, and don't ever scare me like that again."

"And you'll still, er..." Kiori fought back a giggle at the blush that crept across his ears. "I-I mean, after everything, after how stupid I've been, you'll still... have me?"

"Do I need to kiss you again to prove it?"

He grinned. "It might help no da."

They let this one linger for a bit, lips tight, hand squeezing, blankets bunched up between them, but eventually Kiori pulled away, watching him carefully. "What about you? Are you... after everything?"

He considered it for a moment, then nodded. "I'm all right no da."

"Chichiri..."

"No, I'm not just saying it this time. I really am okay." He snuggled back against his pillow, Kiori barely an inch from him, studying her with the kind of admiring honesty that only the newly in love can give. "Mae-chan did... what she did... because she wanted you and I to be happy together. It was her choice, maybe the first choice she'd really made since the war began, and she never regretted it. She was at peace at the end, so... so as sad as it is, and as much as I wish I could have saved her..." He shook his head again. "No. More than that, I need to honor her last wish. So I really have to do everything I can to be happy no da."

His free hand came up, tracing the curve of Kiori's cheek. "And I think I will be. For a lot of reasons. Having you might be the most important one, though."

She smiled, curling her face against his hand, letting herself soak in his warmth. But when she opened her eyes again there was nothing but reluctant practicality and a fierce, gnawing worry tugging at her lips. "Okay. So what's next?"

"A very awkward visit to the monastery," he replied, kissing the side of her mouth as he did. "But somehow I don't think you were talking about the two of us no da." She nodded, waiting, but all Chichiri could give her was a shaky smile. "Tasuki's alive. He's too far away for me to sense much else, but I know that at least. And if he survived, then..."

"Probably," she agreed. "But we don't know for sure. About Ritsuka _or _Setsuka."

"There's an easy way to find out. I'll just go talk to my old teacher no da. We _are_ sleeping in one of her beds, after all."

"This is Taikyoku-zan?"

"The one and only. It was the safest place I could think to send us." He chuckled. "Training was something of a nightmare, but there _are_ certain benefits to being a student of the Oracle no da."

"Guess so." Kiori's cheeks flushed as her eyes flicked back and forth between the blankets and Chichiri's face. "So, um, speaking of your teacher... and being here... I was sort of wondering if you knew... why, er... why we're both, um, you know... naked... under here?"

He sweatdropped. "Taiitsukun has an interesting sense of humor no da." He propped himself up on his elbows, taking in the rest of the room. He nodded to a dresser in the far corner. "Mm-hm, there they are, all laid out and ready for us to wear them."

"Way over there..." Kiori muttered wistfully.

Chichiri set index and middle fingers to his lips and concentrated, but the little clothes pile just shivered once and settled to the dresser again. He sighed. "I'm more drained than I thought no da. Oh well. Guess we'll have to do this the old-fashioned way." He gave Kiori's hand one final squeeze and let go, pushing himself into a sitting position. "You stay here. I'll get dressed and find Taiitsukun. You can get ready while I'm gone no da."

"Oh." The blankets shifted as he stood and Kiori clung tight, clutching them to her chin. "O-okay."

She sat up in bed so she could get a better look at the room, but natural modesty made her keep her eyes away from Chichiri, studying instead the Taikyoku landscape outside the window. By the time she'd gotten up the nerve to sneak a peek, he was already in his trousers and in the process of slipping into his shirt. He must have felt her eyes on him because he turned, gesturing a bit self-consciously to his layman's robes. "Taiitsukun knows me a little _too _well, sometimes. So. Um. What do you think no da?"

She was far more interested in the lines of his chest than in the make of his clothes, but she gave the black pants and the blue, white-trimmed robe a perfunctory glance as well. "They look good on you." She smiled as he held up a small wooden set of prayer beads, the kind she often saw layman followers wearing as bracelets. "It makes me feel a lot less guilty, too."

"_You_ feel guilty?" He laughed, looping the rosary twice around his wrist. He studied it for a minute, then nodded to himself. "Mm. This seems... comfortable no da. I think I could get used to it." He ran a hand across his close-cropped hair, chuckling again. "Nothing I can do about this right away, though. I hope you don't mind being seen with a failed monk no da."

"Only if you don't mind being seen with the temptress who made that poor monk stray from his path."

"He never strayed. He just... took a different road no da." Chichiri crossed back to her, laying a set of clean clothes on the bed as he leaned down to kiss her. He kept it soft and short again – there was simply too much else for him to do – but they both had a harder time pulling away than they had before, and Chichiri had to grab the blankets to keep his hands from straying beneath them instead. "I'll be back soon no da. You should get dressed, otherwise there's a good chance this failed monk is going to forget all his responsibilities and spend the rest of the morning trying to seduce you."

"Wouldn't take much trying," she teased, but she kept the blankets pulled up to her neck. "Okay. Go see what you can find out about Ritsuka and the others. I'll make myself presentable."

"This shouldn't take too long. And try not to worry too much, all right? Something tells me that, if Tasuki's still alive, then Ritsuka will be just fine, too. I don't think he'd let her die, not while he was still breathing no da."

oOo

Tasuki stared at the drawn blinds of the infirmary window, pupils twitching, uncomprehending. His breath came out in wheezes, throat and lungs raw from smoke, as he kept staring, tracing the dim lines of sunshine that tried to sneak through the blinds, its light touching the dust motes but never quite reaching the rest of the room. Understanding came in pieces, memories clicking with logic clicking with distant, thumping pain, until the puzzle formed a complete picture and he knew where he was.

"Alive after all, huh?"

He moved to push himself into a sitting position, but as soon as his bandaged hands tried to press against the mattress he cried out and collapsed again. Tasuki barked curses at the darkness, curling into a ball and holding his hands in front of his face. He studied the thick padding that had turned his fingers into mittens, gritting his teeth against the thrums of pain.

"Shit," he hissed, using his elbows this time to push himself up. He looked down through the gloom at himself, dressed in a thin, short-sleeved infirmary robe, and was surprised to find the rest of him largely unharmed. He was blistered up and down the backs of his arms, and he could feel similar ones along his legs, but it was no different than a bad sunburn. He stung just about everywhere, but it was manageable enough, particularly for someone who had been playing with fire for the better part of five years.

"So I'm here, and that means..." His head jerked up, face lighting with a smile. "Red's—!"

He turned from the window to face the rest of the tiny room, looking to the pallet beside him and to the motionless form in it. He dropped his voice to a murmur, calling across the darkness. "Hey, Red?"

There was no answer. He crawled cautiously off his own futon and moved to her, still almost grinning, half-tempted to scare her awake and take whatever punishment she'd dish out for it, but the smile and the shout died as he approached, warping instead into a strangled cry.

Ritsuka was lying on her stomach, her unharmed face turned to the side and pulled back tight in agony. Her hair had been burned away and then cropped haphazardly to her neck, so that it lay plastered in sticky strands across her cheeks. She dripped with sweat but shivered violently, her legs trembling beneath the thin sheet that covered her from tailbone to feet. She was naked save for the thick bandages that padded her arms and almost the entirety of her back. Two pale streaks of undamaged skin stretched across her, one just above her shoulder blades and the other at the small of the back, and Tasuki realized with a horrified moan that it was all he had managed to protect of her during that final blast.

He hovered above her, bandaged hands fumbling in the air, unable to touch her as she twitched and trembled beside him. Words tumbled like marbles from his mouth, first "no" and then "Red" and then, finally, as he curled over her, trying to protect what he couldn't even touch:

"This is all my fault... damn it all, it's all my fault..."

oOo

Chichiri opened the doors of the main temple, expecting to see Taiitsukun at the end of the hall, but his old teacher was nowhere to be found. He walked a few steps into the temple, pressing a hand to the nearby pillar and breathing in the faint smells of incense and the thick, underground must that accompanies all ancient things.

"Taiitsukun?" he called, slippers padding across the marble floors as he made his way to the front of the hall, where statues of the four gods stood vigil around a raised platform. "I could have sworn I felt her in here, but..." He shrugged, stepping in front of the Suzaku statue and pressing his palms together. "As long as I'm waiting, I might as well do what she always used to make me do." He chuckled. "Me, actually praying without being told to? I bet that'd surprise her no da."

"Don't you know by now that nothing surprises me?"

Chichiri turned chibi and jumped, whirling around to face a familiar but nonetheless disturbing face. He waved cheerfully at his old teacher. "Hah, _ohayou_. I was just looking for you no da."

She hovered at eye level, wearing her usual expression of faint disapproval. Still, Chichiri thought he sensed a flicker of pleasure in both her _ki_ and eyes. It did nothing to blunt the annoyance in her words. "That was thoughtful of you, teleporting your unconscious body and the young lady here. Nearly crushed a couple of the Nyan-Nyans."

Chichiri sweatdropped. "_Gomen_, but we ran into some trouble no da. I figured this would be the safest place I could send us." He rubbed at his nose. "Only I think I might have passed out about halfway between. Did you pull us the rest of the way no da?" She nodded and he smiled. "Thank you. I know you aren't supposed to meddle in the affairs of normal humans, but..."

Taiitsukun shrugged. "My old students get special privileges. Frequent teleport miles and all." Chichiri sweatdropped, wondering when she'd developed a sense of humor. "Besides, considering how _little_ I was able to give you at our last meeting, it only seemed fair."

"That's all right no da. I was angry at the time—"

She sniffed. "An understatement."

He flushed and went on. "But I understand. You have your rules, same as the rest of us no da. We were in a mortal war this time, not a godly one, so you really weren't allowed to interfere, were you?" Chichiri studied his palms, taking a slow breath before at last asking what he'd known now for months. "It was Tenkou, wasn't it? The one who made the necklace, gave the Elements their abilities, and set this war into motion?" He answered for himself. "It must have been no da. If it had been one of the gods, you would have been able to help us. And he was the only other force in this world strong enough to wield that kind of power. So it had to have been him."

He glanced at Taiitsukun long enough to see her nod. "He wanted to be a god in all things. It stood to reason that he would want his own seven guardians as well."

"But he knew the gods were moving against him no da. So instead of just giving his power to seven unborn souls, he stored a fragment of both his strength _and_ those souls inside a talisman. Setsuka's necklace."

"It seems you had the answers all along. Never needed my help to begin with."

Chichiri chuckled. "This was all guesswork until now, though. And I didn't have anything but hunches until we met Hataku no da. When he said Setsuka got so sick a year ago..."

"...Right around the time you and your allies defeated the demon god..."

"Exactly." He turned to her again, studying her dour face. "But there're two things that surprised me. The first was Tenkou's decision to make Tasuki one of his warriors no da. He had to have known that Tasuki would develop ties to the Suzaku seishi and to Konan." Taiitsukun waited, watching as Chichiri's eye widened "Unless..."

"He had every intention of bringing Tasuki to his side and using him, along with a number of other fallen souls, to defeat the Suzaku seishi? In a battle that took place one year ago, perhaps?" Now it was Chichiri's turn to wait, watching until Taiitsukun gave him the tiny nod he needed. "The Lady and her Elements were meant to rule the lands. But Tenkou planned to have the heavens under his control long before he moved against the mortal realms. His ambitions were nicely ruined, however, in part thanks to your impossibly stupid friend's loyalty."

Chichiri smiled weakly. "That's Tasuki for you no da."

"I believe you had another question?"

He shook his head. "I think I answered it myself, actually. I was wondering why the gods would let Tenkou create the necklace in the first place – why they didn't just sweep in and stop him years ago, before any of this could happen." He tilted his head, bemused. "But the gods don't work that way, do they? Because when Tenkou gave his strength to those seven souls, he moved it out of the heavenly realms no da. And our gods can't act directly in our world. That's why they create seishi, recruit monks, summon _miko_. Am I right?" She nodded again. "Which means that only an idiot would provoke them in their own lands no da."

"An idiot, or an incredibly powerful, incredibly arrogant demon."

"Or that." Chichiri sighed, pressing his palm to the foot of the Suzaku statue. "Tenkou probably never believed we'd defeat him. Or that his death would drive his 'priestess' into madness. Or that so many of his so-called servants would..."

He trailed off, fingers clenching against the bronze. Taiitsukun frowned. "The girl you brought with you is still in my keeping. I assume you will want to see her."

He didn't have to answer for her to understand. The air shimmered and the scene shifted, changing from darkened temple to brightened bedchamber. Chichiri looked around, unmasked eye falling to the lifeless body of the young Element laid out in the room's small bed. A soft pink bubble surrounded her, pulsing softly. He frowned, setting a tentative hand to the barrier. His arm went through it without trouble, and he rested his hand lightly against her cheek.

"She was an Element," Taiitsukun said.

"She was a sister," he corrected, voice a murmur. "And a savior. Mae-chan sacrificed herself for me. For both of us, I mean."

"The woman from another world?" He nodded. Taiitsukun mirrored it. "She is... special to you, I take it. I couldn't pry your hands apart when you arrived here. I assumed she must be important if you were holding on to her so tightly." His old teacher's voice softened, though just a shade. "You've learned to love again, I see."

He turned to face her. She didn't miss the quick smile that lighted his face, or the way his eye seemed to glow with mixed hope and contentment, as if he were at once pleased to be where he was and ecstatic about what lay ahead of him. She had seen that look many times before, but never from him. "I've learned how to be whole again no da."

Was Chichiri imagining things, or was there the hint of a smile on Taiitsukun's face? "I see." She turned her attention back to Mae. "And what about the Element?"

"I'm going to take her home no da," he said. "Back to the Ukizaki farmhouse. They should know what happened, and I think Mae-chan's spirit would want to be near them for the forty-nine days. Then Kiori and I will return to Konan. There are friends who are waiting for us."

Taiitsukun sniffed. "Well, if you are going to go gallivanting across the country like that, then you'd best wait here for another two days. By my estimation, that's how long it's going to take you regain enough strength to make the trip."

He whipped around. "_Another _two days? We've been asleep for that long? Then we can't—"

"My barrier will keep the Element safe, untouched by time's decay, until you are ready for her." Taiitsukun turned away, floating over to the window. "As for your Konan allies, they are not so easy to kill as you seem to think. They live, and although some injuries are more serious than others, I should think they will get on without you for another couple of sunrises."

"But couldn't you... I mean, it's just, if _you_ were to send us-"

"I bent the rules to help you once. I do not intend to meddle so directly again." She shrugged. "Of course, you _could_ travel by horse, but it would take the better part of a week to reach the capital city, to say nothing for that rather out-of-the-way visit to the Element's home. Your best choice is to stay here and regain your strength.

"Besides," she added innocently, "I would imagine you and the young lady would enjoy some time together before you are swept back into the world. And, seeing as how my mountain is, technically speaking, not a part of the mortal world and is therefore, technically speaking, not subject to the mortal world's rules, then I would say that, technically speaking..."

"There are no monastic vows for me to break."

"And the gods could not possibly take offense to the breaking of a vow that does not exist." She shrugged, turning away with the hint of another smirk. "Technically speaking, that is."

He hesitated, but Taiitsukun's logic was as sound as the palace walls, and her last words made it difficult for him to argue. Chichiri finally gave over to his instincts and allowed a wide, giddy smile to attack his face. "Well, as long as the others will be all right without us..."

She waved her wrinkled fingers at him over her shoulder, shooing him back to the door. "You are dismissed."

He was out of the room in an instant, so he never saw her eyes close, and he never saw the Nyan-Nyan that appeared on the edge of the bed, frowning up at the oracle. "That was unfair of Taiitsukun to say," the girl chided quietly.

"I told no lies," she retorted, calm but not untroubled. "Their friends live, and I see no reason why that should change in another two days."

"But still..."

"What would you have me do? Tell him something he has no power to fix? Whether he learns it now or later, it does not affect the truth of it. At least this way they can have their happiness, short-lived though it may be."

Nyan smiled weakly. "Taiitsukun is a little bit fond of Houjun, _ne_?"

"Hmph." Her lips twitched. "I suppose even foolish students can grow on their teachers, given enough time."

oOo

Kiori, dressed comfortably in honey yellow silks, had her hair twisted back in one hand and a hairpin halfway through the knot when the door to the room swung open again, bringing Chichiri with it. She turned with a smile, but before she could even say "hello" he was across the room, his hands cupping her cheeks and his lips pressing hard against hers. He pulled her straight into him, their lips parting, feeling the taste of each other for the first time. Kiori was so surprised and delighted that she forgot to breathe, and after several long seconds she had to pull away, gasping and laughing in turns.

"What was _that_?"

"A decade of repression, I think."

He was already drawing her close again, but she danced out of his way this time, hands still behind her head, half in and half out of her bun. "Wait, wait! You've got to talk to me first. What did Taiitsukun say? Are the others okay?"

"Injured, some worse than others, but everyone's still alive, and she said no one was in any danger."

"But we're still leaving, aren't we?"

"I can't. I'm not strong enough to make the trip yet no da."

"So what does that mean?"

His hands dropped to her waist. "It means we have two days."

"Two days? Of what?"

"Whatever you want."

Slow understanding spread across her face and they drew together as one this time, Kiori raised just slightly on her toes so that she could meet him in the middle. Her arms seemed to have forgotten how to move, so Chichiri reached up, bringing them slowly away from her head and back down to her hips. For a moment the pair broke away, hovering a hairsbreadth from the other, hands clasped around the blossom-studded hairpin.

"So, um." Kiori's voice was a whispered gasp, but she somehow found a nervous, throaty chuckle to accompany it. "I know this is usually the part where the young lady says she wants to take it slow, but considering the past couple months, if we go much slower..."

"Backwards, I know."

They both laughed at that, relieved and taut and reckless with lust. But then the laughter died and they were together again, Chichiri trailing kisses down her neck, Kiori pressing herself tighter and tighter against his hips. She let him take the hairpin from her limp grasp. It hit the dresser with a soft plunk and they immediately forgot it, first the pin and then the dresser and then everything else, and for the next two, breathless days they knew nothing but each other.

oOo

Houki watched as the capital city came into sight, light peeking from the east to highlight the outer walls. She breathed a small sigh of relief, giving the dozing boy in front of her a soft squeeze. He awoke with a murmur, rubbing his eyes and yawning wide. "Are we there yet, Mama?"

"Almost."

"We gots back lots faster, huh?"

"Mm-hm. Your mama and Uncle Tori didn't sleep very much, so we made it in three days this time. Can you hang on to the saddle for just a little bit, sweetie? Mama wants to try a trot." He nodded and gripped tight, face scrunched in deep concentration, though there was little risk of him falling off as the RAFT had constructed a clever sort of harness for the boy. Houki patted his head once, then turned to look at her oddly quiet companion, who had spent much of the past three days gazing into the distance. "Tori, are you quite all right?"

He smiled, leaning his head against his horse. "Chrysanthemums."

"Hm?"

"Chrysanthemums're th' perfect flower fer a girl, ain't they? I mean, they're pretty, they smell nice, they're all about purity so's th' girl won't think ya got any ungentlemanly ideas about her... it's a great gift, innit? I mean, some guy gave you a bunch an' you'd be head-over-heels for him, na?"

Houki covered her laugh with her sleeve. "Of course. Do you have a recipient in mind?"

"Yeah, an' I'm flat broke, so I gotta work with what nature's gonna give me." He paused, setting a finger to his chin. "Too bad there ain't no such thing as a Hourin Flower... maybe I'll invent it..."

She shook her head, kicking her horse into a trot and hurrying down the hill towards the city gates. _'Oh dear. An impudent, love-sick rebel. Hataku is certain to be devastated.'_

The trio reached the palace with little trouble, returning first the horses to the stables and then the dozing Boshin to his nursemaid. The empress took a few moments to ask some servants to handle their luggage, and then both she and Tori took off across the palace grounds. She had nearly reached the Minister of the Left's office when a male voice hailed her from the opposite walkway. "Houki-sama!"

The pair turned to find Hataku standing across the way, one hand raised in greeting. They waited as he made his way towards them, his limping gate just a shade lighter than usual. He offered the empress a quick bow, then looked up to her, surprising them both with a small but bright smile. "Houki-sama, we heard that you'd returned. It's good to see you back in Konan."

Tori poked his head over her shoulder. "Ya miss me too, Hatchan?"

His smile didn't waver. "For the first time in my life, Tori-kun, I can hear your voice and not want to strangle anything." He offered his arm to the empress, leading them at a fast pace to the private dining hall. "I thought we could take breakfast while I explained the situation. There's really so much to tell you. Some of it may upset you at first, but I need you to promise that you won't make any rash decisions, not until you hear everything I have to say."

She nodded, taken aback at his sudden good cheer. "Ah, of course. How are the others?"

His smile creased into a small frown. "We haven't heard from Chichiri and Kiori since the battle, but the mansion was empty so we have good reason to believe they're still alive. Tasuki is a bit worse for the wear, but his seishi strength should allow him to heal without any lasting damage." Hataku looked to the floor. "And then there's Ritsuka."

Houki's good mood evaporated. "Ritsuka?"

"She and Tasuki defeated Setsuka with the tessen. The fires struck them all, but Ritsuka didn't have seishi strength or shields to protect her, and she was dressed for summer, without a scrap of cloak or armor to protect her. She is... badly injured."

"Will she be all right?"

He looked like he wanted to reassure her, but Hataku was too honest for that. He shook his head slowly. "I saw what she looked like after that attack. Even if she survives, with injuries like that... Yukeda-sensei has his work cut out for him, at best."

Houki pressed her hands to her mouth. "Poor Ritsuka. I only hope..." She blinked.. "But wait. Hataku. Did you say that both Tasuki _and_ Setsuka were protected from the attack?"

"Yes. Well." He ran a hand through his hair. "_That's_ the part I needed you to understand..."

Houki listened to everything Hataku told her, interrupting every so often to clarify but never to judge. Tori sat taut as a bowstring beside her, his eyes on his half-eaten breakfast as he chewed hard on his lip. Houki thought she didn't look much better, and as a favor to Hataku she waited several long moments after he had finished speaking, giving herself plenty of time to consider his story.

But she could think of no answer to give, so at last she simply said, "So Setsuka is alive and in the infirmaries."

"Yukeda-sensei said it wasn't a doctor's right to condemn, only to save."

"An admirable philosophy. A shame rulers cannot think the same way." Houki's hands twisted in her lap. "Oh, what is to be done...?"

"Setsuka's left that up to you." Hataku stood from the table, offering the empress a hand up. "Would you care to meet her? You might be able to find your answer if you do."

"I do not care to meet her at all, actually, but I suppose a good empress must remain unbiased until all the facts have been presented." Houki hesitated, then accepted his hand, offering him a bitter smile. "However, Hataku, I think it is fair that you know: I do this only for the sake of our friendship. That tyrant would be on her way to the dungeons if anyone else had made such a request."

"I... humbly thank you for that."

"Tori-kun, please come as well. The RAFT suffered longer than any of us. I will have need of their ambassador's counsel."

The rebel snapped out of his thoughts, standing in a hurry. "Oh, yeah.R-right behind ya, Houki-sama."

Judge, jury, and defense traveled silently down the walkways, too lost in their own concerns to bother with words. Hataku led them through the main infirmary and on to a private room fashioned with a heavy lock. Konan was by nature a humane nation, and the room had been built specifically for wounded enemy soldiers. An infirmary assistant hovered outside of the room, but he handed over the key as soon as he spotted Hataku, offering the trio a short bow before returning to his duties.

"One other thing you should know." Hataku paused on the threshold. "Setsuka's been a bit... unstable... since the night we returned. Most of the time she's calm enough, and occasionally she'll even talk and joke as if the past few years hadn't happened at all, but every so often she has these... attacks."

Houki's eyes blazed. "_Attacks_?"

"Nothing violent," he added hurriedly. "Just the opposite, in fact. She tends to fall into a stupor, as if she's not even aware of the people around her." His face darkened. "It can be noisier than that, though. Crying. Sometimes screaming. Yukeda-sensei says it's nerves."

"But you disagree," Houki finished.

He rubbed at his chin. "If I had to put a name to it, I think it has more to do with guilt. This wasn't like a possession or even a _kodoku_ drugging. It was slower, like a poison that infected her spirit instead of her body. She remembers _everything_, Houki-sama. Sometimes I think those memories are too much for her to handle. Sometimes I think the only way she can reconcile what she was then and who she is now is by shutting down completely.

"At any rate," he went on, shaking himself back to composure, "she was lucid when I left her. You should be able to speak to her without any problems. I just thought you should know, in case she says something unusual or begins to act strangely."

"What she _was_...?" Tori repeated in a murmur, but when he offered nothing else Hataku turned back and opened the door.

Houki took a breath as she stepped inside the cell, eyes falling on the battered woman in the corner. Setsuka was distractedly scratching Tama beneath the chin, but she looked up when the door opened, her eyes lighting when she spotted Hataku but dimming as soon as she took in the others. Tori's fists clenched at his sides but he said nothing. Houki gathered her hands into her sleeves, taking in the blistered streaks across the former lady's cheek and arms and the jagged ends of her singed hair. She looked a stark contrast to the beautiful, vicious woman who had stood outside the Eiyou gates just a few short months ago, and the contrast only grew sharper when she bent forward, offering a kowtow.

"Dowager Empress."

"Deposed Lady Setsuka."

"I... assume you are here to deliver my sentence."

Houki blinked. "You won't speak in your own defense?"

Setsuka chuckled weakly, glancing up through the strands of her bangs. Her words sounded practiced, as if she had spent the past few days rehearsing them, planning her final statement so that it would say exactly what she intended and not a syllable more. "And what defense would that be? That I was weak? That I was a fool? That I was so strangled with grief and rage that I let myself be seduced by a false god?" She shook her head. "You and I both know that kind of answer only works in the storybooks. You want evidence. I stand before you with none. Two empires want my head on a pike and I honestly don't know which one deserves it more."

She straightened again, a glimmer of her old pride in her eyes as she met the empress stare for stare, begging for nothing. "All I have is this: I could have escaped and didn't. I gave myself to death twice before and both times the gods saw it fit to spare me, first in that battle against your fellow warriors and again when Hataku found me. I don't know if that means anything, but it is the only evidence I have. Make what you will of it, and do what you will with me. As the victorious empress, it is your gods-given right."

"My gods-given right, is it?" Houki muttered dryly. She studied Setsuka again, noting the creases lining her eyes and mouth. She looked as if she had aged years in a single summer. "Tell me something, Deposed Lady Setsuka. If I were to pardon you, what would you do?"

"I don't expect you to pardon me. But if you did, then I suppose I'd do the same thing here that I would do in the hells. I would find a way to atone."

"And how do you propose to do that?"

"How?" Setsuka's head snapped up and she faltered. This was not part of her script. Eventually she had to look away. "I don't know."

"You don't know?" Houki pressed a hand against Tori's shoulder. "This man's parents were executed at your command, along with dozens of his friends and relatives. Now you tell me, Deposed Lady: How do you intend to atone for _that_?"

Setsuka looked at him helplessly. "I don't know."

"Because there is nothing you could do? Is that correct?"

"...Yes."

"She don't gotta atone," Tori said. "She's just gotta die her thousand deaths." He hesitated, snaking at look at the broken lady out of the corner of his eye, then glancing to Hataku again. He scowled but didn't waver. "Reckon she's bleedin' well done that already. Gone 'n' been reborn as some'n new. Ain't no Lady-a Takkan here, Houki-sama. Jus' some sad-lookin' Onee-san who got th' spit beat outta her."

Houki gave his shoulder a light squeeze. "Are you certain?"

"Kita's always sayin' we gotta be better 'n what we're fightin' against, so ain't no way I'm puttin' a defenseless Onee-san on the choppin' block. That'd make me low as she is. As she _was_." He nodded, though it looked like it hurt him to do it. "I can't say everyone back home is gonna feel that way. Ol' ugly-mug had t'see some pretty rough stuff while he was _taii _in th' army. He might want blood, him 'n' his brother both. But you wanted yer RAFT ambassador's answer, an' that's what he's got." He looked to Houki again, offering a shrug and a flicker of his usual grin. "'Sides, how'm I s'posed ta break me dear ol' shogun's heart like that, huh? Though it _is_ pretty creepy ta see him smilin' so much..."

Houki gave Tori another quick squeeze before dropping her hand. She glanced at Hataku over the rebel's shoulder, his eye shifting back and forth between the empress and the lady, switching from concerned to tender and back again just as quickly. Houki nodded, stepping forward and drawing herself to her full height. "Very well, then. Setsuka, you are the Deposed Lady of Takkan, driven from your lands by your people. Do you come here seeking sanctuary?"

Setsuka stared at her, at a loss, but she must have caught Houki's nod because she mirrored it. "Y-yes."

"And do you solemnly swear that you come here with no violent intent, either for Konan or her people?"

This one came without hesitation. "Yes."

"Then, as Konan law demands, I have no choice but to grant you asylum. You shall be treated as a guest, and remain unharmed as long as you stay within our walls. I hereby leave judgment in the hands of the Takkan people, who shall have the right to claim you as their prisoner, should they ever wish it. That is where your trial _legally_ belongs, and I will hold to the laws, as the gods so command us."

Houki looked to Hataku, offering him a tiny smile. "That is all I can give you. Pray that the people of Takkan are as merciful as Tori-kun, and perhaps that will be enough to save what you have recovered. I cannot yet bring myself to wish her happiness, Hataku, but I do wish it heartily on you. May this tale end well for all of us."

His bow was almost a perfect ninety-degree angle, and Houki did not miss the swell of emotion that tinged his normally taciturn voice. "I can't thank you enough, Houki-sama. You have my gratitude, and all of my loyalty. I will personally see to it that the new ruler of Takkan remains a friend of Konan for years to come."

Her eyebrows rose. "Then you still intend to return to Takkan?"

"We have to." They looked to Setsuka, her chin held high once again, her voice an uncompromising certainty. "It's our home. And whether I die in five days or five decades, I plan to do it in the nation I love." Her strength wavered, her voice shifting to a wobble. "In the n-nation I failed."

Setsuka seemed to cave in on herself, face darkening and fingers curling into claws. Tama bumped against her knee, mewing plaintively. As she hovered on the edge of a collapse, Houki slid up behind Hataku, setting a hand to his back. "Perhaps you had best comfort her. Tori-kun and I can find our own way out."

He shot Houki the briefest, most grateful of smiles, then hurried across the room to Setsuka's side. The empress felt herself smiling, and couldn't stop it from following her out of the infirmaries and back into the sunshine.

Tori grinned beside her, lacing his hands behind her head. "Maaaaan, I'm really somethin' else, ain't I? An didja see th' way ol' grumpy-ass looked at me? He was near about ready ta crown me king-a th' universe, when I said what I said."

"It was very noble of you, Tori-kun. It must have been a hard thing to say."

"Nah, not really. I jus' had ta think 'What would Leader do?' an' then I went ahead 'n' did it. Simple as slippin' on ice." He sniggered. "'Sides, it'll be a whole lot easier fer me ta court Hourin if Hataku's busy chasin' his own skirts 'round th' city."

"The poor girl does not realize what she is getting into," Houki teased.

"What're you talkin' about?" Tori puffed out his chest, smoothing back his eternally messy hair. "Hourin-chan loves me! Thinks I'm th' handsomest thing on two feet – told me so herself, she did!"

"Indeed?" Houki fought to smother her laughter. "Now isn't that odd? I could have _sworn_ that Hourin-san was blind."

oOo

Akai was in the outer chamber, clearing out the deceased Elements' personal effects when she heard a low, guttural moan from behind the curtain. She gasped, dropping her work and rushing into the dim back room, eyes landing first on the occupied bed and then flitting to the doctor hovering above him. "Is he—?"

"Seems to be," the doctor muttered.

She slipped across the room, peering over his shoulder and into Fuyuko's half-open eyes. She watched as the doctor moved his finger back and forth in front the boy's face. Her breath hitched when he didn't follow, and for a horrified moment she was afraid that he'd come back with missing pieces, that he was blind or simple or worse, but then she realized that he wasn't looking at the doctor at all. He was looking at the frightened girl hovering over the doctor's shoulder.

Akai smiled and Fuyuko smiled back. "Finally awake, lazy bum?"

"Guesh sho." The left side of his mouth didn't want to move as quickly as the right, and his _S_'s slurred as if he were drunk, but they were words all the same. Better still, they were words that made sense, words that answered her question and showed that he could hear her. That he was whole. He tried a question. It jerked but held together. "How. Long wush I. Out?"

"Three days," she said. "Really long ones." The doctor nudged her and she jumped, remembering what they had rehearsed. "Oh, right. Can you tell me your name?"

"Shi Fuyu. Ko."

"And my name?"

"Akai."

"And what's the last thing you remember?"

"Fighting Se. Tsuka. Wichu." His eyebrows scrunched, annoyed. He tried again, slower this time, forming each syllable with care. "_With_... _You_."

"His speech is a bit broken, but his mind seems intact." The doctor nodded, allowing himself a somber smile. "That's the most important thing, I suppose. Now Fuyuko-kun, I need you to wiggle all your fingers and toes for me. Can you do that?"

He nodded. Akai watched his feet twitch beneath the sheets and his right hand tap a rhythm against the bed. His left hand didn't budge. The doctor's lips tightened. "Try raising your left arm."

This he managed, though just barely, and not without a frustrated groan. "Issnutwrrrkinrrrt."

Akai leaned forward and squeezed his other hand. "It's okay, Fuyu-kun. You died for a little while, so no one expects you to be perfect. Just talk slow and move slow for right now, and you'll get better at it." She looked to the doctor. "Won't he?"

"Given time, yes, though I doubt he'll ever have full use of that hand again. Those who leave their limbs with Enma-sama rarely gain them back." He stood, brushing his hands against his trousers. "I'd like to move him into a real bedroom, somewhere on the main level where I can keep an eye on him. I want him watched for another week or so, to see if he has any more of those fits from before. There are ways to fight the falling sickness, but nothing that I know to cure it. Best we recognize it as soon as we can."

Akai nodded. "Should I help him up?"

"No. I don't want him walking just yet. I'll go upstairs, fetch an assistant to move him." He thought for a moment, then added, "I'll have a servant bring down some breakfast as well, and some tea to help strengthen him. Look after him for now, would you? He seems to want you to."

Fuyuko squeezed her fingers and smiled again. Akai hastily blinked away her tears. "Mm. I'll stay with him as long as he needs me. That's a promise." She took a seat beside the bed as the doctor left, smoothing down Fuyuko's hair as she did. "So you're free from Setsuka now. Bet that must be a relief." She hesitated, then added, "I don't suppose... you know how the battle turned out?"

His head wobbled. "I'm li'l bit concted." He tried again. "_Con-nect-ed._ To other Ele. Mentsh. Sho... I think Ka. Ji shvived. _Shur-vived_." He glanced away. "Mae-chan didn't."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. She wush un. Happy. _Unhappy_. All the time. Mebbe next life she wunbe. _Won't be_."

"I'll pray for that. She was important to a friend of mine in Konan, too, so I bet he'll pray for the same thing. Mae-chan will have a happy rebirth, I'm sure of it."

He smiled weakly. "_Doumo._" He thought for a moment, then shook his head. "Other shtuff is. Cut off. Free from. Her so I dun. No. Anyshing elsh. An-y-_thing_ elsh. El_s_h. Els-sh."

He blew out air between his teeth, and he looked so much like a child struggling with a new _kanji_ that Akai almost laughed. "Let's take the _S_'s slowly for now, okay?" She patted his shoulder. "You wanna try sitting up? I can pull your hair back for you, smooth out your clothes, make you look all dashing for your return to the world."

He snorted a laugh at that, no doubt fully aware of his papery skin and emaciated frame, but he grasped her hand and did what he could to help, using his partly-frozen left arm to shove himself up off the bed. He wavered but held himself on his own, smiling as Akai slipped onto the bed behind him and set a brush to his matted hair. He was glad that she couldn't see the tears streaking his face, and even gladder that his jerking voice made it sound like he was always on the edge of a sob. "Sanku. Thankyu. Thank. You."

She poked him in the side. "Hey, quit it. We're friends now, okay? So helping each other is just something we do."

"But. I can't... for you..."

Akai rolled her eyes. "Look, if you really want to repay me, then work hard and get healthy again so you and me can go to Konan together. Houki-sama and Kiori-san are going to want to see you again, and I just know the others will like you, too." She tugged the brush gently through a tangle, working it loose with sisterly kindness. "And then after that, who knows? I want to wander all over the place, but it'd be pretty lonely by myself. Maybe you could come with me, huh?" She chuckled. "Actually, I'm pretty good at sticking my nose into places it shouldn't be, so it'd be nice to have a doctor around. What do you say? I know that's maybe a long way off, but would you want to come with me? Fight off bad guys and travel the world?"

Fuyuko stared at the numb hand in his lap. He clasped his good one atop it, giving it a squeeze. He swallowed back his tears and found another smile. "Might. Be a while. For me. Wouldju wait?"

"Sure. There's plenty to do in Takkan, and it's not like we don't have time." Akai grinned to herself. "We're still just kids, after all. We've got our whole futures ahead of us."

He worked the word around on his clumsy tongue, feeling for the taste of it, struggling until he had it right. "Fuchur. Fyu-chrr. Fu. Ture. Future." He swallowed. "I have a. Future. Again." He nodded once, full of strength, alight with a hope he had thought had been extinguished for good. "Okay, Akai. If you'll wait, then I'll shee... I'll _sss_ee. The world. With. You. I promise."

oOo

"_New trials still awaited those in Konan, and decisions not yet made would continue shake the foundations of both the southern empire and its small northern neighbor for years to come. For the end of one tale is simply the beginning of another, and as long as the world turned both its nations and its people would live on to begin another chapter. But for the moment, at least, as two young warriors clasped hands and shared a brief smile, it seemed that the final word in _this_ volume of Takkan's history had, at last, been set to page_." Yui blew air into her bangs and handed the book to Tetsuya, offering both her male friends a cautious smile. "End Chapter Thirty-Eight."

-  
Chichiri: The war may be over, but the end is just beginning.  
Tasuki: We've all fought like demons,  
Kiori: Suffered unbearable losses,  
Ritsuka: And learned more about each other than we ever thought possible.  
Houki: But no matter what happens,  
Akai: No matter what sorrows await,  
Koji: An' no matter how far away we are,  
Chichiri: I know—  
Kiori: I'm sure—  
Ritsuka: I'm just positive—  
Tasuki: That I won't have any regrets.  
Konan Warriors: Because, it's all been for you.

Chichiri: If it's for you, I'd break away from the past  
Tasuki: Face every fear  
Ritsuka: Lay my life on the line  
Kiori: Believe in the impossible.

Houki: If it's for you, I would swim an ocean  
Koji: Defeat an army  
Akai: Tackle a demon  
Aoi: Take on the world.

Tsuchi: If it's for you, I'd fight unbeatable odds  
Mizu: Sacrifice everything  
Hataku: Live again  
Setsuka: Love again.

Kiori: If it's for you...  
Ritsuka: For you...  
Tasuki: An' only fer you.

The Next Episode of _Fushigi Yuugi: The Next Chapter_: "For You... New Ends and New Beginnings."

Chichiri: If it's for you, I might even be able to say goodbye...  
-

* * *

**End Notes:  
**(1) Tsuchi's Illness and Medieval Medicine - I won't get too technical on you, but in modern terms, Tsuchi briefly suffered from cerebral hypoxia: a lack of oxygen to the brain. Even more simply put, he suffered a stroke. When he was revived, he then had a brief seizure, what our Konan doctor referred to as "the falling sickness." I tried to keep my Konan doctor as historically accurate as possible, but I may have fudged a few details here and there, particularly when it comes to CPR. I tried to make it seem less like actual CPR and more like someone trying to push the breath out of someone's lungs (a logical concept even with limited medical knowledge, I would think), but even so... Well, as Watase has stated before, this is Fantasy China, so liberties get to be taken here and there, I s'pose. :)

_**Ye Olde Author's Note: November 19th, 2010  
**_Ni-hao, minna-san!  
Well hey, that wasn't so bad, right? I think I even let that episode end with over half the cast relatively safe and happy. That's gotta be some kind of record. To tell you the truth, this and the next episode were originally a single piece, but it was so darn long that I had to split it in the rewrite. As a result, this one wound up a lot shorter than the next one, and the ending is a bit more sudden than most of my eps. Things get a little intense after this point, though, so I figured I'd do my readers a favor and end an episode on a peaceful note for once. (_smile_) Besides, that final scene with Akai and Tsuchi really does mark the end of the "Takkan Story Arcs," at least until the Ending Credits, so it makes for a decent stopping point.

Oh, and speaking of Ending Credits... I wound up rewriting the last scene of the original FY:NC and fleshing it out into a series of scenes. As a result, Episode 39 got a little ridiculous in length. So, to make the reading load more manageable for everyone, I'm splitting it into two chapters: Episode 39 and the Ending Credits, which are fairly short and will give me lots of room to leave some closing remarks. (_Mein Gott_, we're so close to the end! I still can't quite believe it.) And don't worry – I'm going to post both of these pieces on the same day, December 25 (Merry Christmas!), so you won't have to wait to read the finale.  
And now that we've got the explanations out of the way, on to the fun stuff!

**The Things I Do For Research: **In order to describe Ritsuka's post-fire condition in the most gut-wrenchingly accurate way possible, I bit my tongue, clenched my jaw and searched for "third-degree burns" on Google Images. Yyyyyyeah... Suffice to say my descriptions could not hope to do the actual photos justice. If you ever want to go on a diet, just flick through the hits. You may not eat for a week.

**Never Edit at 1am (Or, How I Referenced Your Mother)  
**I don't have the ability to read over the Chichiri/Kiori "fade-to-black" scene after about midnight without thinking something ridiculous. I have referred to them as a number of different animals, from "sex bunnies" to "sex pandas," despite the fact that the last one is an oxymoron, and during my final edit I just wound up singing the "Bang Bang Bangity Bang" song from _How I Met Your Mother_. (YouTube it if you don't know what I mean.) _I said bang, a-bang, a-bangity-bang, I said a-bang bang bangity-bang (buh-bum bum bum)... _Aaaaand now the damn thing is stuck in my head again. Too catchy for its own good, I tell you._  
_To conclude, I'm deliriously happy for our little Konan lovebirds, and I hope you all are, too. (_grin_)

I thought about discussing my decision to let Setsuka survive (since I know there are probably plenty of people grinding their teeth about that), but I'm hoping that the story will speak for itself. So even if you aren't pleased with it, I do hope you'll understand the reasoning behind it... and maybe you can think like Houki and be happy for Hataku, at least. (_smile?_)

Thanks to The White Phoenix, LordAxelLover, Ayriel, Virginia Wolfe, antyem, IttyBittyTidbits, and inuphantom for your marvelous reviews, and I can't wait to hear from you again after this one, too.

See you at the finale! —Dee


	39. Episode Thirty Nine: For You

_**Disclaimer**_**:** I still don't own Konan, Suzaku and all characters and seishi pertaining to them. Kiori and Ritsuka are and shall forever be mine, and that holds for all the other "originals" (you'll know 'em when they appear, trust me). Obviously the story is mine as well.  
_**Rating:**_ PG-13, for moderate language and violence.

**Musical Selection: **"Belladonna's Snare" for the Tasuki/Setsuka confrontation scene (that ain't a spoiler, you all knew it had to happen!), "Lullaby for My Favorite Insomniac" for the Kiori/Chichiri scenes, except the lake shore scene, where you should play "Agarta's Rain" instead, and Natsukawa Rimi's "Sayonara, Arigatou" for the scene that begins right after the line _They stepped forward and were swallowed into the robe._

**Previously on **_**Fushigi Yuugi: The Next Chapter**_**...  
**-Setsuka was defeated, though Tasuki was injured and Ritsuka badly burned during the final battle. The Takkan Lady survived the attack, and seems to have been freed from Tenkou's power. Hataku, seeing Setsuka acting more like her old self, couldn't bring himself to kill her. The two returned to Konan, where Setsuka prepared herself for whatever punishment Konan Warriors and RAFT alike might mete out.  
-Houki and Tori returned to Konan, where both made the decision to show mercy to Setsuka. They allowed her to live, though they cannot promise that their other friends will do the same.  
-Tsuchi/Fuyuko nearly died after Setsuka smashed his gem, but a Takkan doctor managed to revive him. The stroke left Fuyuko with a severe speech impediment and a paralyzed left hand, but Akai promised to stay in Takkan to help him. The two made a vow to see the world together, once Fuyuko was healthier.  
-Chichiri and Kiori awoke safe and sound on Mount Taikyoku. Chichiri was too drained from the incident with Mizu to teleport them back to Eiyou, so the new couple settled in for a two-day impromptu "honeymoon," blissfully unaware of their friends' predicaments...

_I just went back and reread the first chapter before editing this - and wow. It's amazing to me just how far both these characters _and _my writing have come. _(sniffle) _My little Warriors are all grown up..._

* * *

**-Episode Thirty-Nine: For You...-  
****New Ends and New Beginnings**

The three Tokyo readers exchanged a smile that bordered on the baffled.

"Almost done," Tetsuya said, tapping his finger against the first kanji for the final chapter. "It's a little unbelievable, huh?"

"What's really unbelievable is how peaceful that last one went," Yui remarked. She tried to keep her smile, but it didn't quite reach the rest of her face. "I'm sort of worried, though. I mean, there's still—"

"Ritsuka," Keisuke murmured. He pressed his chin into his hands. "I've known that crazy girl since freshman year. If she doesn't make it..."

The trio fell into silence for a long moment. Then Yui reached across the table and patted Keisuke's knee. "They'll find a way to help her. Heck, knowing Ikido-san, she might just pull through on her own." He nodded slowly, but there wasn't much optimism in it. Yui looked pleadingly to her boyfriend. "W-well, talking about it won't get us anywhere. Go ahead and start reading, Tetsuya."

"Oh yeah. Right." He shot his friend one last quick glance, but Keisuke just waved for him to go on. Tetsuya cleared his throat and began the final chapter. "'_Unaware of the struggles that had occurred in both Konan and Takkan, the young lovers on Taikyoku awoke late in the morning, preparing for their return to the capital...'_"

oOo

Kiori traced a circle along Chichiri's stomach. "The two days are up, aren't they?"

"That tickles no da. And yes, I guess they are."

She didn't stop, but instead let her tracing finger slide further down his waist. "We really ought to think about getting out of bed, huh?"

"That _still_ tickles no da. And yes, I guess we should."

Her hand slipped beneath the blankets. "We should probably head out right now, huh?"

"You know, technically speaking, it'll still be 'right now' in ten more minutes..."

Forty-five minutes later they had dragged, cajoled, and guilt-tripped one another out of bed and into their clothes. For form's sake, Chichiri monk's robes had been returned to him, and he slipped them on slowly, reluctant to return to the mortal world and all its laws.

"It'll just be for another few days," Kiori reminded him, straightening his prayer beads and giving his tail of hair a teasing tug. "Then you can request release from the order and Sensui-_kanju_ can boot you out of the gates as a Suzaku lay-follower. We'll be annoying our friends with our wanton PDA before you can say 'Rekka Shin'en.'"

"You see? I want to kiss you for saying that, and I can't. This is terrible no da."

"Just hold my hand when you get lonely and the rest of the time, well, do your best to think pure, enlightened thoughts. Now, are we taking Mae-chan home first?"

"Yes, but you don't have to come if you don't want to no da. It's going to be a painful conversation. If you'd rather stay here..."

"Tthe gods might smite me down for kissing a man in monk's robes, but that doesn't mean I don't still want to be with you." Kiori squeezed his hand. "If you want me there, then I'll be there."

"Then hang on. It's a long trip, and the jumps get trickier with distance no da."

oOo

Houki stood outside Setsuka's infirmary room, glancing first at the door and then at Hataku, seated in a chair beside it. A wail echoed from behind the wood, and Houki surprised herself by feeling a swell of sympathy. Hataku's hands clenched in his lap, teeth gritting tighter with every anguished shriek. "Is there nothing we can do?" she asked as another sob rattled the door.

"Yukeda-sensei has an assistant in there, giving her some kind of medicine for the nerves. Worse comes to worse, there's always the sleeping potions." He hissed between his teeth. "But no. There's nothing we can do."

"But I thought having you around—"

"Sometimes," he agreed before she could finish. "Sometimes I can calm her down. And other times I'm what sets her off." He flapped a hand at his eye patch. "I'm a constant reminder of the monster that was inside of her – the monster that she's convinced is still there. Never mind that she's the only one who actually thinks that. For the gods' sakes, even _Tori-kun_ can tell, and he..."

"Is the brightest, handsomest chap ya ever did know?"

The two looked across the infirmary as Tori sauntered towards them, a satchel swung over his shoulder. He grinned and waved, plunking his bag on the floor and striking a pose. "Well'p, I'm 'bout ready t' head home, give 'em all th' latest news. Here's ta hopin' they don't strangle me fer not comin' back with a captured Setsuka – may she die a thousand deaths." He slapped a hand to his forehead. "Whoops, force-a habit. I take it back. May she only die one death, years from now, natural-like. So c'mon, you two gonna sit there an' bring on th' rain, or you gonna see me off?"

Houki stood. "I suppose I should walk with you to the stables. After coming all the way here with me, it is the least I can do to repay you." She held out a hand as Hataku attempted to rise. "No, you had best stay here. Setsuka may ask for you again."

Hataku flashed her a grateful smile, but it withered when Tori said, "Oh sure, you jus' stay here. After all, we're gonna be in-laws b'fore much longer, so it ain't like I won't see you lots 'n' lots after this, innit, Hatchan?" Tori leaped backwards just in time to avoid Hataku's grasp, then grabbed the empress and his bag and bolted for the doors. "Hurry, Houki-sama! He don't move so fast now but he's still got a wallop as strong as his mum's! _Nigete_!"

The empress was left giggling breathlessly as Tori dragged her down the palace walkways, leaving a spluttering Hataku in their wake. Tori only dared to slow down when they had passed through the western pavilion and were well out of sight of the infirmaries. He had just turned back to Houki, another joke halfway out of his lips, when the sky fell on top of him.

"Da!" The sky yelped as it _thwumped_ against his back. "Are you okay, Kiori?"

"I'm fine. And you?"

"Not bad no da. At least I landed on something soft."

Tori wheezed for air but still managed a wisecrack. "H'oh, so th' sky talks like a married couple, do it? No wonder it storms so much up there."

"Da?"

"Oh, Chichiri, you're sitting on, er..."

Houki stared, mouth agape, as Chichiri and Kiori clambered off the gasping rebel. They leaned over him, Chichiri with an apologetic smile. "_Gomen_ no da. My landings have never been my strong point." He looked up again, smile widening as he spotted the empress. "Houki-sama, good to see you again! I hope you weren't too worried about us no da."

"Worried?" she gasped, finding her voice at last. "I was terrified. Oh, thank the gods you are both safe!" She all but trampled Tori in her hurry to embrace them, smiling as the pair parted just long enough to greet her before snapping back together like magnets. "I see the two of you are closer than ever. That may be the best news I have heard all week."

"No disagreements there no da." Chichiri offered her an apologetic bow. "Sorry we took so long. There were complications, and we were told there was no rush." He turned inward for a moment, seeking out familiar life forces. His brow creased. "Though I'm starting to think we were lied to. What's going on no da? Why is everyone still in the infirmary, and who...?" His eye widened. "Setsuka. That's _Setsuka _in there. But why in the gods' names—?"

"H'oh no, I ain't gettin' stuck listenin' ta this again." Tori stood and dusted off his trousers. "It's a tale an' a half, an' I heard it already. Best be on m'way, wouldn't wanna spoil th' endin' – no, no, Majesty, you stay here fer story time, I c'n get there all right on me own." He flapped both hands in farewell, already back-pedaling to the nearest stable. "I'll be seein' you chaps 'round! Gotta get back t'the ol' motherland, doncha know. Oh, hey, when ya see Hataku, tell him I said I don't like th' idea of bein' his brother-in-law anymore'n he does. That oughta give him some-a his old headache back!"

The RAFT member disappeared in a rush, grinning cheekily the entire way. Kiori turned to Chichiri. "Okay, _what _is going on?"

"Setsuka's in the palace no da."

"She's _alive_?"

"Mm." His eye narrowed to a slit. "Though I almost didn't recognize her no da. She feels... strange." He looked to the empress, an edge of iron behind his words. "Houki-sama, I think you should explain this. And I hope you have a very good reason for keeping that woman in our infirmaries instead of throwing her in the dungeons where she belongs."

"A good reason? Perhaps not." Houki rubbed at her temples. "But here is the reason, for what it is worth, and do try not to dethrone me until I have finished..."

So they listened to all that the empress had seen and heard in the last day, Chichiri watching Houki and Kiori watching Chichiri, giving his hand a little squeeze any time his jaw tightened or the veins in his throat stood out a bit too sharply. He took some comfort in her presence, and despite his growing tension and the brief crackles of _ki _that raced across his shoulders, he at least managed to stay silent until Houki had finished.

He made his decision as they reached the infirmary. "I need to see her no da." He didn't bother masking the distaste in his voice. "I don't _want_ to, but it has to be done."

Houki's hands twisted in her sleeves. "She is... not well, at the moment."

"I know. But still."

The two women followed him into the building and back to the private chamber, its door open the tiniest of cracks. Hataku shoved himself to his feet as they drew closer. He didn't need to be a _ki_-senser to feel the unrest roiling off of the monk. "Chichiri, listen—"

"I've heard everything no da. Excuse me."

He brushed past Hataku but Kiori caught his sleeve, making him turn. "Wait. You said yourself that her life force felt strange, didn't you? So maybe that's what this is. Maybe Setsuka really has changed." She slid in front of him, searching his face. "And even if you don't want to trust your own senses, then at least trust Hataku. He knows her better than anyone."

"He loves her more than anyone. That's not the same thing, and often more dangerous." She waited, stubborn and unmoving. Chichiri couldn't help but smile. "It's all right no da. I have no intention of hurting her. You ought to know me better than that."

"Then why do you look like you're about to blast her through a wall?"

"Because a part of me really wants to," he admitted, smile strained with anger. "I think of myself as a forgiving person, but I do have my limits no da. Trying to kill my closest friends and the woman I love – in the same night, no less – happens to be one of them. But it's all right. As much as I _want_ to, I won't. I just need to check something no da. Okay?"

Kiori frowned but nodded. She stepped to the side, watching as Chichiri moved past her and into the room. She and Hataku crowded in after him, Houki just a step or two behind, but the Lady of Takkan didn't seem to notice them. She was propped against the wall, knees curled to her chest and eyes focused on something none of the others could see.

It wasn't until Chichiri leaned over her that she finally moved, and this in one great, stiff jerk, her head snapping up and towards him. She opened her mouth to shout, but Hataku was at her side, holding her close. It was too painful for him to kneel on the floor, so he sat in the chair next to her pallet instead, one hand on her shoulder and the other curled around her back. His presence seemed to calm her enough so she could sit in silence, watching with wide, panicked eyes as Chichiri set two fingers to her forehead.

He crackled crimson, but it was gentler than it had been before, a power born out of curiosity instead of anger. The light inched down his arm and seemed to spread to Setsuka, anointing her briefly with a crimson halo. It was gone in a moment, leaving her blinking, dazed but more aware, somehow, as if the touch of his power had brought her back to herself.

"_Yahari_," he murmured, then opened his eye and looked to Hataku. "I owe you an apology. You have better judgment than I gave you credit for." His smile was small but relieved. "You were right. The demon god's touch is gone no da. I don't know if she's back to the way she was before, but she does feel more like a normal human, at least."

"What..." Setsuka murmured the word as if coming out of a deep sleep. "The monk is here." She looked to Hataku, and there was something both frightened and hopeful in her next question. "Is he here to kill me?" No one missed the flicker of pain that twitched across Hataku's mouth. He shook his head. Setsuka looked over Chichiri's shoulder at Kiori. "I'm sorry for striking you. You were right. I ruined Mizu-chan. Just like everything else." Her head shook slowly. "I'm sorry. So sorry."

Kiori's reply was automatic. "It's okay."

"No. Never."

Setsuka crumpled against Hataku, who kissed the top of her head before looking back to Chichiri. "At least she's talking again. Did you have anything to do with that?"

"A sutra for a calm mind no da. It's just a quick fix. She needs to see a priest, someone who specializes in purification rituals. There are still traces of black energy laced through her life force, and its crashing against her spirit. That would put a strain on anyone's mind." He stared at Setsuka for a minute, annoyed by his own empathy. "Especially a mind as warped by guilt as hers is, no da." He turned, looking again to the empress. "I want the purification ritual arranged as soon as possible. The last thing we need is for that dark _ki_ to regain control. As long as we do that, she's no threat to Konan no da."

"And you'll let her live?" That from Hataku, back on his feet and ready to protect what he'd already lost once.

"Mm." Chichiri relaxed at last, and the two shared a brief smile. "Maybe I'm a fool for it, but I trust my instincts. I can't promise that everyone else will feel the same no da. Does Tasuki know about this?"

"Not yet," Houki said, at the same time Kiori said, "Hey, where _is_ Tasuki? And Ritsuka too?"

Hataku's smile faded. "They've been... isolated. It's quieter in the private chamber, more comfortable, and it's easier for Yukeda-sensei to look after them."

Kiori whipped around. "What's wrong with them? We've been gone for days and Taiitsukun said... I-I mean, they should be out of danger by now, shouldn't they?" She looked to Chichiri. "Shouldn't they?"

"I'd think so, but I can't say for certain. The infirmary is too choked with life forces – it's hard for me to sense anything specific from anyone but Tasuki, and he's healthy enough..." The crease returned to Chichiri's forehead. "But something's wrong. _Really_ wrong. I haven't felt him this upset since Koji died."

They looked to the empress. Houki set her hands against their arms, guiding the pair away from the cell and back out to the main infirmary. "You have the right of it, Chichiri. Tasuki is awake and healing well. There is no need for him to remain under Yukeda-sensei's observation. However, he refuses to leave Ritsuka by herself."

"Ritsuka?" Kiori's fingers dug into Houki's arm. "What's wrong with her?"

"Burn wounds," she said. "She was caught in the blast, and..."

Kiori spun away before the empress could finish, flying across the room and to the closed door. Her hands fumbled with the doorknob, too slick with sweat and fear to get a grip on it, but Chichiri came up behind her and curled his hands around hers, steadying them both as they stumbled inside.

The door swung closed behind them, leaving them in near-darkness, but Chichiri didn't need light to know what was happening. Closed off from the rest of the infirmary at last, he could pinpoint the fluttering stabs of agonized _ki _and trace them straight to the body lying beside his seishi friend. He pressed a hand to his mouth to ward off a gag brought on by both Ritsuka's writhing life force and the acrid stench of the room, a mingling of rubbing alcohol and vomit and something horrifyingly akin to decaying meat. He jumped when Kiori caught his arm, grasping it for strength as she inched across the room.

Tasuki sat with his back against the wall, his legs crossed beneath him and Ritsuka's head pillowed in his lap. She was stretched out on her stomach in front of him, a light blanket covering her from neck to feet, though it did little to keep the chills from dancing across her. Ritsuka whimpered and Kiori echoed it. "Ritsu..."

Tasuki looked up as last, though he showed no joy at seeing them. He just held up his bandaged hands, staring helplessly through the darkness. "What th' hell am I s'posed ta do?" he croaked. "I can't even hold her."

That was all it took. Kiori was out of Chichiri's grasp and across the room, throwing her arms around Tasuki's neck and pulling him against her. He stared straight ahead at first, blinking, but eventually his arms curled up and wrapped around her, his hands held out awkwardly behind her back, fanning the air. His face contorted and he buried it against her shoulder, though if he cried he did so without sobs.

As his soundless grief choked the room, Chichiri stumbled back against the door, shaking his head slowly. "No. No, this can't be right. She told me... she _told _me..."

"Chichiri." Kiori's voice was a gentle snap. When he looked up again he saw her watching him over her shoulder, eyes filling with tears. "Help me."

He snapped from his shock and hurried toward her, kneeling on the pallet to the other side of Tasuki. Chichiri's hand hovered uncertainly above Ritsuka. He looked to Kiori, perhaps for a way out, but she just nodded once. He took a breath and pulled back the sheet, staring at the strips of padded bandages that all but covered Ritsuka's naked body. It felt like a violation of sorts, seeing the vibrant redhead suddenly so fragile, and Chichiri had to turn away and back to Kiori, watching her face flash horror. He reached for her, giving her arm a short squeeze and sending a burst of soothing _ki_ to go with it.

"It'll be all right," he murmured.

She swallowed hard, her hands kneading into Tasuki's back, but she wouldn't let the bandit know her fears. "I hope so."

"It has ta be." Tasuki lifted his head from Kiori's shoulder, his cheeks surprisingly free of tears. He pulled away so he could look at her, his eyes jerking from her to Chichiri and back again, and then finally, always, returning to Ritsuka. "She's th' reason I'm here. I shoulda been dead... shoulda been me who took th' blow out there, but she... she had ta..." His throat fought against sobs and once more he held them at bay. "So you can't let her die. Somehow you gotta make her be all right. Okay?"

Kiori pursed her lips and nodded. "Yeah. Yeah. Okay, Tasuki. We're gonna fix this." She looked to Chichiri again, begging him to be her strength. "I need to get a better look at her. Maybe I can think of something that Yukeda-sensei hasn't yet. Could you ask Sensei to come in so he can help me with the bandages?"

He nodded and she shot him a grateful smile. She turned back to Tasuki, whose attention had returned to Ritsuka. He used his uninjured forearm to stroke back her sweat-soaked bangs. Kiori had to bite her lip to hold back her tears. She steeled herself and reached for the bandit's shoulders, forcing him to look at her. She spoke slowly, keeping her words soft and soothing. "Hey, Tasuki? Sensei and I are gonna take a quick look at Ritsuka again. I'm gonna do everything I can to help her, but I'm gonna need you and Chichiri to step outside while I do this, okay? It'll just be for a minute, I promise."

Tasuki didn't smile, but there was a hint of humor in his voice. "That fire didn't burn out my brain 'r nothin', so stop talkin' t'me like I'm simple 'r somethin'. It's fine. I don't mind leavin' her if yer gonna be here."

"Thanks."

Kiori eased Ritsuka off of his lap and back to the pallet. She worked as gently as possible, but even so Ritsuka cried out, an agonized bray that sounded more animal than human. It was all Tasuki could do to keep his hands away from her, and he might have cradled her anyway had Chichiri not clutched his shoulder. "Come on," he murmured, standing and helping his friend to do the same. "Ritsuka's in good hands no da."

Tasuki nodded weakly and followed Chichiri to the door, though it took him twice as long because he couldn't stop snatching glances at the two women behind him. Chichiri guided him back into the light of the infirmary, surprised at how easy it was to steer his headstrong friend from place to place. Tasuki even took a seat on a nearby pallet, eyes never leaving the back door as Chichiri signaled to Yukeda. The head doctor disappeared into the gloom.

Chichiri sat down across from his friend, setting his back against the wall and drawing his knees almost to his chest. "Tasuki, I'm so sorry."

"It's my fault, not yers. I was Red's Element ta take. I knew damn well about those repercussions, but I was too tired, too damned sick and scared-a losin' ta keep her safe. So instead she wound up bein' th' one ta protect _me_, an' now..." He pressed his head against his forearm for a moment, then looked up again, his face a mask of misery. "She ain't gonna make it, is she?"

"We'll see what Kiori says no da." Chichiri's hands clenched against his knees. "And Tasuki? I know that none of us is very good at sharing blame, but... just this once, you really need to give some of it to me, okay? To me... and to Ritsuka, too. We all made our choices that night, and for better or for worse this is where they brought us." He glanced away. "Anyway, that's not what I was apologizing for no da. I was apologizing for what happened afterward. For all of this. You never should have had to deal with it alone."

He snorted. "No shit." Tasuki studied him through his bangs, unsure whether to be upset or concerned. "Where the hell were you, 'Chiri?"

"Taikyoku-zan."

"Doin' _what_?"

Chichiri squeezed the bridge of his nose. "Honeymooning, I think. Taiitsukun told me everyone was safe no da. I was too weak to teleport us back, so I thought..." He shook his head. "No, there's no excuse. I should never have turned my back on you, even if it was on accident."

"Honeymoonin', huh?" Tasuki chuckled weakly. "Can't really be mad at you fer that one, can I? Hell, c'n you imagine how pissed off Red would be if she found out you 'n' Kiori cut yer time t'gether short jus' ta come back here an' check up on her?"

Chichiri felt a twitch of a smile. "She'd probably chase us both out of the palace, waving your tessen in one hand and the Holy Sword in the other, shouting something like—"

"And don't you come back 'till you bring Auntie Ritsuka some babies to spoil!" they cried as one, laughing in spite of themselves.

Tasuki drew up his legs as well, leaning his arm against his knee and his head against his forearm. "Nah, don't kick yerself fer tryin' ta have some fun. Ain't nothin' you coulda done even if ya had been here, 'cept maybe snuck some _sake _ta me every five minutes 'r so." He heaved a sigh. "But hey, I survived it. An' I'm happy fer ya, I really am. I know Red would be, too."

"Don't say it like she's already gone. She's survived this long no da. Ritsuka may surprise us."

He smiled softly. "She's pretty good at that, huh?" Tasuki stared at the crack between the floor and the inner chamber's door. After a moment he shook his head and sighed, raising his neck with an effort. He still sagged with exhaustion, but the monk thought that, for the first time that afternoon, there was a flicker of hope behind all the pain as well. "Yeah, maybe it will work out okay, like yer always sayin'. An' hey, at least I managed ta kill Setsuka. That's some consolation, I guess."

Chichiri's face fell. He looked away, bracing himself for the explosion that was sure to come. "Tasuki, there's something you need to know..."

oOo

Houki, Hataku and Setsuka jumped as a _kansai_ accent roared from the main hall.

"You gods damned son of a _bitch_!"

Tasuki threw himself through the doorway, murder in his eyes. He charged across the room, glare fixed on Setsuka. Hataku stood to intercept him, but even injured Tasuki was too quick for the shogun. He ignored the lances in his hands as he grabbed Setsuka by the front of her robes, hoisting her to her feet and slamming her back against the wall. "You!"

Chichiri hurried into the room, paling as Tasuki pressed his forearm against the lady's throat. "Tasuki, wait, it isn't what you think—"

"Shut up!" he roared, tightening his hold. "How the hell could ya let her live after everything she's done t'us? How could ya fergive this bitch?"

Hataku grabbed at the bandit's arm. He couldn't pull him away, but he was at least able to prevent Setsuka from being strangled. "Calm down and _look _at her, would you? I wanted to kill her as badly as you do, but surely you can see she's changed."

"I don't care if she's turned inta Suzaku himself! It's her fault Koji's dead, that Red's..." He choked on the words. "An' you expect me t'let her go after all that?"

"You have every right to be upset, I'll grant you that." Hataku's voice dropped to a growl. "But if you hurt her without hearing us out, then I swear I'll kill you myself."

Tasuki snorted. "Yeah, 'cause a promise outta you means somethin', don't it?"

Setsuka's eyes flitted back and forth between Hataku and Tasuki. She swallowed around the bandit's grasp but somehow found her voice. "Hataku, please step aside."

"You can't expect me to—"

"I came here for this," she said. "I was prepared to die the moment I stepped inside the palace."

"You _want_ to die," Hataku hissed. "You won't even defend yourself. You're all but begging these people to kill you."

Tasuki bared his fangs. "I c'n give her a hand with that."

"She's helpless, you damned fool! How can you—"

"Hataku!" Setsuka's voice snapped with fear, but there was a firmness to it that said she wasn't afraid for herself. "You're not the one on trial here. I won't see you hurt, not because of me." She turned inward again, sliding into that dark corner where she had shoved her other self. "Not ever again." And back up, begging this time. "So step aside. Please."

He hesitated, jaw held so tight it was practically snapping out of his skin. He couldn't fight her, though, not when he knew she was right. Hataku shot Tasuki a look that boiled with rage, but his hand dropped from the bandit's arm, and he did what she asked. He stepped aside.

"Don't do something you'll regret no da," Chichiri murmured from behind them.

Tasuki barely heard him. He stared down at the Takkan lady, leaning his forearm against her throat once more. Hataku opened his mouth to protest, but Houki pressed a hand to his arm, shushing him softly. Tasuki's words were a snarl. "One. Good. Reason. One good gods damned reason why I shouldn't snap yer neck here an' now."

"Everyone wants an excuse." Setsuka met his glare with resignation. "I don't have any. I could offer an apology but what good would that be? We're not children. 'I'm sorry' doesn't fix things anymore. Countless people are dead because of me. There's nothing I can do to bring them back."

"Nothing any of us can do," Chichiri said, and Tasuki wondered when the monk had come up behind him. "Look at her, Tasuki. Hataku was right no da. She wants you to kill her."

"Then why shouldn't I?"

"Because you're not a murderer no da. And that's all this would be. You'd be strangling an injured, unarmed woman. With the way she is now, I doubt she'd even try to fight back."

Tasuki studied her for a moment, watching the quiet grief in her wince, the exhaustion that tugged at the corners of her lips. "Yeah. She's different now. I'll give ya that." He found his resolve again and tightened his hold. "But that don't change what happened. Not ta Koji, Aoi-kun, all those kid Elements, ta Furosaki 'n' his friends." His teeth tightened. "An' Red. She'd—"

_'Get so mad she'd be sick,'_ he thought suddenly, eyes snapping open. _'If she found out I was murderin' someone fer her sake, she'd never look at me again.' _His throat closed and he squeezed his eyes shut. _'But she might never look at me again anyway. An' if that happens... if that's th' way it is, then how c'd I not...?'_

He swallowed his fears and looked up again, back to Setsuka, but there was no mercy in his eyes. Just a cold certainty, and a desperate grab for what was right. What he knew in his heart had to be right.

"If Red..." But he choked on the rest, couldn't think it like it was. Had to change it, make it less intimate. "If she dies," he said at last, "then my mercy dies with her. You kill her an' I won't have time ta worry about right 'n' wrong. I'll just tear yer fuckin' throat out."

Setsuka's eyes widened. "Tasuki-san—"

"Don't." He dropped his hold on her, watching in disgust as she slumped against the wall. "I ain't doin' this fer you." He turned his glare on Hataku. "Now we're even. Mine against yers. An' you better pray as hard as I am that Kiori figures out how ta make it stay that way."

The Takkan lady began to collapse and Hataku stepped forward, offering her support. Tasuki stumbled away from them, suddenly weary. He might have fallen had Chichiri's arm not steadied him. The monk smiled and opened his mouth to offer comfort, but a keening wail cut him off before he had the chance. The two seishi jerked up and around as they followed the noise back to Setsuka, her face buried in Hataku's shoulder and her hands clawing at his back.

Houki hesitated, then grabbed a chair and hurried across the room, offering it to Hataku. He settled Setsuka into it but she refused to let go, her face sliding from his shoulder to his chest and burrowing there, shrieks echoing out from around the fabric. He rubbed at her arms, speaking more gently than the others would have thought possible. "Sh, Setsuka, it's fine. Just breathe. Everything's all right."

"How can you say that?" Her head snapped up, flush with tears. "After everything I did, how can any of you say that? I came here hoping... _praying_... They won't leave me alone, don't you see? Every time I close my eyes they're there, the brothers sneering and Kaze cursing and Tsuchi writhing and poor Sora, I broke her sooner than anyone, she never says anything but her silence cuts like needles... and then Mizu-chan, that sweet girl my sister-daughter, she used to laugh so much..." Her head shook slowly, eyes glazing with visions that no one else could see. "Laughing no more. No more again." Setsuka's hands fluttered up to press against Hataku's cheeks, brushing at his eye patch with her fingers, cupping his scar in her palm. "I did this. Me. All of it. Everyone suffers but nobody damns. And you, looking at me like that. Even now forgiving. Why is that? Why is it still?"

"Because I love you – _you_, not that, that _thing_ that was inside of you all those years." He smoothed back her hair, making her look at him, trying to get her to understand. "Believe me, Setsuka, if I thought for an instant that you were still that monster then I wouldn't hesitate to take your head, but you _aren't_ because _it_ _wasn't you_. Anyone could tell you that."

She barked a laugh. "Anyone but me, who sees it all, dreams it asleep and awake. Snapping whips and crunching bones and me grinning, laughing, the demon who tears apart the things she loves." She looked over Hataku's shoulder, staring madly, pleadingly at the room of Konan Warriors. "First the fire and then the trials. It was supposed to be the end. It was supposed to make the ghosts stop screaming. So why won't it? Why won't _you_?"

"Because that would be too easy."

Tasuki and Houki whipped around, surprised to realize that the cold, even reply had come from Chichiri's mouth. He regarded Setsuka with alternating pity and contempt, as if he couldn't quite decide which suited her better. "It's so much harder to live, isn't it? So much harder to carry your crimes with you." His mouth twisted bitterly. "But we don't have a choice. That's how we atone. By being better than we were before. By turning our sins into strength." He smoothed again, found his center. "In living, we give their deaths meaning. And every life we save brings us that much closer to making peace with the ones we took.

"So don't you dare let Mae-chan's death be in vain. I expect you to live a long life, and to use it to make as many others as happy as you can." He nodded sharply to Hataku. "You should start with him. He loves you. There are plenty of people who don't even have that."

Chichiri spun on his heel, marching to the door. "It's too cramped in here. I'm going outside for some air no da." He paused long enough in the doorway to snap one final warning to the wide-eyed lady on the floor. "And by the way, today is the last day you get to feel sorry for yourself. The next time you beg for death, you'll get it. There's pretty much a list of willing executioners, after all."

He left the room in a flurry of _kesa _and clenched fists, making straight for the main doors. Tasuki followed a step behind, but he didn't try to speak until they were outside, their legs dangling over the walkway steps and their arms pressed to their knees.

"So, uh... not ta complain 'r nothin', but ya kinda stole my thunder in there." Tasuki meant it as a joke, but Chichiri didn't laugh. "Hey. C'mon. You okay?"

"I will be." He gritted his teeth. "I just hate that I see so much of myself in her."

"Chiri—"

"It's different. I know that no da. But the end result is the same. All that guilt and pain, and for something you can never set right again. It's a kind of endless self-torture no da. I almost can't blame her for preferring death." He glanced over at Tasuki. "If Ritsuka..." But Chichiri couldn't say it anymore than his friend could, so he just skipped it and went straight to, "will you really kill her no da?"

Tasuki fought with his answer, but eventually he shook his head. "Nah. Not 'cause I fergive her, though. An' not 'cause I feel sorry fer her either. I jus' couldn't stand t'put anyone else through what I'm goin' through with Red. Not Hataku. Not anyone." He groaned and slumped over, forehead thumping against the hand rail. "Damn it, Chichiri. Th' world used ta be so much _simpler _than this. When'd things start gettin' so gods damned complicated?"

"Probably around the time you met me no da."

"Damned monk." Tasuki punched him in the shoulder and immediately regretted it. He yelped, holding his bandaged hand between his legs and cursing his friend to the hells. Chichiri couldn't help but chuckle.

"Well," he said once Tasuki's snarls had faded to groans, "I suppose there are still a few simple things left no da. For instance, there's—"

But he never got any further than that, because a familiar _ki_ opened the infirmary doors, bringing with her a wave of nausea and despair. "Chichiri? Tasuki? Could you come back in here? P-please?"

Kiori's voice creaked as if she was ill, and when the seishi turned around they knew that she had been. Her face was chalk, her palms drenched, her eyes shot through with blood. Chichiri hurried to her, taking her hand and trying to draw her close, but Kiori shook her head, keeping him at arm's length. "Not here. Back inside." She looked past him to Tasuki, seeing the question in his eyes. "Come on."

She kept her hold on Chichiri's hand as they weaved their way back through the main hall, past beds still filled with recovering soldiers and citizens struck with the many summer illnesses that plagued the southern capital. Yukeda was waiting for them by the door to the private chamber. He shifted it open when they drew closer, then followed them into the room. He shut them into darkness but they found Ritsuka easily enough, back on her pallet with fresh bandages and blankets. Tasuki hurried to her, scooping her hand gently between his own. Only then did he finally look back to Kiori, praying for something he already knew was gone. "Well?"

She wrapped her arms around her waist. "It's bad. Awful. I'm not sure if I've seen worse. Her body's just..." A shudder rippled through her. She hugged herself tighter, but it was Chichiri's arms encircling her own that gave her the strength to continue. "There's so little left of her. It'll take months for her to heal. Years, even."

"But she will?" Tasuki fumbled for hope. "She'll get better?"

"She could," Kiori allowed. Chichiri felt her shaking against him. "If the fever doesn't kill her. If she doesn't die of dehydration or blood loss. If we can get her to eat. If the wounds don't get infected, and I'm afraid they already have. Her right shoulder, it doesn't look... and she's got no..." Her hands flailed, fumbling for an explanation. "No _protection_, you know? Just some strips of cloth, basically."

"No salves?" Chichiri asked.

"They slow the healing," Yukeda supplied from the doorway. "And our first priority is to give her some cover back."

"Her skin is _gone_," Kiori rasped.

The head doctor spoke over her. "I'm doing what I can for the fever and the pain. We're using Mitsubalm sparingly, but I can't promise it will be enough. The city is rife with diseases at this time of year, you know that as well as anyone, and the young lady is vulnerable to all of them." His hands clenched behind his back, struggling to maintain professionalism. "I've seen a handful of cases this bad in the past. I don't have Sakamoto's optimism. It's unlikely the young lady will last the month."

Kiori all but collapsed against Chichiri's arms. "Even if she does, what kind of life would she have? The scarring'll be so bad she'll be mostly paralyzed. Her arms, her back... and without a skin graft, we just can't..."

"Then do _that_!" Tasuki's words were almost a shriek, he was struggling so hard not to cry. "Jus' do that, then, that skin thing, whatever it is, an' _fix her already_!"

Kiori could only shake her head. "We can't. I don't know how, and even if I did I don't think we have the technology for it. It's just something I'd heard about back home." Tasuki felt tears in his eyes and looked away, throat swallowing convulsively. Kiori felt herself doing the same. "I'm sorry, but there's nothing... I just can't..." Her hands clenched against Chichiri's arms, the words spilling from her on impulse. "Damn it, if only we were back in my world—"

And as if attached to strings, all of their heads jerked up at once.

"That's it," Kiori whispered. She pulled herself out of Chichiri's arms, whirling to face him. "The hospitals back in Tokyo. They'd be able to help her. I'm sure of it!" She grabbed his arm, shaking it hopefully. "Taiitsukun could do it for us, right? Chichiri, we can save Ritsuka!"

He tried to smile, but one look at Tasuki and the joy dried out of him. "But... once she left... we wouldn't have any way to bring her back no da. She'd be gone forever."

"She'd be alive," Kiori insisted.

"She might survive here no da."

"We can't risk that."

He snuck another look at Tasuki. "But even so—"

"Chichiri, it's fine." The two looked over to Tasuki, his padded hands still cupped around Ritsuka's swollen one. He was all but shaking with grief and exhaustion, but he never wavered. "We ain't takin' that gamble. Not after what... she did... fer me." He swallowed hard, tried a bitter smile. "So it don't matter where she's livin' as long as she's livin'. If we c'n save her, then we gotta do it." He nodded to himself. "How soon c'n we send her home?"

"I'll have to speak with Taiitsukun first. She should be able to help, but it might take some time, and I doubt she can do it alone. You and I will probably need to be involved no da." Chichiri took a breath, gave Kiori another little squeeze. "We'll come back tomorrow. Ritsuka should be fine for another day," he said it half as a question, but when Kiori nodded he went on, "so just wait here for us. Try... to say your goodbyes."

Tasuki looked back to Ritsuka. "Yeah."

Kiori turned with Chichiri to leave, but stopped at the last moment. She hurried across the room, kneeling down and giving Tasuki one last, fierce hug. "Don't beat yourself up about this. I know Ritsuka wouldn't want you to. Whatever she did out there for you, I'm sure—"

"She said she was protectin' someone she loved," he said flatly, shrugging her arms away. "I know exactly why she did it. Why else d'ya think this is so damned hard fer me?"

Chichiri bit his lip. "Tasuki..."

His reply was a snap. "Don't you two need t'be gettin' back t'Taikyoku? I don't want Red stuck here any longer than she's gotta be."

Chichiri winced but knew better than to argue. Kiori hesitated, nearly hugged the bandit again, but she saw the tremble in his jaw and chose to give him his pride rather than her comfort. "Okay." She stood, reaching back automatically as Chichiri took her hand, guiding her to the door. "We'll see you tomorrow. And I... I'm sorry."

The door opened, throwing a shaft of light across the two redheads and illuminating their faces, twin masks of suppressed grief and pain. But then the light was gone and the room was darkness, and Tasuki's strength could at last shatter, its shards raining down on Ritsuka as he finally gave himself to his tears.

oOo

Kiori and Chichiri arrived on Mount Taikyoku in a jumbled heap a few minutes later. Kiori sweatdropped as she hopped off the monk's stomach. "You really need to work on your landings."

"I've been telling him that for years."

The pair jumped about three feet in the air, whirling to meet the sour face behind the sour voice. A chibi Chichiri waved to his old teacher. "Oh, hello Taiitsukun. You snuck up on me again no da."

She ignored him. "And how are things in Konan? That annoying bandit friend of yours getting on all right?"

"He's okay." Chichiri turned serious again. "But you already know all about it, don't you? You said everyone was fine, but Ritsuka... why didn't you tell me no da? Kiori and I could have—"

"Done nothing to get there sooner, and been just as useless as you were today," Taiitsukun said. "The telling would not have changed the outcome, and I saw no reason to grieve you any more than was necessary. This may come as a shock to you, but I generally don't enjoy watching humans suffer."

He opened his mouth to say more, but Kiori cut him off. "It's fine. Nothing we can do about it now anyway." She bowed low to the hovering deity, speaking with as much respect as she could muster. "Great Oracle, we humbly request your assistance. My friend Ritsuka is badly hurt, but the doctors in my old world might be able to save her. We need to send her home as soon as possible."

"And you want me to open the gates, is that it?" They both nodded. Taiitsukun squeezed her eyes shut. "Chichiri, you know I'm not supposed to meddle this directly in the lives of ordinary humans..."

He rubbed at the back of his head. "I was hoping to use some of those frequent teleport miles no da."

The tiniest of a sweatdrop formed on Taiitsukun's skull. She looked away with a sigh. "Very well. I will create the portal, but that is as much as I will do. You and Tasuki will have to use your own _ki _to open the gate—" her head snapped up when Chichiri tried to open his mouth, "—and don't even _think_ about asking me to have the Nyan-Nyans heal this friend of yours. My existence may not be bound by as many rules as yours, but that does not make those laws any less powerful. I am an aid to the heavens, _not_ to mankind. Consider yourself lucky that you are gods-chosen."

Chichiri smiled weakly. He couldn't find true happiness, but at least there was some relief in her answer. "_Arigatou_, Taiitsukun."

"Your thanks are a surprise, all things considered." He blinked at her, uncomprehending. Taiitsukun regarded him carefully. "You _do_ understand what will happen when the gateway is opened, don't you?"

He answered like a daydreaming student called upon in class. "The... space between worlds will be breached, and then... Tasuki and I will use our life forces to send Ritsuka down the road you've created... no da?"

"The passage is not a road, Chichiri. It is a river, and one with an impassible current." Taiitsukun's eyes held something like pity. "When the portal is opened, everything will be pulled back to its place of origin. That includes your friend," her stare fell on Kiori, "and _her_ as well."

Kiori felt the world jerk. "You mean I'll—?"

"Return to your own world, forever."

"But that's...!" Kiori whirled to face Chichiri. She tried to smile, and almost managed a laugh. "No... I mean that can't be..." She watched him, waiting for the reassurance, for the some alternative. "Th-there's got to be a, another way, right? Chichiri?"

He looked to Taiitsukun, mouth half-forming words before stumbling into silence again. "Because of the portal... there has to be a focus, and Ritsuka... she's too hurt, she couldn't..." Taiitsukun nodded, understanding his garbled question. He turned back to Kiori with the horrified look of a man struck blind, hands fumbling almost unseeingly towards her. "Oh gods. She's right. Oh gods..."

Kiori's legs sagged, threatening to give out completely, but she found Chichiri's arms and they collapsed against each other, gripping through fabric and clutching at warmth, doing what they could to hold the other up. Kiori burrowed against him. "Please be a dream," she found herself whispering inanely. "Please, please make it be a dream... I can't lose you, not now, not after everything, how could she ask that, how could she ask me to do that...?"

Chichiri held her tighter, his mouth and chin pressed to the top of her head, trying to keep her from the current that was sure to drag her away. '_Just like my nightmare,'_ he thought numbly. '_Only this time I'll have no choice but to let her go.'_

"I'm sorry," Taiitsukun said, filling the stunned silence. "I assumed you knew." Chichiri's eye flicked up to meet her, watching as she watched him, waiting for him, almost testing him. "Do you still want me to do this? Once you make your choice, there's no going back."

Kiori sobbed against him. Chichiri said nothing for a long moment, chin resting atop of her head, eye looking far past that. "It'd be easy... running away," he said at last. "Just like in the songs. The lovers throw away their worries and disappear, forgetting everything but each other." His gaze sharpened again, meeting Taiitsukun's once more. "But it doesn't really work that way, does it? We're not in that story... and we aren't those people. So I think we have to do it, actually." He pressed his hands to the sides of Kiori's face, pulling her away so he could look at her. He smiled softly. "But it's up to you no da. There's still a chance that Ritsuka could survive in this world. So if you don't want to do this, then we won't."

Kiori's mouth dropped. "_Want_ to do it? Are you _insane_? Of _course _I don't want to do it! I love this world – these people – _you_..." She pressed herself against him again, taking a long breath. Her voice was a whisper but it never wavered. "But I love Ritsuka and Tasuki, too. And I could never do anything that would even _risk _hurting them. Not for me. Not even for you."

She looked up again, fighting valiantly against both tears and bitter self-interest. But she held them both back. Somehow, she held them both back. "We promised that we'd save them from fate, right? So we don't have a choice. Ritsuka and I have to go home."

The young couple kept their eyes on each other, so they missed the twinge of guilt that twitched across Taiitsukun's brow. The deity shook her head, turning from the room. "If that's your decision, then I had better begin the preparations. I'll see the two of you in the morning."

She flickered away before either could reply, not that they intended to. They were too busy watching the other, his hands against her cheeks, hers against his waist, trying to soak in as much of the other as they could, trying to pledge every freckle and hair and laugh line to memory before it was too late.

Kiori's hands moved up to clasp his face, splaying across his chin and neck. "So this is the part where we say goodbye, huh?"

He took one of her hands, kissing first the back and then the curve of her wrist. "Tomorrow I'll say goodbye no da. But for today, at least..." He managed a smile, sad and wistful but a smile all the same. "Let's try to enjoy ourselves, okay?"

oOo

And for the rest of the day they did just that. They took their bath together and found fresh clothes, Chichiri slipping once again into his borrowed layman's robes, and wandered the courtyards until the Nyans brought them lunch. They forgot when they could, and when one remembered the other would be their hope, pushing up their chins, smiling, kissing them until they could kiss back without the threat of tears. They spoke little, mostly of trivial things – Taikyoku's history, Chichiri's time traveling with Nyan-Nyan, what that hall was named, what heavenly stream that waterfall supposedly flowed from – but mostly content to let the silence carry them from place to place.

As the sun began to set, Chichiri turned suddenly giddy, perhaps even panicked, snatching up a dinner basket from the kitchens and tugging Kiori out the door, hurrying down a path, never pausing to stop or explain until they had passed beneath an archway and stood at the edge of a massive lake. Its waters stretched out as far as Kiori could see, its surface splashed like a watercolor with the shades of the dying day.

She turned back to him with a smile no longer tinged with pain, and for one perfect, impossible moment there was no before or after, just that second of uninterrupted happiness. But then he turned from her to set down blanket and basket by the shore, and the sight of him, cast in shadow by the fading light, growing dimmer as the day vanished, made her throat close.

"Chichiri."

He turned to catch her as she threw herself around him, hands digging into his back, mouth clamping tight against his. He rocked back into a sitting position and Kiori settled into his lap. He tried to pull away, an apology already forming on his lips, but Kiori caught his chin, snapping his jaw shut, forcing him to look at her.

"Never," she gasped. "Never say you're sorry. We're not going to regret anything."

"But if I'd just—"

"No. Every missed chance was mine as much as it was yours." She kissed him again, pushing with lips and hands and hips until his back was on the ground and her legs were straddled around his waist. She trailed kisses from his mouth to his neck, felt his back arch a little beneath her, pulled away again, meeting him with absolute certainty. "We could have loved each other for longer than three days, but we didn't and that's the end of it. So don't you dare ruin this with guilt. Please don't make my last memory of you be a painful one."

He didn't reply, but just drew her back to him, hands sliding down her neck and slipping into the folds of her robe. They came together frantically, almost violently, but when they were finished and Kiori had collapsed on top of him, gasping, nearly sobbing, he found that they could embrace each other with nothing but tenderness, as if all of the day's swallowed guilt and anger and sorrow had been expunged from them in that single, frenzied act.

He kissed the threat of a tear from her eye and she did the same for him, then she slid off his hips and curled against his side, their tangled robes forming a haphazard blanket around them. They said nothing for a while, half-dozing, raising their heads every so often to kiss the other's neck or mouth, but then Chichiri turned his eye to the sky and found the constellations. He couldn't help but smile.

"The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl are out tonight no da." He gave her a squeeze. "Makes me think of our first kiss."

She laughed. "You mean when I smashed my face against yours and pretended it was for good luck? I'm not sure that counts."

"Still, though. We're tied to the lovers, and here they are tonight. Maybe that's a good omen no da."

Kiori's laughter died. She sat up, tugging up her robe until it covered her shoulders. Chichiri sat up on one elbow and watched her, surprised by the sudden yearning stretched across her face.

"You know," she said, "when I was a kid, I hated the Tanabata story. It always seemed so unfair to me that the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl could only meet once a year. I mean, I get that they were ignoring their celestial duties and all, but still, you'd think the gods could have invented weekends or something." Her face softened into sadness. "But now I think I'm a little jealous of them. They'll always have their day. We won't even have that."

She stood, hugging her loose robe to herself as she went. Chichiri watched her, unsure whether to go with her or not. She stopped at the shoreline, staring hard into the darkness, first across the waters and then up into the sky. "Yeah," she murmured. "We're not like those two at all."

"Kiori—"

"Wait." She swallowed hard. "You have to let me finish, okay? I've been needing to say this all day. So just, just let me get it out." He nodded even though she couldn't see it. Kiori took a breath and tried again. "Because see, it's just that... after tomorrow, after I leave – I mean we can pretend all we like, think about Miaka and Taka all we like, but the truth is we'll probably never see each other again. We'll have to lead separate lives, and it'll hurt like _hell_ for awhile but we'll get used to it, eventually." He thought he heard a faint smile in her voice. "Yeah. I know we will. We're both strong people so I'm sure we'll get on all right, somehow." She swallowed again. "And someday... someday you might meet someone new. And someday I might, too. A-and that's going to be okay. It really is. I don't think loving more than one person cheapens those feelings at all... But..."

Kiori whipped around, half-naked and vulnerable, the moonlight glinting off her tears, but somehow Chichiri thought she had never looked braver. "But can you promise me a day, like the Weaver Girl? On Double Sevens. It doesn't have to be a full day, just a minute, a half a minute, even, can you maybe look at the stars and close your eyes and remember me? And know that wherever I am that I'm remembering you, too? And it won't be about guilt or sadness, but about this summer. About Double Sevens and late-night water fights, lunches by the pond and poker matches in the study, and... and this night, too. I think if we have that one moment, then we really will be able to live without regrets."

He went to her then, taking her by the waist, and as much as he wanted to promise her that he would never love another woman, as much as he wanted to kiss her everywhere and imprint the memory on his heart and assure her that he would surely, someday, in this body or in another, no matter how many lifetimes it took, find a way back to her, to her side of the heavens, that world of metal and magic where the priestess and her beloved had managed to meet...As much as he wanted to do all that, he knew that he couldn't, because the world had never been that simple. They were still so young, and a lifetime was so long, and her world was so far away, and life's only promise was that it would change.

So he kept his hopes to himself and just brushed away her tears, because Ritsuka had been right, and the loving was the easy part, even if nothing else was.

"Do you promise?" she asked again.

He kissed her, drawing her back to the blanket. "I do."

They met each other with softness this time, slow kisses and feather touches building to a climax that was just what they had promised, an instant of love without regrets, of happiness untainted by sadness.

It was to be their last time together.

oOo

Kiori woke the next morning wrapped in warmth, Chichiri's arms around her stomach and his head pressed against the base of her neck. His breath tickled gently, and she felt herself smiling before she had the chance to remember what the new day meant. Her happiness dimmed as she stared out the window, watching the sun rise and feeling her last moments of peace slipping away.

_'When I wake him up, the dream will be over,'_ she thought, pressing her face to the pillow and breathing in their mingled scents. _'And I almost managed to keep sleeping, too...' _She took a breath and clasped her hands around his. _'But it's okay. I'm strong enough now that I can open my eyes when I need to. And besides, Kiori, you know perfectly well that no dream can last forever.'_

She squeezed Chichiri's wrists, calling softly. "Hey. Are you awake?"

His hands shifted, squeezed back, but it took him several seconds to reply, a hesitant "mm" that sounded as reluctant as she felt.

"Then we should get going."

He untangled himself from her slowly, each movement a struggle, every second pulling them further from each other. He kept his eye away from her, turned first to the window and then toward his monk's robes on the dresser. "I can get Tasuki and Ritsuka by myself no da. You don't have to come."

"I will, though. I want to say goodbye to as many people as I can."

He didn't argue but just stood, moving like a sleepwalker for his clothes. Kiori watched him while they changed, trying to catch his eye and finding it impossible. She said nothing, but when he reached for his mask – the first time he'd done so since they'd arrived on Taikyoku – Kiori's hand jerked out, snapping down hard on top of his. "Please don't."

It was all she said, but it was enough. He nodded, finally looking at her, and she was surprised at the distance between them. "Hey." She grabbed his shirt, her hands thumping against his prayer beads. "C'mon. I'm not gone yet. Don't say goodbye until you have to."

He tried a smile. "Right. Sorry, I just... I'm not really sure..." He wrapped his arms around her again, partly for comfort, partly for the spell. She felt his chest rise and fall against her and she mirrored it, grabbing at what courage she had left. "Okay. Time to be strong no da."

"For Tasuki," she added, clutching him.

He echoed it. "For Tasuki," and closed his eye.

A moment later they stood outside the infirmary doors, landing gently for once. Kiori followed him into the main hall, but they paused when Houki poked her head out of Setsuka's cell door, her son trailing sleepily behind her. Chichiri released her hand. "You'd better say your goodbyes. I'll go get Tasuki no da."

Kiori nodded, watching as he slipped through the back door. She strode across the room, entering the cell and looking from face to face: from Houki by the door, her son's chubby fist clenched in her hand, to Hataku in the chair across the room, with Setsuka nestled beside him. Kiori forced a smile. "You heard about Ritsuka, huh?" They nodded. She took a breath. "Actually it... looks like I'm leaving, too. Once the gateway opens, it's going to send us both back. So I... I wanted to say goodbye, from the both of us."

Houki's mouth dropped. "But you and Chichiri–"

"Have to say goodbye, too." Kiori had to look down to blink back her tears. When she looked up again, Houki was moving towards her, wrapping her in an embrace. Kiori slipped her arms around the empress. "Thank you for everything, Houki-sama."

"This should not have to happen."

"Maybe not, but it's going to." Kiori pulled back, keeping her hands against the empress's shoulders. She couldn't help but smile when she saw the tears in Houki's eyes. "No wonder Konan's such a great place, with a leader like you. It's okay, Houki-sama. Ritsuka and I will have each other. And you'll be here to look after Chichiri and Tasuki for us. So we'll all manage somehow."

Houki wiped a sleeve along her eyes. "Your strength has always left me in awe. You and Ritsuka both. When she awakens..."

"I'll tell her how much everybody cried when they heard she was leaving. Whole rivers of tears, I'll say. Nothing cheers Ritsuka up like being the center of attention." The two shared a teary laugh, but Kiori's trailed off when she glanced past the empress to find Hataku standing just a few steps behind, mouth half opened as if he wanted to say something but wasn't quite sure what. A pair of backpacks sat at his feet.

Kiori broke the silence. "Are those ours?"

He jerked, startled, then glanced at the bags. "Oh. Yes." He reached down with an effort, grabbing the twin satchels and holding them out to her. "We weren't sure which one belonged to Ritsuka, but... I suppose you're going to need them both now."

"Thanks." Kiori clasped his hand as he passed the bags to her. "You're a lot like Chichiri, you know. You're both obscenely good at blaming yourselves for things that aren't your fault."

"Still," Setsuka whispered from her pallet, finding words where Hataku could not. "If not for me..."

"I never would have met Chichiri in the first place. Or Tasuki or Houki-sama or any of you." Kiori was surprised to find herself smiling again. "This world has given me more good memories than bad ones. That's your fault, too, if you want to think of it that way."

Setsuka looked away. "Even now none of you make any sense to me. But thank you. Tell Ritsuka-san the same."

"I will." Kiori glanced at Hataku again, realizing they still had the bags between them. She tilted her head. "You gonna let go of those?"

"Ah." He jerked again, pulling away. "Yes. I'm sorry. I just..."

"Never were much of a talker. That's okay." Kiori slipped a backpack over each shoulder. "Take good care of Takkan, okay? Tell the RAFT I wish them the best, and make sure that hopeless flirt Aji-san does right by Kita-sa–"

Nobody quite believed it when Hataku grabbed Kiori by the shoulders and pulled her against his chest. She squeaked, more startled than anything, but he was speaking before she had the chance to question it. "I was broken in countless ways when I came to Konan, so much so that I was ready to kill the one person I couldn't have lived without. You were the reason I hesitated. You are the reason she's with me now." His hands squeezed against her shoulders, threatening to crush the air right out of her. "I swear to the gods that I will pray every night for your happiness."

Kiori found her hands on his back, giving him a brief squeeze. She had to swallow back a lump before she could speak. "W-well. Hey. Save a few of those prayers for yourself too, okay?"

He pulled away, glancing over his shoulder at Setsuka. The two shared a nod and then bowed low to Kiori, Setsuka touching her forehead all the way to the floor. Kiori felt her cheeks flush as she hastened to return the gesture. "You're too nice to me. Both of you. All of you. But thanks. I mean it."

Boshin wrapped his arms around Kiori's leg, forcing her to straighten again so she could keep her balance. "I'm sorry you has to go away, Auntie Kiori. Thanks for being my friend. Come visit me when I'm growed up and emperor, 'kay?"

She knelt so she could hug the little emperor properly, fighting back a sob as she did. "If I can, Boshin-chan, then I will. I promise."

oOo

Tasuki glanced up when Chichiri opened the door. He seemed to be fighting with a number of emotions, but at last settled on anger as he barked, "What?"

Chichiri winced but kept his tone soft. "Are you ready no da?"

"No." He looked to the woman cradled in his lap. "But that don't make any difference, does it?"

"We need to go no da."

He whipped around, finally exploding. "Yeah, that's easy fer you ta say, ain't it? You've still got Kiori, what th' hell does it matter ta you where Red goes? Well it matters t'me, all right? I can't jus' run off ta some holy mountain an' fuck my problems away like you can!"

Chichiri lowered his head. His tone didn't change. "Everything goes back when the portal opens. No exceptions. I'm losing Kiori too. No da."

Tasuki's anger hissed out of him like air from a balloon, leaving him deflated, fumbling for words. "Y'mean... you an' Kiori are givin' up each other... t'save Red?" Chichiri nodded. Tasuki's teeth snapped together. "You can't."

"That's not your choice to make."

"But Red wouldn't–"

"It's not her choice, either." Their eyes met again. "You can either fight me or help me. Either way, Ritsuka and Kiori are going home today. I'll make sure of that."

They stared at each other for another long moment, but eventually Tasuki had to look away, back to Ritsuka. "Okay. I'm comin'. An' 'Chiri, I... I didn't..."

Chichiri gave his shoulder a quick squeeze. "It's fine. Really." He looked down at Ritsuka, her eyes still closed but her breathing calmer than before, her face more relaxed. "Sensei came in earlier and gave her something for the pain, right?" Tasuki nodded. "Then we should go before it wears off. Kiori said Ritsuka was burned so badly that she can't actually feel it if you touch her no da. You can carry her as long as you do it carefully. Are your hands...?"

Tasuki held them up to the dim light. The heavy padding had come off, leaving him with thick patches of waxy, healing skin and a few streaks of blisters. "I can't bend 'em fer shit, but Sensei says I'll be able ta move 'em fine in another week 'r so." He stared at his palms bitterly. "Seishi healin'. It's th' only thing that keeps an idiot like me alive, but y'know, I'd trade it in a heartbeat fer jus' five minutes of Mitsukake's powers."

Chichiri nodded but could think of no reply. He watched while Tasuki turned back to Ritsuka, studying her bandaged back carefully, working out the best way to carry her. After a moment he rolled her over, sliding one arm along the undamaged stretch of her shoulders – the place where he'd held her during the fire – and the other under her knees, where the burns were less serious. "Okay," he said, standing and holding Ritsuka gently to his chest. "Let's get this over with."

Kiori was leaving the other room just as the two seishi came out. Chichiri set his _kesa_ on the ground and reached for them, taking Kiori's palm in one hand and Tasuki's shoulder in the other. They stepped forward and were swallowed into the robe.

Tasuki opened his eyes and found himself staring into a face that had haunted his nightmares. "GAAAAAGH!"

"Be quiet, will you? You'll disturb the young lady." He glared at Taiitsukun but knew better than to argue. He shifted his attention back to Ritsuka, who was murmuring in her sleep. Taiitsukun turned while he fussed, leading them down a marble hallway. "Everything is prepared. Just do as I tell you and there won't be any problems."

"She's talkin' directly ta me," Tasuki grumbled.

"That's because you're the one most likely to screw it up," she shot back. They entered the inner chamber, a sparse, circular room with a raised platform to its far right. The platform was encased in a faint sheen of magic. Chichiri's hand tightened around Kiori's as he felt the power radiating off of it.

Taiitsukun gestured around the room, explaining as she went. "Chichiri, Tasuki, you're going to have to sit over there. Kiori, you'll have to take Ritsuka and sit in that." She motioned to the dais. "I'll explain the rest once you're there."

Kiori and Chichiri turned to each other, their hands still locked, unwilling or perhaps even unable to let go. He was numb again, somehow cold in her grasp. She swallowed. "I... I've got to go."

"I know. I just..." He laughed, a weak bark that sounded more like a sob. "I guess I'm just trying to think of the best way to say goodbye."

She raised herself on her toes so she could kiss him. "Just let me see _you_ again, okay? Whatever you're doing right now – whatever this distance is, this little wall you're trying to peek around – don't let it be the last part of you I see." She traced her thumb from his eyebrow, along his scar, and down to the dimple above his chin. "I told you, didn't I? I like you better without the mask."

He nodded, tried another forced smile - then he made a noise like a frightened child and clutched her to him. He buried his face in her hair, breathing deep, taking in her scent and her warmth while he struggled against the loneliness that was sure to come crashing down on him the moment she disappeared. _Lonely but not empty_, he promised himself, and found that he could smile again.

"Thank you," he whispered, pulling her tighter, following it with "I love you" and then letting them echo breathlessly, gaspingly, circling back on each other again and again. "Thank you, I love you, thank you, thank you..." He felt tears but they didn't fall, and he thought he understood why. "It's going to be all right," he promised, the only promise that he had to give. "Somehow, someway, it's really going to be all right."

"I know," she said, laughing and crying with him.

She pulled back, angling so she could face him. They came together for a final time, lips and fingers interlocking, not lingering but not hurrying, either, breaking away bit by bit, smiling even as their eyes shone.

"_Sayonara_, Chichiri," she whispered into his ear.

"_Sayonara_," he murmured back.

And then Kiori stepped away, holding his hands lightly in her own, letting each finger slip slowly from her grasp as she moved to the glowing dais. "Till we meet again," she said as her last finger parted from his. She took her seat, swallowing once, hard, before looking to the stone-faced bandit. "I'm... gonna need Ritsuka now, Tasuki."

His eyes trailed down to the woman in his arms. He stared at her for a long moment, something uncertain and painful but also desperately, achingly relieved crinkling along his eyebrows. He leaned over and brushed his lips against Ritsuka's forehead, hovering only for a moment before he pulled away again. "Till we meet again," he muttered, repeating Kiori's hopeful words.

Ritsuka's eyes fluttered open halfway, staring at nothing for a long moment before they at last focused on the bandit's face. Her arm rose slowly at her side. She winced but didn't hesitate, not stopping until she'd pressed her bandaged hand to his cheek.

Tasuki didn't realize he was crying, but he must have been because Ritsuka's fingers came away wet. "Tasuki... chan... You made it... huh...?" Her lips twitched into a small smile, content and peaceful despite the pain. "That's my guy."

Her eyes closed as quickly as they had opened, head rolling to the side to lean lightly against his chest. The hint of a smile still lit her sleeping features.

With face turned down and eyes covered by his bangs, Tasuki settled the other redhead into her friend's lap. Kiori tried to smile at him but he didn't give himself a chance to look at her, just turned and hurried back to sit beside Chichiri. When he looked up again, he was dry-eyed and determined once more. "Okay. What's next?"

Taiitsukun nodded at the seishi. "I'm going to need you to throw as much of your _ki_ as you can spare into this spell. Opening the gateway takes a considerable amount of power. Tasuki, it's better if you just connect yourself to Chichiri and let him handle this part, since he knows how these spells work." Both clasped their hands to their seishi symbols, tying their life forces together. "That dais where the young ladies are sitting will serve as the portal. Pour your combined energies through there, Chichiri, and focus on your memories of the priestess's world." Taiitsukun looked to Kiori. "As for you..."

She smiled weakly. "Click my heels three times and say 'There's no place like home'?"

Taiitsukun blinked. "Not quite. Simply focus on a safe place or person in your world, somewhere that you could appear without endangering yourselves. Once the doorway opens, it should take you there."

Kiori had to consider that one for a moment. _'That friend of Ritsuka's, Yuuki-san. His sister was the _miko_, so I'm sure he knows about the books. I'll focus on him.'_ She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to think back to her other world and the student she had only seen in snippets. The memory was hazy, but it would have to be enough. "Okay. I'm ready."

"Very well, then. Let us begin."

All eyes closed in concentration. Crimson power trickled across the room, glowing from seishi to portal and then on to the girls inside. Kiori felt heat and the pulse of familiar life forces, loving and hurting and pushing themselves back to strength, but she didn't dare open her eyes, too focused on the dim image of the Yuuki brother to risk losing her grasp. It wasn't until her feet and scalp began to tingle that she finally looked up again, gasping as she realized she was staring at the seishi through a deepening fog.

She held Ritsuka close with one hand and pressed the other against the barrier. Through a haze that was fast enveloping her mind as well as her eyes, she thought she saw Chichiri jerk from his seat, leaning towards her until Tasuki grabbed his arm, pulling him back. Their lips moved but Kiori couldn't hear them, just a faint echo through their life forces, "miss you" and "Red" and "someday."

She opened her mouth to reply but there was nothing left to say. So she closed it again and nodded, her fingers curling against the wall as their figures dissolved and then faded into darkness. She buried her face in Ritsuka's hair, smiling even as the tears stained her cheeks.

_'_Sayonara_, my beautiful dream.'_

oOo

Kiori awoke slowly, and even then she couldn't be sure if she was awake at all. The space between her ears felt as if it were vibrating softly, humming a tuneless melody that nearly drowned out everything else. But through the cotton she could hear a woman's shrieking, familiar cries that finally made her open her eyes on a Tokyo apartment.

A man she didn't know had her by the shoulders, shaking her gently, saying something she couldn't quite hear. She looked past him, vision blurred, casting the room in a soft focus that didn't fit with the harsh sight of Ritsuka, writhing as another stranger tried to settle her against the floor. Kiori's eyes widened and she tried to move, hands clawing for her friend, but the man kept a grip on her shoulders and held her back, saying something into her ear. She didn't want to listen but he persisted, repeating the same thing again and again until eventually the words came through, though slowly, as if she were translating them from another language.

_It's okay. Keisuke's calling an ambulance. It's okay. You and Ikido came over to spend the evening. Ikido was cooking for us. There was a fire. A gas explosion. Ikido got burned. Keisuke put out the fire. You knew some first aid and bandaged her up. She's going to be fine but you have to remember that or we won't have a chance. A cooking fire. You bandaged her up. Remember that, okay? Tell me that you'll remember that_. _I'm sorry Sakamoto-san, I know you've been through a lot but you've got to know the story. Focus. A cooking fire. Are you listening?_

She found herself nodding even though she wasn't looking at him. She kept jumping from Ritsuka, whimpering on the floor, to the student she remembered as Yuuki Keisuke, his hand running violently over his hair as he half-shouted into his cell phone. She wrinkled her nose and looked past him to the stove, its innards burned out, the wall behind it a charcoal black. She finally looked at the stranger, first at a pair of sunglasses and then, as he shoved them to the top of his head, straight into his eyes.

_You with me, Sakamoto-san?_

She nodded again before resting her head against his shoulder. He didn't try to push her away.

_It won't work. _Kiori heard her voice as if it were echoing back to her. _Her burns are nearly a week old. Doctors will notice._

A female murmur had the answer. _We've got classes full of students who can say they saw you and Ikido-san yesterday. No one will believe us but they won't be able to explain it any better. We'll be okay as long as we all stick to the story._

Kiori nodded again and again, her head wobbling atop the stranger's shoulder. _Okay. Okay. Okay okay okay..._

Someone touched a hand to her back and the stranger shifted her weight, shuffling her into another pair of arms. She glanced up to see Keisuke, his face pale and tense even through the fog. He gave her shoulders a quick squeeze before hoisting her to her feet. She swayed, eyes trailing over the room. She spoke automatically, inanely. _You have a nice place_. _I'm sorry about the fire._

Someone shoved a bundle of clothes into her hands. She looked down, realized they were her old clothes, realized again that she was still wearing her Konan robes. Hands guided her to the bathroom. Keisuke murmured something before closing the door behind her. She set the clothes on the counter and then turned, staring at her own reflection. She spotted a flash of blue-and-white at her waist, the only thing that seemed to come into focus. She gasped and grasped for it, hands fumbling at the _kesa-_sash. Kiori closed her eyes, squeezed the sash tight, lips moving in a silent prayer—

—And felt nothing.

She opened her eyes again. Untied the sash. Laid it against the counter. It blurred with the rest of the room.

. . .

She went with Keisuke from the apartment to the hospital, though she could never quite remember how. Countless, faceless officers and doctors spoke to her, asking the same questions that she answered without flinching, without a shimmer of emotion. She thought she remembered Ritsuka's family barreling into the hospital at one point, thought a quartet of young men roared at Keisuke before chasing him out of the building. Remembered, distantly, meeting the eyes of a tiny, compact woman. She almost called her "Ritsuka" before she saw the light wrinkles around her mouth.

_Are you Sakamoto Kiori?_

_Yes._

_Thank you for looking after my daughter. _The wrinkles tightened. _Now please leave._

She found Keisuke waiting for her outside the hospital. He said something, some kind of offer, but she shook her head and pointed to the nearby train station. She turned to go, walked four steps before he shouted her name and made her turn again. He grabbed her wrist and flipped her hand over, shoving a crinkled piece of paper into her palm.

He clasped her hands once, briefly, concern lighting his eyes. _If you need _anything.

When she unfolded the paper, she found herself staring at a phone number.

When she looked up again, she was alone.

. . .

Her apartment was small but cozy, just as she remembered but different somehow. Dimmer, hazier, just like everything else. She hadn't bothered to fold up the futon. It was a small comfort as she collapsed against it. She blinked at the ceiling for something like an hour, then rolled over, unzipping her backpack and pulling out her crumpled Konan robes. She hugged the bundle to her chest, pressed her nose to it, breathed in deep. She pawed through the clothes until she found the _kesa_-sash. She rolled it between her fingers for a moment, staring at the soft, sweeping circles, the pattern she had memorized months before. She curled into a ball, burying her face in the cloth to muffle her sobs.

It was only then that she realized she hadn't once stopped crying that day.

oOo

Kiori stepped across the hospital floor as if it were covered in broken glass, each footfall a timid creep. Her eyes swept across Ritsuka as she drew closer, unwilling to look but unable to stop. Most of Ritsuka's body was covered by either a hospital robe or a light blanket, but her arms lay unclothed and unbandaged at her sides, displaying a pink-and-white mesh of healing skin grafts. Her torso puffed out as if it were still covered in bandages. Someone had cut her hair so that it hung evenly to her neck. It made her look older, somehow.

Ritsuka must have heard the door close because she looked up. Her contacts were gone, leaving her eyes a natural hazel. "Hey." Her voice was weaker, huskier, as if the fire had burnt into her throat as well. Kiori felt like she was speaking to a stranger.

"Hey." Kiori took a seat beside the bed. "How you doing?"

"Skin grafts suck." Her grin turned lopsided. The fire hadn't changed that, at least. "I look like a mutant starfish from the back."

"Yeah, but on the bright side, if someone ever pulls off your leg you'll be able to grow it back later."

They made themselves laugh, though it didn't last very long. Silence muffled the room, broken only by the ever present clicks and beeps of the medical machinery. Kiori had to break it. "Your mom finally let me come visit you. She thought I could help since you'd been... She said you weren't doing too well."

"Can't blame her for thinking that. I was pretty messed up for a while there. Good thing I can blame all the weird mumbling on the drugs."

"She said you were talking about Konan."

"Yeah. Well."

Ritsuka glanced away, staring up at the room's single TV, droning some afternoon news program. Kiori leaned forward, taking her friend's pink, stiffened fingers between her own. "I'm sorry," she said. "I wanted to be here when you woke up. I knew you'd be confused. But your family, they wouldn't—"

"You sent us home." It was almost an accusation.

Kiori stared at her lap. "They didn't have the technology to save you. Coming home was the only way to make sure you survived."

"But you came with me."

"Yeah."

Her voice was a cracked whisper. "Why?"

Kiori squeezed her hand. "Because I had to."

"To save me."

"Yeah. To save you."

Ritsuka laughed again, high-pitched and quavering. "You idiot. You goddamn idiot." She looked away as her shoulders tightened and her hand clenched into a claw around Kiori's. "All of you... always such _idiots_..."

Kiori held tight to Ritsuka's hand with one of her own, using the other to fish around in her pocket. She pried Ritsuka's hand open and placed something in her palm. The redhead's fingers rolled slowly over it, feeling the edges of the _kirin_ necklace that Tasuki had given her on Tanabata. She squeezed it until her knuckles turned white.

oOo

Kiori's phone blinked up at her, the only light in the apartment. Her free hand rolled over and over the folds of her _kesa-_sash. She glanced around the room again, from the window blinds to the forgotten textbooks and on to her cupboards, empty of everything but instant noodles. Her chest clenched. The room tried to blur.

She squeezed her eyes shut, slamming her thumb against the _send_ button.

"Yu-Yuuki-san? Hi. This is Sakamoto Kiori. I... y-yeah, I know it's been a couple weeks... Wh-what? How am I? W-well that's sort of..." She swallowed. "I'm sorry to b-bother you, but would you um, that is could you... g-give me some help with school, please? I'm sort of six months rusty and I could really use—" she swallowed again "—help." She blinked, sitting up straight. "T-tonight? Sure. Kajiwara-san and Hongo-san too? Y-yeah... Okay." She surprised herself with a smile, even if her words still wobbled with every letter. "Mm. I can be there in ten minutes. Thanks."

oOo

Kiori had one foot propped on the bathroom counter and the other balanced on the trashcan when her cell phone sprang to life, filling the apartment with a pop-rock ring tone. Kiori yelped and the razor in her hand jerked to one side, slicing her kneecap open. She hissed a curse and slapped the little blade against the toilet lid, grabbing a square of paper with one hand and her cell phone with the other. "Yes! What?"

"Yikes, you sound a special kind of frazzled. Need me to call back later?"

Kiori couldn't help but smile. "Hey Ritsu. No, it's fine." She dabbed gingerly at her bleeding knee. "I'm just trying to shave my legs for the first time in about half a year."

"Oo, got a hot date or something?"

Kiori wrinkled her nose. "Just going out with some friends. Yuuki-san invited me. The weather's been really nice, though, so I figured I'd try to wear a skirt for once." She sweatdropped, eyes trailing to the nicks running along both ankles. "Though at this rate I'll be too dizzy from blood loss to leave the apartment. _Mattaku_, this is like trying to whittle a toy doll with a chainsaw. Hard to believe I used to be able to whip through it in five minutes."

"H'oh yeah, I am not looking forward to _that _adventure_._ I'll probably have to go at it with a pair of garden shears the first time." They both laughed, and for once it didn't feel forced. "Glad to hear you're fighting your way back into modern Tokyo living, though. For a while there I was worried you were gonna go all _hikikomori _on me. Relieved the hell out of me when Keisuke said you'd started hanging out."

"Yuuki-san spoke to you?"

"He calls in periodically with Sakamoto Status Reports," Ritsuka said. "Seeing as how _you_ never tell me what you're up to."

"Sorry. I just..." Kiori's eyes strayed, as they so often did, to the strip of _kesa _currently tied around her purse strap. Her lips twitched between a smile and a frown. "Every day's different, you know? But today I'm pretty good, I guess. I think I'm even a little excited about tonight." She shifted the phone until it was cradled against her neck. "But you know, you're not exactly open with me, either."

"What? You actually wanna hear about yesterday's gripping soap opera marathon? Or this morning's riveting bathroom odyssey?" Kiori said nothing, waiting, and eventually Ritsuka gave in with a sigh. "It's... hour by hour for me. This hour's cheery enough. Next hour I might be ready to throw bedpans." She chuckled thinly. "Mood swings. Just one of the many secret spices we put into our Extra-Crispy Ritsukas."

"I don't think anyone could blame you for that. Trauma can do a number on your nerves."

"Not with the kind of morphine they've been pumping into me."

Kiori's voice softened. "I wasn't talking about that kind of trauma."

Ritsuka ignored her. "Anyway, I can handle an achy back and some stiff shoulders. It's being cooped up in this damn hospital bed that's driving me nuts. If they weren't letting me out in a few days I'd be making a bedsheet escape rope as we speak."

The last bit startled Kiori so much that her razor slipped out of her hand and into the trashcan. "They're releasing you? Ritsu, that's fantastic!"

"Yep. I'll be in and out over the next few months for physical therapy and a couple touch-up surgeries, but they're wheeling me out next week. I should be back in class a couple days later." Her voice lilted ironically. "Just in time for exams, oh happy day."

"Still, though, I'm glad to hear it. Did you want me to stop by your house that night?"

"Actually, I was sort of hoping I could crash with you for a while. My brothers have been driving me nuts."

"Back to torturing you?"

Ritsuka barked a laugh. "I _wish_! They're actually being really nice to me! You wouldn't believe how many free meals and manga volumes I've milked out of them." She shuddered. "It was kinda fun at first, but now it's just creepy. The sooner I can get away from them, the better."

"Well as long as your parents are okay with it..."

"Hey, I'm a big girl. It's really not their choice to make." Ritsuka must have felt Kiori's frown, because she added, "But don't worry, they're not gonna make a stink about it. 'Kaa-san thinks you're some kind of miracle shrink and 'Too-san just does whatever she tells him to."

"Hard to believe she's your mother," Kiori teased.

"Yeah, yeah, apples and trees. So you picking me up or not?"

"Um... My apartment's pretty small. No TV, and hardly any Internet. Are you sure?"

"Positive. There's no one else I wanna spend my first day of freedom with." Ritsuka's voice softened suddenly, became almost timid. "And I'm sure... you wanna do the same... right?"

Kiori smiled gently. "Of course I do, Ritsu. Nothing's ever going to change that. Just let me know when you need me and I'll be there. Promise."

oOo

That night Kiori lay in bed but couldn't fall asleep. She rolled from side to side, stared at the ceiling, flopped on her back, even tried setting her pillow on the opposite end of the futon. Nothing worked. Something just felt off, missing, somehow different from the last month she'd spent in her Tokyo home.

It took her almost an hour to realize that she was waiting for the tears she no longer needed to shed.

Kiori smiled, pressing the strip of _kesa_ to her lips. "_Nee_, Chichiri," she whispered, knowing he couldn't hear her but praying that he still would. "You don't need to worry, okay? It looks like we're gonna be all right after all..."

oOo

"Hey, Sakamoto-san!"

Kiori's head jerked up and she blinked as Yuuki Keisuke came in through the hospital's automatic doors. He smiled, raising a hand, and he looked so genuinely pleased to see her that Kiori couldn't help but return it. "Yuuki-san. What are you doing here?"

"I was hoping to see Ritsuka when she got out," he winced, "but I saw Big Brother Number Four's car in the parking lot, so it might be healthier for me to meet up with the both of you later."

"Are they still blaming you for the, uh, 'cooking fire'?"

He grimaced a smile. "I tried to visit Ritsuka when she was moved to a regular room. I'm pretty sure Big Brother Two threatened to castrate me if I so much as _looked _at his baby sister again, but I might have heard wrong. I was a little busy ducking all those chairs that Big Brother Three was throwing at my head."

Kiori smothered a giggle, surprised at how easy it came. "That sounds like an Ikido family solution, all right." She cocked her head, smiling. "You've really put up with a lot for the two of us, haven't you?"

"Hey, I watched a dragon beat up downtown Tokyo once. A few thrown chairs aren't so bad in comparison." He sweatdropped. "Though I gotta say, setting my own apartment on fire _was_probably the craziest thing I've ever done..."

"But one of the nicest, too." Kiori tugged at her ear. "Anyway, I don't know if I've officially said it yet, but thanks. And not just for what you've done for Ritsuka. It's been... rough... getting used to things again here, but you, Kajiwara-san and Hongo-san have made it a lot easier. I appreciate that. Really."

He blushed, rubbing hard at his nose. "Hey, no problem. All in a day's work for the Tokyo Enchanted Book Club." He snapped his fingers. "Oh! And speaking of book clubs..." Keisuke slung his backpack off his shoulder, rummaging around a pile of papers. "I was hoping I'd catch you here. I wanted to give this to you and Ritsuka-san."

He drew a tattered book from his bag, presenting it to Kiori. Her eyes widened at the title. "_Universe Reawakened_..."

"There's some more written at the end. I thought you'd want to know how everything turned out, so... it's yours. To keep." He shrugged. "Sorry I hung onto it for so long. I would've given it to you earlier, but it didn't seem right to pass it on while Ritsuka was still in the hospital. I figured the two of you ought to share it."

Kiori felt her eyes misting. "Wow. That's really... Wow. I feel like a broken record, but thanks."

She went to take it from him, but he held on for a moment, clasping a hand lightly over her own. "Hey. I know we don't talk seriously very often, but how've you been holding up? I-I don't wanna pry or anything, it's just that, last year, when Miaka..." He smiled weakly. "Well, she may have _acted _like her usual brainless self, but the walls at our home were pretty thin. I moved into my own apartment that spring because I couldn't stand hearing her cry herself to sleep every night."

"...Yeah," Kiori murmured. "The nights are definitely the worst." She shook her head. "But it's not so bad now. Thanks to you and Ritsuka and the rest of the book club, I really am doing better." Kiori pulled both her hands and the book gently away from him, smiling without effort. "I wasn't lying when I told Chichiri I'd find a way to manage. So I'm managing. And I'm sure that he is, too." She held up the book. "And now I can find out for sure. Even better, right? So it's okay. You don't need to be my counselor or anything. I'd really just prefer a friend."

"Sure thing. I'm pretty good at that." He shifted, rubbing at his arm. "Well, guess I should get going before an angry Nii-san spots me. Give Ritsuka my best, okay? Let me know if _she_needs anything, too."

"Will do. Thanks again."

He looked like he was about to say something else, but the elevator dinged across from them and Keisuke's face turned pale. He whirled and darted out the doors, barely clearing the entrance before a hospital chair came zinging through the lobby, missing him by inches.

"Oh for God's sake, Nii-san, how many times do we have to go over this? Hands are not for hitting, feet are not for curb-stomping, and _chairs are not for throwing at my friends_!"

Kiori turned, sweatdropping as she watched Ritsuka lecture her brother from her wheelchair. Big Brother Number Four listened patiently, a far cry from the bully Kiori had heard so much about. She smothered a giggle as he ruffled his sister's hair and nodded to Kiori before hurrying out the entrance.

Ritsuka's rant followed him through the doors "And your kid sister's head is definitely not for tousling, dammit!" She sighed, blowing air up into her bangs before turning to Kiori, arms spread pleadingly. "If he wasn't family, I tell you what." Ritsuka threw her weight forward in the self-propelled wheelchair, zipping her way across the lobby before screeching to a halt in front of her friend. "Ta-da! A feisty Ojii-chan on the fifth floor taught me how to do that. So we ready to brave the Tokyo subway? Wheelie-chan here is dying to smash some gropers' toes." She patted the spokes of the chair affectionately.

Kiori frowned. "So when you said you were getting wheeled out, you didn't just mean to the hospital doors?"

"Nope, I'm renting this baby out for a while. It's only for a few weeks, just until I get some strength and motion back into my legs and back." She held up her arms, showing off the lumpy pink skin that stretched across the backs like paint splatters. "Looks a lot better, huh? You should see the magic they worked on the rest of me."

"So you'll be good as new before long?"

"A few more months of physical therapy and one more surgery on my shoulders, and I'll be twisting and shouting with the best of 'em." Ritsuka patted the overnight bag in her lap. "Kaa-san got me all packed and ready to go, so we can head out whenever you're ready." Kiori watched her for a moment, head tilted. Ritsuka rubbed her cheeks. "Is there something gross on my face?"

"No. I was just wondering how you managed to stay so upbeat all the time."

"Psh, that's easy. I just don't let myself think about anything beyond my next meal and my next video game. Speaking of which, can we pick up McDonald's and rent _Soul Caliber_? Because I have a hankering for both souls _and_ a Big Mac right about now..."

"I think we can manage that. Oh, but first," Kiori rummaged in her bag, running a hand along the top of _Universe Reawakened_ before pulling it out and presenting it to Ritsuka, "Yuuki-san gave this to me."

Ritsuka's face turned to stone. "Oh."

"It's our book."

She nodded stiffly.

Kiori frowned. "Yuuki-san said there's some more written down. From after we left, I mean. When we get home, maybe we could..."

Ritsuka's throat worked up and down, but Kiori didn't think she was fighting tears. Ritsuka shook her head, rolling her chair forward. She didn't speak again until she was in the doorway, and then it was in a rasp, forcing cheer through a tightness that was almost rage. "We should get going. Don't want to keep those hamburgers waiting."

"Eh? But I thought..." Kiori sighed, staring at the book for a long moment before hiding it in her bag. "Okay. Right behind you, Ritsu."

oOo

The apartment complex boasted no elevator or ramp, so Ritsuka had to throw her arm around Kiori's shoulder, leaning heavily on her friend as she forced her weak, stiffened legs to fight the staircase up to the second floor. She stomped her way forward as if the stairs had offended her, and as soon as they made it through the door she immediately tried to stand on her own. Ritsuka swayed, reaching for the doorknob for support, but her hand slipped and her legs gave out beneath her. Kiori made a grab at her but she moved too slowly, and Ritsuka hit the floor in a stream of curses.

"God damn stupid son of a no good _useless_ piece of _shit_...!"

"So much for upbeat," Kiori muttered. She got her hands under Ritsuka's armpits and hoisted her to her feet, jerking up the redhead's T-shirt as she did. She adjusted until she had an arm around Ritsuka's waist again, but she didn't have time to adjust the shirt as well. Her hand came into contact with the rough-edged grafts that remained of the redhead's back. Kiori gasped, fingers sliding along a series of jagged ridges and lumps. "God, Ritsu..."

The redhead plunked into Kiori's computer chair, scowling up at her friend. "You think that's bad? Wait till you see the whole thing."

"You don't—"

She didn't give Kiori a chance to protest. She just threw up her shirt in one swift motion, twirling stiffly so Kiori could get a full look at her.

Ritsuka had only been half-joking when she'd said she looked like a starfish. Long-fingered splashes of scaly, raised flesh pimpled across her back in uneven clumps. The lighter burns had healed to a wrinkly white, but the rest was a splotchy sangria, nearly matching her hair. A single line of undamaged flesh stood out almost dead center between her hips and ribs, its pores and hairs standing out in sudden, stark contrast to the false skin around it. A similar line ran across the top of her shoulder blades.

Despite her months of work in the Konan infirmaries, Kiori found herself wincing.

"Pretty, ain't it?" Ritsuka grumbled. "It wouldn't be so bad if I could just move the way I want to. I don't mind being all melty as long as I can still spike a volleyball down someone's throat. Everyone tells me I'll get there eventually, but the waiting's pretty damn annoying." She sighed. "Sorry if I was a bitch coming up the stairs. Having to fight with my own body makes me grumpy."

"It doesn't hurt, does it?"

"Not really. Sort of. It's hard to explain."

Kiori touched a hand to the unblemished strip across Ritsuka's shoulders. "I noticed these when I was examining you in Konan. What happened?"

She was silent for a long while. Then, in a whisper: "The doctors say something must have protected me there. Like some kind of heavier cloth, or... or a pair of arms or something."

"Tasuki."

It wasn't a question, but Ritsuka nodded anyway. "What a joke. The dumb bastard went and reverse-branded me. D'you have any idea how unfair that is? How the hell am I supposed to move on when every time I look in the mirror, I have to see..." She trailed off, slipping her shirt back over her head.

"Tasuki was really worried about you," Kiori said at last. "He never left your side while you were hurt. Not once."

"I remember. It's one of the only things I _can _remember from after the fight, but..." Ritsuka laughed weakly. "Man. Is it stupid that I miss him? It's stupid, isn't it? I m-mean it's not like he was anything special to me. He was just some dumb guy I knew. Wasn't he, Kiori?"

"I don't know. Maybe."

"Yeah. He was just some dumb guy. I mean sure we were friends, but there wasn't..." She turned her eyes to the ceiling, forcing back the tremor in her voice. "There wasn't anything else to it, y'know? Not really. A-and even if there was, I-I mean even if there could've been it's not like it matters anymore. It's not like I'll ever see him again. So it's... pointless to even think about it. P-pointless to even miss him. That idiot."

They were silent for a long moment. Kiori took a breath and gave Ritsuka's shoulder a short squeeze. "Is that why you're avoiding the book? Because you're trying to forget about it?"

"I guess so." She shook her head. "I can't decide if it'll give me closure or just shove more questions down my throat. I mean, what if all that work didn't amount to anything? What if everyone's miserable, or things're more messed up now than they were before? What if we actually made their lives _worse_?"

Kiori pressed her lips together. "Okay. How does this sound?" She hurried to her purse, pulling out the book again. She tiptoed back to Ritsuka and set it down in front of her. "I'm gonna hit the restroom and put on my pajamas. You can do the same out here. If you want to read it when I come back out, then we will. If not, then we'll wait. Fair?"

Ritsuka scowled. "You're too freaking patient for your own good, you know that?"

Kiori chuckled but didn't reply. She grabbed her flannels and slipped into the tiny bathroom, leaving her friend alone. Ritsuka pressed her forehead against her hands and shuddered a sigh. After a moment she lifted her head again, peeking out from under her laced fingers, eyes twitching from one faded gold _kanji_ to another. She touched the chain around her neck. Her fingers slid down to her collarbone, pinching the tiny lump inside her shirt.

She sighed, but for once it came with a smile. "So that's my answer, huh? '_Taku_. I must be as big an idiot as the rest of them..."


	40. Ending Credits

**Musical Selection: **"Teppen no Ito" for the monastery scene. "Ryoute Ippai" serves as the Final Ending Theme.

* * *

_**-Fushigi Yuugi: The Next Chapter-  
**_**Ending Credits**

Kiori came out of the bathroom to find Ritsuka sprawled out on the single room's futon. She had her face buried in a pillow. _Universe Reawakened_ lay in front of her.

"Did you read it?"

"No," said the pillow. "I couldn't do it without you."

"So...?"

Ritsuka propped herself up on one arm and used the other to yank at the thin chord around her neck. She pulled up the _kirin_ necklace, letting it dangle between herself and her friend. "Can you believe it? I was actually dumb enough to think that I _wanted_ to forget about them."

Kiori smiled. She took a seat on the futon, holding out the book as Ritsuka struggled into a sitting position. They shared a long, even stare, then Ritsuka held out her hand, flashing another of her lopsided grins. "C'mon. I read us into this mess. I might as well read us out of it."

She took the book from Kiori's willing hands and flipped it open, skimming until she found the paragraph detailing their departure from Taikyoku. The redhead took a breath, gathering strength, and began to read.

"'_It was yet another beautiful spring day, so similar to the one that had begun the tale of the Elemental War. This day, however, did not begin in Konan but in Takkan, and the air did not sing with peace but rather with excitement. Preparations were under way – preparations, and one familiar training lesson...'_"

oOo

Wooden swords crashed against each other, skidded along one another, locked at the hilt and ground together before pulling away again, one pushing, the other retreating, only to twist suddenly and reverse the dance and begin again. A gust of wind ruffled the branches that swung above the circular training pit, whirling blossoms around the brawlers and across the pages of a medical text.

Fuyuko pressed his limp left hand against the book to keep the pages from jumping with the breeze, chancing a quick glance up at the ring and the fighters within. He offered a brief, "Come on, Akai!" before turning his attention to the book again, forming the words out loud, training his tongue to sound out the complex syllables. "If the patient continues to experience trouble, adminsht... ad-min-_iss_-ter a blend of ginseng, lick-oh-riss, shitrush... ugh, _sit-riss _with ginger..."

Footsteps behind him made the Element turn. Setsuka stood at the top of the little set of stairs leading down into the ring, dressed in a simple double-layer of periwinkle and white. She hesitated at the sight of him, but he just raised his right hand in greeting, offering a tiny – and perhaps ironic – smile. She gave him a timid one in return, the corpse-pale scar tissue along her cheekbone crinkling with the pull of her lips, then stepped into the building, eyes on the fighters.

They watched together as Akai leaped forward with a cry of victory, her _bokken_ slicing from her shoulder, only to have Hataku narrowly block the attack, twisting her blade to the side. He stumbled on his bad leg but the rest of him never hesitated, and even as he fought to catch himself his sword was on the move, sliding along Akai's exposed side and knocking her in the ribs. Both lowered their _bokken_ and gasped for air, but they were smiling as they did it.

"That was..." Hataku shook his head wonderingly. "_Very _good, Akai. I believe you're in the process of inventing a new sword style. You'll have to teach it to our men when you've perfected it."

She grinned, pressing fist to palm as she bowed low to him. "If I ever manage to beat you with it, then I promise to teach the entire nation." Her eyes snaked sideways to the woman on the sidelines. "If you ask nicely, I'll even teach it to your kids."

Setsuka must have heard the remark because she pressed a hand to her stomach, the slight swell just barely noticeable beneath her robes. Her eyes met Hataku's across the ring and they smiled, but his quickly turned into a sigh. "I suppose they're asking for me at council?"

"Furosaki-san needs your approval on the additional funds for the, ah... childhood educational facilities that I proposed."

"The palace orphanage, you mean?"

She blushed. "We thought it would sound more professional this way."

"Hmph. You and that actor could make a trash heap sound elegant." He chuckled as he said it, returning his _bokken_ to the wall before offering Akai a short bow. "I'm sorry to cut this short, but it seems they're making me rule again. I'll see you this evening?"

"With bells on, m'Lord."

He grimaced. "_My Lord_. I think I preferred it when you were insulting me."

Akai giggled, but her laughter was cut short as someone new clattered through the doorway, pulling up in the frame so he could bow to the group. "Er, er, Vice Provost Yoh Kazuo of the City Watch reportin'. Sorry ta interrupt, Hataku-sama, it's jus' that we've received word that th' Imperial procession has been spotted outside th' city, an' you wanted t'know quick-like, so..."

All four faces lit up. Hataku stepped forward, assuming command with another goodnatured sigh and a smile. "Thank you for informing us, Kazuo." He turned to Setsuka, offering her his arm. "I suppose I'd best get cleaned up before our honored guests arrive. Tell Furosaki to stamp my signature on the appropriations. I don't care if we have to sell half the palace treasury to do it, I'm not about to see another wave of children left on the streets. It's not like we _need_ those damned jewel-encrusted chalices from Sairou anyway."

Setsuka kissed him on the cheek. "Very good, m'Lord."

"Would you all stop that?" He led her up the stairs but paused at the top, glancing back at Akai. "Oh, Akai-kun, would you mind...?"

She met him with a bandit salute. "I'll play vassal for the day. Now go make yourself lord-like for Houki-sama."

"And what am I right now?"

"Sweaty," both women said as one.

His eye rolled pleadingly to the heavens. "Surrounded by insubordination. I'm going to have to start beheading people soon if anyone's to take me seriously..."

Akai watched as Kazuo led the Takkan lord and his wife from the rings, then set about tidying up. When she was finished she sidled over to Fuyuko, still hard at work. She leaned forward, sliding the book out of his hands. "That's enough studying for today. How about we head upstairs, clean ourselves up, and go say hello to Houki-sama?" She winked. "I'm a little sweaty myself, after all."

He nodded, tucking the book under his right arm and rising to his feet. He slipped his left arm into the sling that hung loosely from his neck, a sturdy cloth-and-leather affair intended for permanent handicaps rather than temporary ones. Fuyuko followed Akai pensively from the rings, so silent that she couldn't help but say, "_Mon_ for your thoughts?"

"Oh, nothing really. I was just..." He glanced up at the recovering finery of the Takkan palace, its trees in full bloom and its courtyards in immaculate condition once again. He smiled sadly to himself. "I guess I was just thinking that Mizu-chan was right."

"Hm?"

"She always believed... even when thingsh were really bad, she used to shay – _say –_ they'd go back to the way they were before. That Shet... that _Sss_etsuka would go back to the way she was, and we'd all be happy again." He paused at the edge of bathhouse. "I never thought I'd forgive her for what she did to them. Kaze, Senpai, Mizu-chan. And me, too." His smile shifted, the sadness lifting, replaced by relief. "But sh – _see_ing how hard she's been working these past few months... I think I have. And I think Mizu-chan must have been right. Thingsh really _can_ be fixed again." He looked down again. "It's too bad none of the othersh could be here to see it."

Akai pressed a hand to his shoulder. "Somewhere they can."

He nodded. "Yeah. I guess sho. _So_." He stuck out his tongue. "Shtupid shound."

She giggled, pushing him lightly toward the men's side of the baths. "I'll talk to Hataku-sama about getting it struck from the language. For now, though, I think you should get in there and make yourself presentable for the empress. The letters she wrote me kept saying how excited she was to see you again. Slur and all."

"Slur and all, huh?" He grinned. "Fair 'nough. We'll go to the main hall together?"

"I'll meet you in front of the old willow tree as soon as I'm done. And look your best, okay? I want to impress Houki-sama with how big and strong we've both gotten in the last half year."

oOo

"Dowager Empress, it is an indescribable pleasure to see you again!"

Houki stepped down from her carriage and found herself staring at a bowing young man, his topknot hidden under a squared black cap and his body draped in the forest-colored silks of a Takkan official. It wasn't until he raised his head and met her with a blinding smile that she realized it was Furosaki Yuki. "Oh, goodness! I almost did not recognize you!"

"Understandable. My good looks _do _grow exponentially with each passing month."

Houki sweatdropped. "I was referring to those new robes of yours. Akai had written that you were studying for the government exams, but I did not realize..."

His chest puffed out. "The second highest score of the year _and _an immediate promotion. I'm the governor of Seida Provnce now, you know. I replaced the esteemed Kou Anrin-sama when she returned to the capital as Minister of the Left."

"Did you now? That's quite the position for such a young scholar." Houki smiled teasingly. "But are you certain that you should be shirking your duties just to attend tonight's ceremony?"

"Nonsense! I'll only be gone for a fortnight, and there are two capable young ladies currently looking after the province for me."

"I don't suppose either is your wife?"

"I daresay Palace Liaison Kirei would skin you alive for such slander." He rubbed at his nose. "Now Ai-chan, on the other hand... but come, let's not get into the sordid details of my love affairs! Those are stories for much later in the evening, after the _sake_ has dulled your refined sensibilities somewhat, hm? For now, I am here to escort you and your son to the main hall, where a veritable horde of old friends awaits your arrival."

"That sounds lovely." Houki took his offered arm, using her other hand to help Boshin down from the carriage. The boy, now in his fourth year, stood solemnly at his mother's side, doing his best to look the part of the young emperor – until Yuki leaned down and tickled his ribs so hard that he fell into the grass, childish giggles filling the courtyard. Houki pressed a hand to her cheek. "Goodness. Between you and Tori-kun..."

Yuki stood again, retaking Houki's arm and leading her across the courtyard. "Ah, so Tori-kun met you at the border, did he? If I didn't know any better I'd say he actually takes that job of his seriously."

"He should be quite proud of himself. Border patrol is vital for Takkan's peacekeeping efforts." She hesitated. "Though I must admit, I was surprised Hataku entrusted him with so much responsibility."

He snorted. "Hataku-sama just wanted the cheeky bugger out of the city. He's been begging for Hourin-san's hand since the war ended, and no number of Watanabe ear-attacks can dampen his resolve." Houki had to clap a hand to her mouth to stifle her laughter. Yuki sighed and raised a layered sleeve, shaking it as if to wave away the whole mess. "Oh, I'm sure Hataku-sama will relent if Tori-kun can prove himself a responsible gentleman. Hourin-san seems rather smitten with him as well - can't imagine _why_, but love is blind, I suppose, and in this case rather literally."

"Will Hourin-san and her mother be at the ceremony tonight?"

"They have their own quarters in the palace now, so I'm sure they will be." Yuki looked up, rattling off names by memory. "Now my best mates will be absent, of course, but Nii-san and his lovely wife will be there – all but bursting from her skirts, I wouldn't be surprised if that baby of hers popped out halfway through dinner – along with Kazu-kun, Akai and Fuyuko, most of the ministers, Hataku-sama and Setsuka-sama, naturally... oh, and we received word shortly after you'd arrived that Tasuki-sama had entered the capital, so he should be here soon as well."

Houki frowned. "Just Tasuki? What about Chichiri? They left the palace together after the new year, so I had assumed they would arrive at the same time."

"I couldn't say. Seishi, much like gods and women, are an eternal mystery to me." Yuki winked. "Never fear, Houki-sama, I'm quite certain Chichiri-sama will be along when we need him, just as he always is. That's a promise from Furosaki Yuki, so it is, and a promise from me carries a lot of weight these days. Did I mention that I was the _governor _of Seida Province now...?"

oOo

At the center of the Shu'u monastery stood a sprawling stone temple, its climbing pillars and sweeping roofs boasting centuries of service to the god of the south. It was a modest structure, all wooden floors and unadorned walls, but the boards were swept clean daily and the sandstone corridors scrubbed free of grime, leaving the wide, circular room at its center sacred in its simplicity. An ancient carving of Suzaku in his human incarnation served as the only form of decoration, his hand raised in a _mudra_ of peace and protection, blessing all who chose to seek his guidance. Offerings and incense sticks littered the ground at the statue's feet, but only one of the sticks was currently lit, its gray-white smoke writhing around both god and disciple, flitting past carved eyes and masked ones indiscriminately.

The monk knelt, apparently deep in prayer, but he looked up again as the door behind him creaked open and an aging man in the robes of an abbot entered the chamber. The monk swiveled around and pressed palms and face to the floor, a gesture of utter trust and obedience. "Have you reached a decision no da?"

"We have."

"And should I start packing?"

The abbot considered the top of the shaven head for a moment before answering. When he did, though, it was with a smile both stern and gentle, somehow forgiving and disapproving all at once. "Suzaku no Chichiri – Disciple Houjun – your transgressions are not light ones. You have both taken lives and broken your vows of chastity. The former you firmly repent, but the latter comes without remorse, as I understand it."

"I was in love with her. I can't apologize for that no da."

"Confession without repentance is hardly a confession." The abbot regarded him closely. "But still, admit it you did, something many disciples would never have the courage to do. You come to us peacefully, without anger or regret, with no intention to leave the order but with the firm belief that we will toss you out of the gates right on your sinning ass. Is that about right?"

Chichiri was used to the bluntness of the enlightened, so he didn't flinch. "That's true, _Kanju_-dono."

Abbot Sensui turned away from him, studying the waning sunlight as it streamed through one of the room's wide windows. "When you came to me, Houjun, I did not wish to give you the tonsure. Do you remember that?" Chichiri nodded. "Do you remember why?"

"You said I didn't know what I was doing no da. That entering Suzaku's service needed to be a carefully considered choice, and that I was too angry and full of grief to give myself that choice. You said my wish to take the tonsure was an escape, a corner that I had been pushed into by bad karma and chance alone." He pressed his forehead to the floor again. "And you were right no da."

"Would you say that has changed? Would you say that you have a choice now?"

He didn't hesitate. "I would."

"And what choice would you make?"

Chichiri raised his head, removing his mask so he could meet the abbot honestly. "Nothing is permanent, least of all intentions, so I can't say that I'll never fall in love again, that I'll never have to hurt or even kill another sentient being again. It may be that I will forever be breaking my vows, that I won't ever be able to fully understand compassionate non-attachment. But even so..." He looked around the room for a moment, then back to the abbot. He took a breath. "I've come to believe that this is where I need to be. Even if I stray again and again, this is the path I want to keep walking. If you'll allow me to stay, then I'll stay. And I will do all I can to be a follower who will make the order proud."

The abbot's eyes at last curled into a full smile. "Then stand, Disciple Houjun, Suzaku no Chichiri. I absolve you of your transgressions. Don your monk's robes and go out into the world. Aid all you meet and love without clinging, free from the bitterness of craving. Be the hand of Suzaku as he meant for you to be. And should you ever need guidance or sanctuary, know that Shu'u Monastery will always be open to you. Before, you were a guest. But now... now this is your home."

A tear touched Chichiri's eye as he stood, pressing his palms together and bowing low to the venerable old monk. "Thank you, Sensui-_kanju_. Your words mean more to me than I could ever explain no da."

The older man turned surly again. "Well, don't bother trying. If I remember correctly, you have a ceremony to attend this evening. Your seishi responsibilities are as much a part of your duty to Suzaku as your monastic ones. Best that you not be late for them."

Chichiri's face lit up with a smile that matched his mask. "Of course. I'll be leaving right away no da. I'd hate to keep the others waiting."

oOo

Tasuki rode up to the main gates of the Takkan palace, not at all surprised to find his fellow seishi perched atop the wall, waving a chibi mitten in greeting. "You're late no da!"

"_Wari_!" he called back. "I ain't been ta Shoutei since b'fore the snows set in, so I wanted t'see how th' city was holdin' up. Not too shabby!"

"I hear they have some new ruler who's doing a pretty good job no da."

"No kiddin'? I'll have t'meet th' guy one-a these days."

The two shared a grin, then Chichiri hopped to his feet, calling, "Just a second!" before hurrying off the ramparts. He reappeared a moment later in the gateway. The two clasped hands in greeting, Tasuki following his with a rather painful back slap of a hug.

"Da," Chichiri winced, but he was drowned out by Tasuki's jovial, "Damn, it's good ta see ya again! I think I was startin' ta have me some 'no da' withdrawals!"

"It's only been a month no da..." He wiped away his sweatdrop. "But it's good to see you too. How's Reikaku?"

Tasuki's smile was cautious but genuine. "Good. Yeah. Better... better this time than when I went up in th' fall. Th' memories don't, y'know, don't stick in my throat so bad anymore."

"I noticed that you weren't wearing Koji's headband no da. Is that a part of it?"

"Huh? Oh, sorta." Tasuki studied his bare wrist. "It's crazy. Th' damn thing survived th' fight with Setsuka only ta fall apart when I got stuck out in a thunderstorm." He chuckled. "Maybe that was jus' Koji's way-a tellin' me t'move th' hell on already. I guess that's all right, though."

"I think so no da." Chichiri hesitated. "So you're... and is Hareya...?"

"She's better, too, though I still can't figger out why she won't jus' leave. Keeps sayin' Reikaku's her home now, an' she's too damn stubborn fer me ta convince her otherwise." Tasuki shrugged. "I ain't willin' ta fight her over it. She's got a hawk's eye with a bow an' is damn good with numbers, so I got her huntin' game an' keepin' track-a supplies. I figure even bandits gotta know where their loot is goin'." His smile hesitated. "She's been a little down recently, though. I think all this talk-a Takkan is makin' her think about one-a th' guys who _ain't_ gonna be here t'night."

"And what's all this talk of Takkan doing for you no da?"

"I'm... me." He rubbed the back of his head, forcing a grin. "I hit rocks an' bounce up like a toy ball. A little banged around th' edges, but still flyin' high." He thumped his friend's _kesa_ with the back of his hand, changing the subject. "What about you? Didn't get booted out on yer sinnin' ass after all, huh?"

"Looks that way no da." He smiled. "But there's a party tonight, and with you and the RAFT around I'm sure I'll be able to heap on enough sins to make the _kanju_ change his mind no da."

Tasuki laughed, clapping him on the back and shoving him toward the palace. "That's what I like ta hear! Now c'mon, we don't wanna keep th' others waitin'. We _are_ th' guests-a honor after all."

"Really? I could've sworn that honor was awarded to the rulers whose peace treaty we're celebrating no da."

"Nah, it's us. We're gods-chosen warriors, 'Chiri. So trust me. It's _always _us."

oOo

The main Takkan banquet hall rang with the clatter of dishes and the chatter of guests as servants hurried from table to table, refilling drinks and serving new courses while officials, soldiers, former rebels, and so-called "heroes" of the Elemental War shared news and gossip, slipping into comfortable conversation as if they had never been separated at all.

Houki sat at the head of the main table, her chatty son beside her and the seishi filling the first two seats on the right side of the table. The Watanabe women sat across from them, with Aji and his very pregnant wife Kita just to their left. Akai and Fuyuko sat parallel to the former rebels, quite happy to join the seishi on the Konan side of the table. Yuki fluttered between their table and the one reserved for the government officials, bragging shamelessly to anyone who cared to listen about the "great strides" he'd made in protecting the Seida crops from drought and flooding. Two seats stood at the head of the table just to Houki's right, currently empty but clearly reserved for the Takkan lord and his wife. Neither had been seen since the welcoming ceremony that afternoon.

"An' then, an' then, Haha-ue, hey listen," Boshin tugged at his mother's sleeve, "right after that Jin-kun says I bet you can't do it, so then Haha-ue, are you listening, so then _I_ say I bet I can, and then I did it, Haha-ue, I climbed right up and stood in the tippy-top an' I wasn't scared even a little bit!"

"Mm, you're such a brave boy," Houki murmured distractedly, her eyes straying once again to the unclaimed seats beside her. She bit her lip. "Oh, I do hope everything is all right... it is nearly time for the main course, and still they have not arrived..."

The Takkan citizens shot each other knowing glances. "Must be the old sickness," Hourin remarked.

"Mm?"

"You know." Fuyuko swept a hand across the table. "Everyone together from the Elemental War, honoring the new trade pacts and peash - tch, _peace_ - pledges between Konan and Takkan, celebrating the rebuilding of the two nationsh, remembering those whose livesh were lost in the war..."

"...A war that wouldn't have even _happened_ if one Takkan lady had never been around," Akai finished meaningfully, and the other Konan natives nodded. "She's been a lot better about it recently, but tonight must've dredged up all the worst memories for her." She pressed her hand to her chin, sighing. "No doubt Hataku-sama will manage to coax her out before they serve the final course, but don't expect anything before that, Houki-sama. Convincing Setsuka that we're not all sitting here silently damning her is like convincing Tasuki-san's tessen to shoot flowers instead of fire."

"What th' hell would be th' point-a that?" Tasuki muttered to no one.

Aji stood, bowing low to the table. "Well, I suppose I'd best join the efforts. Seeing as how I argued the loudest regarding her, ah, 'thousand deaths' when she first returned to Takkan, perhaps a bit of convincing will mean more coming from me."

Kita cocked an eyebrow. "So's y' really _ain't_ sittin' there silently damnin' 'er, na?"

"She's housing homeless children within the palace, love, and offering a minister's education to anyone who shows an interest in it." He leaned down so he could first kiss her cheek and then pat her swelled stomach. "Now how in heaven's name could I damn a woman who is helping to build such a brilliant future for our little Mariko-chan?"

"Or Jiro-chan."

"Or Jiro-chan, of course," he echoed. Aji offered her another quick kiss, then stood, facing the group with a grin. "'No doubt they will be hovering in the wings, our lady fretting and our lord cajoling. I shall return shortly, hopefully with a guilty little canary in my wake."

He was halfway across the dining hall before Tasuki hissed a curse and stood as well. "I'll be back, damn it."

The bandit followed Aji through a curtained entrance and into a private nook, likely intended for guests who needed a moment to prepare themselves for some speech or announcement. Sure enough, Setsuka and Hataku stood in the shadows, his hands on her shoulders and her head swaying from side to side. He was trying to speak, but Setsuka just shook harder, clenching her fingers into her skirts and hissing, "I can't, I just _can't_, everything they are celebrating could have been prevented if I wasn't so – if I'd only been a little—"

"M'lady?"

They jerked around, Setsuka blinking first shyly at Aji and then shrinking back when she caught sight of Tasuki in the entryway, the curtain held above his head so the lamplight could filter down around him and across the nook. Aji bowed low, sweeping an arm back to the dining hall. "Our honored guests from Konan wish to share their table with the Takkan rulers. T'would be rude to refuse them, don't you agree?"

She hesitated, her gaze shifting back and forth between Aji and Tasuki, watching the bandit with a mingling of shame and guilt. "I... ah... that is to say... if the honored guests from Konan truly... that is, if they truly wish..."

Tasuki sighed and jerked out a hand, grabbing Setsuka's wrist and dragging her into the light. "Oh, get th' hell out here already. We can't exactly fergive ya if we never even see ya. B'sides," he added, throwing a grin at her husband, "ol' Shogun-sama there don't know how t'have fun without you around."

She stumbled into the dining hall with Hataku limping behind her, pressing a steadying hand to her shoulder. The guests turned like a wave to face them... and then burst into applause, the table of former rebels and Konan Warriors clapping the loudest of all. Setsuka ducked her face to hide both blush and smile, her hand squeezing against Hataku's and her eyes sliding nervously to the bandit beside her. "Thank you, Tasuki-sama. I... thank you."

Tasuki slumped back into his seat along with the others, his scowl a little less prominent as he dove into his newest mound of food. Chichiri leaned over to help himself to another cup of tea, remarking into his friend's ear as he did, "That may have been the bravest thing I've ever seen you do no da."

"Yeah, well..." He shifted in his chair, though the monk didn't miss the proud little grin twitching on his lips. "I'm a leader now, ain't I? This is jus' th' kinda stuff that leaders gotta do."

Chichiri smiled but spared his friend any further embarrassment by turning to the rest of the table, greeting Setsuka with a short nod and clasping Hataku's hand briefly between his own. "It's a pleasure to see you both again no da. You look well. And Setsuka-sama, I hear you've been busy no da. Aji-san mentioned something about a palace orphanage?"

"Childhood educational facilities," the lady and the actor corrected as one, but then Setsuka continued on her own, keeping her eyes away from the monk's face. "And yes, the Minister of the Interior approved the project today."

"Congratulations," Houki said. "Knowing palace ministers as I do, I am sure it was a difficult proposal to pass."

"Yes, but it was something I'd been after for years, since my father was the lord, even. I was never able to convince any of the ministers then, but..." She set her jaw, and for a moment both seishi caught a flash of the strong, passionate woman that Setsuka would one day become, once the old ghosts had quieted a bit more. "But that was before. I can't let minor setbacks deter me anymore. I have to be better than I was." Her eyes at last flitted across the table, daring to meet the monk head on. "Isn't that right, Chichiri-sama?"

He smiled softly, bowing his head in deference to the ruler. "I suppose so. But really, you honor me too much no da. A simple 'san' is more than enough for a wandering monk like me."

Akai chuckled. "You're the same as ever, Chichiri-san. Too bad you're going to have to put up with a little fanfare for a while longer. There are all kinds of ceremonies and celebrations scheduled for the rest of the week, and don't think for a second that you and Tasuki-san are getting out of them."

"I never said I wanted to!" Tasuki cried.

"Sorry, but I think Tasuki is going to have to be your seishi representative after tonight no da. I've had enough recognition to last me a lifetime. I'll be a lot happier when I can go back to being that weird stranger who showed up, helped out, and left by sunrise no da." Chichiri sobered again. "Besides, there's still work that needs to be done. Houki-sama, Hataku-sama, what's the situation in Konan and Takkan?"

The two rulers looked at each other, blinking, then back to the monk. "Excellent," Houki said. "Trade is back to its prewar levels and all major damage within and around the capital has been repaired. The shadows of the deceased will continue to haunt our streets for a while yet, but the worst has certainly passed."

Hataku's reply was more guarded but no less reassuring. "There's still a lot of work to do, but the winter wasn't nearly as hard as we'd expected, and the lowered tariffs will make trade with Konan considerably more profitable." He looked to Aji and Kita. "Most importantly, the people are optimistic. That goes a long way toward prosperity, and an even longer way toward stability." Hataku offered Chichiri a careful smile. "I'm inclined to agree with Houki-sama. The worst seems to be behind us."

"That's a relief no da."

"An' all th' more reason why you oughta stick around fer a while!" Tasuki grabbed his friend around the shoulder and shoved a _sake_ bowl into his hands. "We been runnin' ourselves ragged dashin' back 'n' forth b'tween nations – now that things've finally settled, why not kick up yer feet 'n' enjoy it? Where've you gotta be that's so damn important, huh?"

"Kutou, actually no da."

Tasuki's jaw dropped. Watanabe Shundou shifted in her seat. "But Chichiri-san, Kutou is in shambles right now. The in-fighting for the throne has left the nation—"

"Starving, ravaged, and burning. I know. I visited the capital – or what was left of it – before I returned to Shu'u Monastery. Smoke covers the city like fog no da. The buildings are crumbling, fire-blackened rubble. And the people..." He shook his head slowly, taking a moment to compose himself before he slipped off his mask, meeting the empress with a silent plea. "It wasn't the Kutou people who decided to burn our fields and decimate our villages, Houki-sama. They don't deserve to suffer for a war they never wanted. I used to bite my tongue and tell myself I didn't understand the politics, but after seeing this," he waved his hand around the table, "and how much Konan and Takkan have done for each other, I don't think I can turn a blind eye anymore. So I intend to go there no da. To help as many people as one weird stranger can."

Fuyuko's free hand clasped Akai's arm. They looked at each other for a moment, then nodded once, turning back to the monk. "We'll go with you," Fuyuko said. "The Kutou-_jin_ will need as many doctors and defendersh as they can get."

"No." They whirled on Houki, ready for a fight, but the empress straightened her back and met them head on. "Fuyuko-kun, can you swing yourself onto a running horse?" He looked at his crippled hand and shook his head. "Then you must come to Konan so we may teach you. Perhaps Akai has not warned you, but she learned her battle tactics from an insanely brave bandit who had a tendency to return to the palace with an army at his heels." She sighed. "Sadly, Chichiri is not much better. You will need to be well-versed in speedy escapes if you wish to travel the world with the likes of them, I assure you."

Akai's face lit up. "And once he can do that?"

"Then I will have the two of you lead as many hired swords and healers into Kutou as we can spare, along with whatever excess supplies our wealthier merchants and monasteries are willing to donate. We will have to work quite subtly on the political front, but I will see what I can do about settling these imperial disputes in a more civilized fashion. Perhaps a request to our allies in the north and west will bear some fruit as well." She tilted her head at Chichiri, her lips quirked in a teasing smile. "You are getting quite crafty in your old age, my friend. You never once asked for my help, yet you must have known I could never let you travel there alone."

"I studied the art of subtle suggestion for months under a very cunning empress no da," he said innocently. "But I'm glad it worked. I wouldn't have expected any less from you, Houki-sama." His gaze shifted to Hataku. "I know Takkan's coffers aren't nearly as full as Konan's, so please don't think I expect you to beggar yourselves for this no da. However, if there's anything you can do..."

"Of course there's something we can do!" Setsuka cried, hands slapping against the table. The others all sweatdropped and she blushed, looking to her husband. "There is, isn't there?"

"We don't have the political clout that Konan carries, so I doubt we'll be able to do much to stabilize the capital itself, but..." Hataku nodded slowly. "A small force, I think, led by one of my more capable patrol captains, to help defend the villages along our shared border. Perhaps we can set up some of our seamstresses and weavers in one of the outer townships as well. Haha-ue, Hourin, you could go with them if you wanted. You've the talent for the work, and it would be easier for me to keep in touch with Yoh-taii that way."

"You mean you're sending _Tori's_ border force?" Hourin's sightless eyes shone. "Oh, Ani-ue...!"

Hataku and his mother shared twin sighs of resignation, but before either could voice their grudging approval Kita spoke up. "Reckon some-a th' ol' RAFT gang'd be willin' t'go 'long. Knows they way 'round cities right well, they does, 'n' 'ow t'deal wiff some-a th' gangs ye're likely t'meet. Might be able t'change some 'earts 'n' minds too, like." She glared at her swollen belly. "Bloody shame I can't go wiff 'em."

Aji's half-hand curled around hers. "We have our responsibilities too, love."

Tasuki rubbed at his arm but said nothing. Chichiri glanced at him sidelong for a moment, then back to the table, pressing hands to thighs and bowing from his seat. "That's much more than I could have ever hoped for no da. It's easy to see how Konan and Takkan could have prospered so quickly, with people like you leading them. I am truly honored to call you my friends. Thank you, everyone."

oOo

Once the seriousness of Kutou was behind them, the evening soon returned to merriment. Laughter, song, and chatter continued into the early morning hours, until one by one hosts and guests alike trickled away, leaving only the night owls and the dedicated drinkers to the informal after-party.

With the laughter of the remaining guests as his background music, Chichiri stood beneath a roofed pavilion, leaning against the rail and staring out at the trickling waters that wove their way through the Takkan gardens. It was not the same as Konan's tranquil pond and swaying willows, but there was a nostalgia to it all the same, and Chichiri found his unmasked eye turning up to the stars. The Weaver Girl and the Cowherd winked back at him. His hand trailed sideways along the railing and flipped palm-up, as if he were waiting for another's fingers to curl into his own. They never did, of course, but he coiled his hand into a loose fist anyway, closing his eye as he breathed in the dew-choked promise of spring.

"A little early in th' year t'be wishin' on th' lovers, ain't it?"

Chichiri turned at the voice, pulling his hands back to his sides – though not hurriedly, there was no shame in his movements – as he faced the bandit at the edge of the pavilion. "Not wishing. Just... remembering no da."

Tasuki rubbed at the back of his head, stepping into the archway and joining his friend by the rail. "Kinda unfair, ain't it? How every time we all get t'gether t'be happy 'bout th' future, we always gotta start thinkin' 'bout th' past. Damn depressin', th' way that works."

"It'll get better no da. I think it already has. Akai didn't tear up when Houki-sama mentioned Koji, did you notice that? I hadn't realized it before, but maybe Fuyu-kun's been as good for her as she's been for him no da. And Setsuka-san was actually able to look me in the eye for once." Tasuki didn't reply. Chichiri took another breath. "I hope you won't hate me for this, but I think I finally forgave her today."

"...Yeah," he grumbled, swirling the _sake_ bowl in his hand. "I think I must have, too." Tasuki looked to his friend again. "But what about you, huh? How you holdin' up under all this rememberin'? This past winter, you weren't... I mean, once th' cold set in an' we couldn't go runnin' 'round th' nation anymore, you sorta..."

"Went crazy?" He smiled thinly. "Idleness is an over-thinker's worst enemy no da. Losing her... I told myself I'd be all right, but you can't prepare yourself for it, not really, for that kick of loneliness every time you reach for a hand that isn't there, or you..." He shook his head. "Well. You know what I mean no da."

Tasuki looked to his side, to the spot where another grinning redhead wasn't. "Yeah. I kinda do."

Chichiri gave his head a little shake. "But it's not as bad as it was no da. Keeping busy helps. And I'm... glad... that I came tonight. Despite the memories, or maybe because of them no da. Because everyone really is doing so much better, you know? It was good to see that. It reminded me of all the things we fought for – and all the people who were made that much happier because of it no da. I think we can take some solace from that. I hope that Kiori and Ritsuka can, too."

"Wherever they are," Tasuki muttered.

"Wherever they are," Chichiri repeated, then finished, "I'm certain they're all right."

"Eh?" He looked to his friend's _kesa_. "Are you 'n' Kiori still...?"

Chichiri shook his head. "I lost my connection to her as soon as we sent them through the gates no da. But it doesn't matter. I don't need it. I can just tell no da. Can't you?"

"I think I can, yeah." Tasuki took a swig from his _sake_ bowl, then set it against the pavilion railing. He stared out across the blooming gardens. "It don't matter how far away ya are, a best friend is a best friend. Some know-it-all bandit told me that once. Maybe it ain't jus' true fer best friends. Could be it's true fer all kinds-a people."

"I guess we're going to have to find out." Chichiri considered his next words, then said lightly, as if remarking on the scenery, "You didn't say anything at dinner tonight. About my going to Kutou no da."

Tasuki bit his lip and looked away. "Shit, 'Chiri. You know I wanna go with ya, but I jus'... I jus' _can't_, y'know? Reikaku needs a leader, an' now that I finally feel like I'm ready, like I can be the leader Hakurou wanted, the leader Koji was so sure I'd b'come, I jus'..." His hands flailed helplessly. "A month 'r two, sure, I c'd head out ta help, be th' seishi ambassador 'r somethin', but yer talkin' about _years_ here, y'know that? Kutou ain't somethin' we c'n pop over an'," he snapped his fingers, "fix jus' like that. I know you need me, I do, but I ain't... _free... _anymore, so I jus' can't—"

"Tasuki, it's all right no da. I didn't expect you to come with me. To be honest, I'm a little relieved that you aren't." Chichiri turned to look at him. His masked face matched his tone to perfection, offering nothing but slight amusement and absolute acceptance. "It's like Aji-san said: We all have our responsibilities no da. Yours and mine just don't happen to be the same ones this time. And while I'd be happy to travel with you again, I really don't _need_ you, not the way your bandits do." He smiled. "So you should go home no da. Back to Reikaku-zan. It's where you belong... and where you want to be, right?"

"Hm." Tasuki surprised himself with a chuckle. "You know me too damn well." He shifted again, staring into his empty _sake _bowl. "So what now? Is this gonna be _sayonara_ fer us too, Chichiri?"

"I don't know if it needs to be that final." He smiled, tilting his head. "I am the seishi Onii-san, after all. I'll always be around if you need me no da."

"Shoulda known ya'd never leave me alone."

"You'd hate me if I did." He nodded across the gardens, to the distant sounds of laughter and song. "And anyway, there's no need to say goodbye just yet. I'll be around for a little bit tomorrow, and there's still the rest of tonight. If I'm not mistaken, you still have a couple of Furosaki brothers to drink under a table no da."

"Both of 'em? Sounds like a tall order. How 'bout if I take one an' you take th' other?"

"You know I'm not supposed to—"

"Aw, c'mon! Consider it payback. You never did go bar-hoppin' with me in Miaka's world like ya promised."

Chichiri sighed, but he was smiling as he did it. "Fair enough no da. Lead the way."

The bandit marched victoriously out of the pavilion, but stopped when he reached the walkway. He hesitated. Then, as if pulled by gravity, his eyes shifted to the sky again. He frowned, studying the light of the crescent moon. "Hey, 'Chiri?"

"Mm?"

"We're... gonna see each other again... ain't we?"

"You and me, or everyone?"

"...Yeah."

Chichiri slipped off his mask, studying the heavens without pain or doubt or denial, but honestly, openly, considering Tasuki's question with all of the wisdom that his still-young life had given him. His eye squinted closed in a smile. "Yes. Absolutely. Someday, we'll _all_ meet again. I'm sure of it."

The bandit looked down once more, smiling to himself. Then he and his friend shared a single nod and returned to the world, taking strength and sorrow and hope and leaving nothing but memories to stir the air.

"_'...And still the stars looked on, the seishi in their places and the lovers in theirs, out of reach but always in the other's thoughts, awaiting the day when they would surely meet again_.'"

Ritsuka was silent for a long moment, staring at the story's final character. She repeated Chichiri's words in a whisper, her voice lilting as if in prayer. "Someday, we'll all meet again." She turned her crying eyes away from the pages, offering both promise and plea to the woman beside her. "And we will, won't we?"

Kiori looked at her friend and smiled, but it was a smile that no longer seemed sad or darkened by grief. Instead it held all of the love, all of the faith that any one person could ever carry. Her eyes curled upwards, matching her lips smile for smile, and her words rang with no tears, but only belief.

"You know something, Ritsuka? I think you're right."

-Till We Meet Again-  
_Owari_

* * *

_**Final Author's Note: December 25, 2010**_

I said it eight years ago, and I'll say it again today:  
...Wow.  
Just...  
...Wow.

I've been trying to work on this author's note for the better part of a month now, hoping I could say everything that I wanted to say with Shakespearean eloquence, but y'know, I just can't seem to get it to come out right. It's about as jumbled as my own emotions, a crazy blend of pride for the work, love for the characters – both the ones I made and the ones I borrowed – and sadness because, after all these years, it's actually over. So maybe eloquence is a lost cause at this point. Heck, I'm not even sure I can organize all of this coherently, but I'll at least do my best to manage the second one. Here we go.

_**The Million-Dollar Question  
**_So first off, let's get the inevitable PMs out of the way by saying that no, I have no immediate plans to write a sequel. If the story itself ever hints at one, then it's likely foreshadowing _Eikou Den _(this story does follow the anime canon, after all). However, I'd be lying if I said there was no chance I would _ever_ write a sequel, either. Truth is, I've had the better part of a decade to think about these characters, and at this point I pretty much know everything that happens to everyone... ever. (Hell, I can even give you the life stories of Setsuka and Hataku's _kids_.) And yeah, there are days when all that information demands to be turned into a story.

I've toyed with a sequel several times - I even gave it a title and an opening/ending theme - but I never seem to get further than the first few chapters. I think it's because I'm reluctant to write a sequel that doesn't absolutely live up to the original, and I just don't know if my current storyline accomplishes that. I've had a hard time letting these characters go (deep down I want to give them that fluffy _Harry Potter_ ending as much as you guys probably want to see it), but right now, I really think the story works best as it is.

Besides, I'm rather pleased with the current ending. It refuses to be either a tragedy or a Disney movie, and I'm quite proud of that balance. It's one of the reasons I chose "Ryoute Ippai" for the final ending theme – a slow-paced but up-tempo song, with lyrics that simultaneously acknowledge the sadness of transience while offering hope for tomorrow. (Yeah... there was no way to say that without sounding cheesy. _(sweat)_ Moving on...)

Anyway, I hope everyone felt that the ending was appropriate, but I'll also understand if you didn't much like it. I'd be more than happy to answer any questions you all might have (within reason) about both _FY:NC_ and its universe, and I strongly encourage the displeased to come up with their own "happily-ever-after" conclusions, if they so choose. (_smile_)

_**Where the **_**Doumo**_** Goes  
**_Regardless of how you felt about the finale, the fact that you made it to the ending after six years and 400+ pages means you deserve some kind of medal. Thank you so much for following this fic from its humble beginnings to its climactic finish. I am of course grateful to everyone who added another "hit" to _FY:NC_'s traffic stats, but those of you who loyally, eagerly, and sometimes angrily reviewed chapter after chapter (after chapter!) deserve a special round of applause. Your comments not only encouraged me through this fic, but also gave me the confidence to branch out into original fiction. I feel like I've been thanking you by name at the end of each episode for years (probably because I have), but just in case you missed it: _doumo arigatou gozaimasu_! This final-chapter Christmas present doesn't even begin to show how much I appreciate your kind words and dedication.

Sometimes I forget that _FY:NC_ went through an "original airing" before I sat down for this years-long monster of a rewrite, but there were tons of loyal reviewers through Round One as well, so thanks to all of them, too. I'll be sure to forget people if I try to name them now after all these years, but online friends Akia, Akira, and Val were a big support both on FF and in other forums; roommate-and-editor Alicia should've gotten paid for putting up with all those late-night plot discussions; and real-life friend Haley deserves a special thanks not only for reading my rough drafts but for dragging me into the Fushigi Fandom in the first place. Her story _Fushigiggles_ – a loving parody of both FY and self-insertion fics – still makes me chuckle after all these years... and I'm not just saying that because I helped her write it. (_grins_)

_**Down Memory Lane  
**_Looking back, I still can't quite believe how long I've been working with this story. _FY:NC_ had its beginnings in St. Louis - I was there for the 2002 NCAA Midwest Regionals to watch KU kick some tail! - as a few (bad) character designs and the first couple pages of chapter one. It traveled with me in notebook format to Atlanta (Final Four for my dearly beloved Kansas Jayhawks), to Texas (chapter 14, I believe, kept me company while I was suffered the sunburn from Hell), and even to the Rocky Mountains to visit Colorado (chapter 17 and a Hataku character sketch found their birth there). It went through 3 notebooks (one of which is frayed beyond belief), 3 floppy discs, God knows how many kilobytes and over 300 pages. And that's just the _original version_, which I wrote in a creative sprint that took exactly nine months to post. The six-year rewrite was written in five different bedrooms and on three different computers, went through two schools, four roommates, a change in majors and a National Championship (Dee's Personal Timeline is littered with basketball landmarks, in case you hadn't noticed). In other words, me 'n' _FY:NC_ go way back.

So maybe it's not surprising that I had a really hard time getting this final chapter ready for its Christmas deadline. Not because it wasn't written – in fact I'd finished it back in August – but just because I couldn't get myself to leave it alone. I kept going in and tweaking scenes, changing the order of events, even rewrote most of the ending a couple of times. At first I thought it was because the ending "just wasn't _quite_ good enough yet," but the more I think about it the more I think that I just didn't want to be finished because that would mean _FY:NC_ was finished. And to be honest, the thought of ending such a massive project is not only sad, but a little bit scary. I mean, this thing was a part of my life for _eight years_. If it were a child, it would be in the _second grade_. I still can't wrap my head around that one.

Professional writers sometimes talk about their novels as "their kids," and the more I write the more I understand where they're coming from. As I fleshed out the cast – again, both the ones I made _and_ the ones I borrowed – I became more and more attached to them, until it got to the point where they kinda started to feel like real people. I had more fun writing and put more of myself into this story than is probably healthy, as you could probably tell from my sometimes-giddy author's notes, and I'm going to miss each and every one of these characters dearly.

But, like all good things, it looks like this has to come to an end as well. I hope you'll all join me in bidding a fond _sayonara_ to the cast –from the Konan Warriors to the Elements and on down to those loveable scamps in the RAFT – as we turn the final page on _The Next Chapter_. It's been a joy to write and an even greater joy to share.

_**So What's Next?  
**_The fic may be over, but that doesn't mean that I am. Assuming there's a grad school out there that'll take me, I plan to chase after a Master's degree in creative writing, which means I'll basically be doing nothing _but_ working on my writing for the next two years. While I don't have any future fanficcin' plans (at this point _Broken Wings_ is probably trapped in Backburner Land), I do have a whole mess of original novel and short story ideas kickin' around, one of which is actually based on China's "four gods" legend (and who said TV couldn't teach you anything?).

Right now I'm working on publishing an original humor novel – something that may happen sooner rather than later, in fact – and will be sure to keep everyone posted on what happens with that. I also have future plans for a website/blog where I can post all of my short pieces, day-to-day silliness, and song translations in a more-or-less organized fashion. For now, though, those interested can follow my sporadic updates on **LiveJournal** (name: itsthedee), **DeviantArt** (name: rihga), and **Xanga** (name: otakugraffiti). I don't post all that frequently, but you'll be sure to know (probably in huge block letters) when and if I ever make my way into the published world.

And, of course, there's always my humor website, **NoCommas**, where you can read the highly ridiculous "Noses Off!" webcomic. Just go to www . no-commas . com.

I've appreciated all your support in the fanfic world, and I'd love it if you could continue supporting me with my original works as well. With luck I'll be hearing from you all at some time or another, but if not, then thanks again for taking this wild ride through Watase's Yuu-niverse with me. I hope you all laughed, squealed, cheered and booed, and maybe even shed a few tears here and there. Mostly though, I just hope you enjoyed this wonderful trip as much as I did.

_Till We Meet Again – _Dee  
Original: 12/25/02  
Rewrite: 12/25/10


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